Colin Newman - Biography
Wire is one of the most important, inventive bands of the post-punk era. The group’s early discography practically traces the forward motion of punk rock’s blistering attack, the genre’s sonic limitations, and post-punk’s art-damaged re-envisioning of what punk rock is all about. Wire’s music has been hugely influential to every art-rock band to follow in its furious wake. Each member has been active outside of Wire’s trajectory, not least of all frontman Colin Newman. Newman’s solo career has spanned avant-pop songs to abstract techno and every unique hybrid in between. With an idiosyncratic ear for structure, melody and texture, Newman has created some of the most progressive music of his time.
Born in Salisbury, England in 1954, Colin Newman went on to attend Watford School of Art. While studying under artists like Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno, Newman formed Wire with Bruce Gilbert, Graham Lewis and Robert Gotobed in ’76. After Wire’s initial phase ended in 1980, a period that includes three of the greatest art-rock records ever made, Newman set out on a solo career. Working with Wire producer Mike Thorne he set to work on a solo debut that included several songs written during the recording of the previous Wire album, the atmospheric 154.
Beggars Banquet released A-Z in 1980. The Wire aesthetic of heavily textured, skewed art-pop is firmly in place. Melodic songs like “I’ve Waited Ages,” “Life On Deck,” and the disarming “Alone” (later heard in the film Silence of the Lambs) are augmented by throbbing ambient pieces like “Image.” Robert Gotobed contributes driving drum parts and Thorne’s production and synthesizers play a prominent role. Newman’s voice is in fine form throughout and his surreal, oblique lyrics add to this album’s mysterious, elliptical mood. A-Z should be taken along with the first three Wire albums as one of the era’s most innovative post-punk records.
The following year saw Newman switch to the fledgling 4AD label to release an album of shimmering instrumental music titled Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish. Against the wishes of longtime producer Mike Thorne, Newman deliberately moved away from melodic pop altogether. These thirteen pieces explore a pulsing, undulating ambient space. At times sounding like Eno’s On Land, at times like the textural experiments found embedded in Wire’s music, the record is a lush experiment in abstract sonic painting and a classic of early ambient music.
Newman returned to song structure with 1982’s Not To. The record’s songs are starker without Thorne’s involvement. Processed guitar, bass, synths, live drums and electronics merge to form songs that are by turn floating and haunted (“Truculent Yet”) or muscular and sparse (“Remove For Improvement”). While not as obviously inspired as A-Z, Not To is an interesting take on Newman’s unique songwriting and production style.
After the release of Not To, Newman worked as a producer for several other bands. During this time he became increasingly disillusioned with the music industry. After winning a grant he traveled to India to do some field recording.
On returning to the UK in 1984, Wire emerged from hiatus and released a new album in ’86. Newman was extremely active in the period that followed, writing and touring with Wire, recording solo music and producing other bands. After working as producer with Minimal Compact on Raging Souls, Newman moved to Brussels with Minimal Compact member and life partner Malka Spigel. In collaboration with Spigel he released two solo records, 1986’s Commercial Suicide and 1988’s It Seems.
Commercial Suicide is a stunning set of carefully measured ambient, symphonic pop songs. The production is very spacious, featuring arrangements for strings, horns and woodwinds. Standouts include the title track and the stark beauty of “I Can Hear Your…” It Seems turns Newman’s oblique songs toward heavily sequenced synth-pop. Blending the shimmering ambience of Provisionally Entitled… with his pop tendencies, these songs add layers of rhythmic synth patterns that recall the motorik pulse of Kraftwerk. Overall the album has a similar serenity to Commercial Suicide and Newman’s vocals sound calm and slightly detached. The record’s highlight, “Better Late Than Never,” features Spigel’s haunting backing vocals, ringing horns and Gotobed’s propulsive drumming.
Both Newman and Wire’s records became heavily electronic in the following years. Moving back to London with Spigel in the early ‘90s, he founded the Swim label and began to release stark minimal techno under a variety of monikers such as Oracle, Earth and Immersion. Newman’s next solo record under his own name arrived in 1997. Bastard is a slick collection of instrumental ambient electronica, updating the approach he explored on Provisionally Titled… with computer technology. He continued to produce Spigel’s solo albums and the pair recorded and performed live as Immersion throughout the late ‘90s. By the turn of the century Newman’s focus was back on Wire and the band continues to tour and record to this day. In 2004 he founded the band Githead with Spigel, Scanner’s Robin Rimbaud, and Max Franken.