ABOUT THE ARTIST.
Dan Wilson // Vocals, Lyrics
Si McCabe // Guitars, Drums, Piano
Tom Greatorex // Bass

"We formed in Leeds in 2003 and write distorted pop songs in the hope that you will sing and dance along. We're not trying to be like any other bands out there, we're just writing songs that we love in the hope that you will too. We want people to either love or hate us."

Where the fuck are Black Wire? Leeds, London, France, Germany, Italy, and now, the US. This Leeds trio of lads intends to take on the world with an infectious groove of drum machine bouncing party punk. That’s right, a drum machine. The three-piece features singer Dan Wilson, guitarist Si McCage, bassist Tom Greatorex, and a drum machine. The craziest thing though, besides their live show, is that it all works. Making a name for themselves with said raucous live show and dates playing with the Cribs, the Libertines, and the Kaiser Chiefs (who supposedly wrote the song “I Predict a Riot” about one of Black Wire’s shows) they are certain to set our shores aflame when they land in San Francisco on February 2nd.

Danceable beats set up the sing-along chorus of “Hard to Love, Easy to Lay”, which will definitely be the song running in your head, and on your car stereo, when you are on your way to your fave 4am bar. Their mix of easy beats and attitude driven lyrics, mostly about partying and sex, will certainly find a home amongst denizens of the scene. Will they experience the same reception that the latest “new wave” of UK bands making the recent trek over have enjoyed? That I do not know.

They are a genuinely likeable, charismatic, and fashionably thin group of lads, though. That much I do know, because I had the chance to talk to guitarist Si McCage recently via the magic of global telecommunications. When asked if he thinks it will be hard to replicate the live show’s energy night after night, Si replied “You get a boost of adrenaline whenever your on stage… you get exhausted night after night, but when the call to the stage comes you get pumped up and ready to play”. They should know. After having only four practices under their belt together, and having only three songs to play, they ripped out a fifteen-minute set at a local Leeds establishment, and then left the stage. I asked Si about why they didn’t wait to have more material, or play a few covers, his reply “You hear about bands that practice for a year… that didn’t appeal to us”. The buzz quickly grew and they were signed to tour England with only six songs.

Amazing when you consider that they were all “band virgins… I played in a few college bands, but this is the first professional thing”. What’s more amazing is the fact that they all “learned in public”, as he puts it when asked about how they picked up and learned their respective instruments. How very Sid Vicious indeed. I got the feeling that these are not fellows who like to wait around much, and Si confirmed that when he told me “[out on the road] there’s not much to do other than drink. I get really fidgety sitting around”. Which was an allusion to a story involving rum and stripping and a very disapproving tour manager.

As much as the road may get boring from time to time, they are excited about coming to the States, “getting to New York”, and playing Oswego East High school on February 10th. “We’re really looking forward to playing an all ages show, playing for the kids”, Si bubbled over the din of whichever London café he was inhabiting at the time of our interview. Lamenting that they don’t get to play as many all ages shows as they’d like, and iterating how exciting it is to “bring it to the kids” and give them a taste of something they don’t get very often without long treks into the city, label head and US tour manager Bjorn Foresell was giddy with anticipation of bringing Black Wire here. “They’re great guys, fun guys, they really get it and they’re really talented”

Fiercely loyal to their home and fan base though, they have no plans to “ever leave [Leeds], we’ll always live in Leeds. London is such a different place, I can’t stay here for more than three days”. You quickly come to the understanding with these guys that although major city life is fun, it’s the smaller burgs that appeal to them more. When you see the web movies of some of their live performances, showing them in close proximity to the crowd and eventually ending up in the crowd, you understand Si’s point completely.

With February stops in San Francisco, LA, New York, and here in the Metro area, making up the entirety of the US tour, they expect it to go well and hope to get back into the studio to record half of their new record by June, finishing up the other half after festival season in the EU. A hopeful release date of the end of the year means that we all have plenty of time to soak up their debut “Black Wire” and the live CD/DVD “Where the Fuck are Black Wire”. Never mind the Sex Pistols, here come Black Wire…