The Wire, October 2025

A must for any underground music fan, The Wire reports on alternative, underground and non-mainstream musics, ‘waging war on the mundane and the mediocre.’

In this issue:

On the cover: special commemorative silver gatefold Wire 500 artwork by Savage Pencil. Inside: Natural Information Society: Exploring the time-stretching possibilities of longform improvisation with Joshua Abrams and Lisa Alvarado’s group. By Emily Pothast; OvO: The heavy theatrical performances of the Italian duo raise questions of mortality and identity. By Claire Biddles; Weston Olencki: Grappling with trombones and banjos poses questions of place and colonialism for the South Carolina born musician. By Daryl Worthington; Bitchin Bajas: Going with the flow is the MO for the shape-shifting Chicago trio. By Bill Meyer; Fay Victor: Giving voice to the catalogue of Herbie Nichols is just the latest project for the free thinking vocalist. By Stewart Smith; Signing and Interpretation: Three practitioners explain the unique art of performing and translating experimental music for Deaf audiences. By Jo Hutton; Cerys Hafana: Giving a voice to the Welsh triple harp. By Francis Gooding; Cleaning Women: Laundry rack-mounted equipment. By Ilia Rogatchevski; Invisible Jukebox: Lea Bertucci: Will the saxophonist and tape composer go loopy hearing The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Clive Bell; Unlimited Editions: The Collapsing Drums label tells the stories that matter in a post-pandemic world. By Spenser Tomson; The Inner Sleeve: Lucrecia Dalt on Tindersticks’ Trouble Every Day; Global Ear: Balkan beats rise out of Pula, Croatia’s industrial/punk past. By Robert Rigney; Against The Grain: New ruptures in culture can be found within the wreckage of the present, argues Mattie Colquhoun; Epiphanies: A recent London gig opens up questions about the racialised dynamics of performance for Theodora Laird aka feeo. And in the review sections: Melvin Gibbs: Futurist funk. By Phil Freeman; Cardiacs: The final trip. By Mike Barnes; Susumu Yokota: On and off the dancefloor. By Abi Bliss; Six Finger Satellite: Bad comrades. By Erick Bradshaw; Synths, Sax & Situationists: The French Musical Underground 1968–1978: Insurgent appeal. By Philip Brophy; James Tenney: Writings And Interviews On Experimental Music: Bridging the gaps. By Peter Margasak; Musik Installationen Nürnberg: Happening neighbourhoods. By Emily Bick; Plus letters, charts, listings, and much, much more.