A new anthology collects thoughts and experiences from Black music writers young and old. In this extract editor Willard Jenkins introduces Farah Jasmine Griffin, who goes on to detail her journey towards writing an unusual volume on Billie Holiday
Wire subscribers can explore this selection of past features on The Fall and Mark E Smith from The Wire's back pages in our online library
From Christian rock to reggae via soul, Chris Lane’s latest column follows the strange journey of a slept-on Jamaican classic
As vocalist Elaine Mitchener prepares to perform Peter Maxwell Davies’s explosive 1969 monodrama at London’s Wigmore Hall, David Grundy details past renditions and speaks with Mitchener about new intersectional perspectives on the piece
Deputy Editor Emily Bick speaks to Derek Jarman’s composer and longtime collaborator about a new restaging of the late film maker’s final project Blue
Ecstatic Peace Library shares a chapter from Ignacio Julià's new compendium on the US art-rock group, in which Lou Reed discusses his 2003 album The Raven
Agit-Pop Group leader and sonic rule-breaker Mark Stewart died on 21 April aged 62. Read Mark Fisher’s interview with Stewart from The Wire 293 and Adrian Sherwood’s Epiphany from The Wire 445 free in our online library
Writer and musician David Toop pays tribute to his friend and collaborator Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died on 28 March
To coincide with his interview with the former Slayer drummer in The Wire 471, Phil Freeman compiles a primer of works from Dave Lombardo's vast discography
Ryuichi Sakamoto died on 28 March aged 71. Read Clive Bell's interview with the Japanese electronic composer and producer from February 2000 for free in our online library.
The next stop in Chris Lane’s survey of launchpads of Jamaican song is a novelty pop flop from Liverpool
The underground music veteran looks back on Hungary’s Soviet-era scene. By Ilia Rogatchevski
Contributor Louise Gray selects ten pieces of writing from The Wire’s back pages featuring Diamanda Galás, John Cale, Éliane Radigue, Shirley Collins, and more. All selected articles are available to read in The Wire’s digital library with a Wire print or digital subscription
Jen B Larson compiles interviews with women who made up local regional US punk scenes over forty years ago. Here Feral House press shares chapters on Chicago acts Kate Fagan and Bitch.
David Grundy pays tribute to the late saxophonist whose uncontainable experimental artistry expanded the realm of mainstream music into the outer limits
Wayne Shorter died on 2 March 2023, aged 89. Read Richard Cook’s survey of the saxophonist’s Blue Note albums from Night Dreamer to Schizophrenia in The Wire 11, January 1985 in our online library for free.
The film maker and sound artist presents a selection of his most beloved movie scores
Tom Verlaine died on 28 January aged 73. Read Alan Licht’s 2006 cover story on the Television guitarist and singer in our online library.
Michael Snow died on 5 January aged 94. Read Julian Cowley’s 2019 interview with the Canadian multimedia artist free in our online library.
Contributor Clive Bell selects ten pieces of writing from The Wire’s back pages featuring Michael Nyman, Chris Watson, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Stereolab and more. All selected articles are available to read in The Wire’s digital library with a Wire print or digital subscription