Innovative British rockers Wire will tour the U.S. this fall in support of their recently released EP Read and Burn 01. Guitarist Colin Newman says the outing will demonstrate how much the band has matured since reforming their live show a few years back: "In the Seventies Wire were occasionally magic but mostly 'iffy' live," he says. "In the Eighties? Hmm, let's just not go there . . . . But now, we're better live than ever."

According to Newman, the set lists will come from Read and Burn 01 and the upcoming Read and Burn 02, as well as material the band will include on later releases. "Wire have never been a request band, so if people want to see the best Wire ever playing a set they are genuinely excited about, then they should come," he says. "If they just want to fill in their checklists about which songs they saw us play live, then they are better off finding a cover band in a bar."

Read and Burn 01 is the first in a series of EPs Wire will release in lieu of full-length albums. "We want to get the Read and Burns out quickly," Newman explains, "because there are a bunch of young bands hammering away at the same artistic concerns Wire are interested in -- like the Liars and McLuskey. Read & Burn 01 had to come out no later than summer 2002. In a year's time it will still be the same music, but it will be infinitely less relevant, since the aesthetic is developing."

Wire tour dates:

9/6: Denver, Bluebird Theater
9/7: San Diego, Casbah
9/8: Los Angeles, El Rey Theater
9/9: San Francisco, Fillmore
9/10: Seattle, Showbox
9/11: Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom
9/13: Minneapolis, First Avenue
9/14: Chicago, Metro
9/15: Toronto, Lee's Palace
9/17: Cambridge, MA, Middle East
9/18: New York, Irving Plaza
9/19: Philadelphia, Gasoline
) 9/20: Washington, D.C., 9:30 Club
9/21: Atlanta, Echo Lounge
9/22: Austin, La Zona Rosa

COLIN DEVENISH
(August 16, 2002)