The last years of the 70’s were music-defining ones. Or at least, rock-defining ones. The genre changed forever and the shape of it would transform from big arenas and excentricism to the minimalism and DIY nature of the punk, post-punk and new wave scenes. Enter, Wire.  

This London-based band became an essential part of the punk and post-punk movements in England and the US. Alongside the previous years’ releases from The Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Damned, Television, among others, and their own debut, Pink Flag, Wire’s Chairs Missing, is one of many albums that carried a simple and clear message: we can do it ourselves and we can do it better.  

Pink Flag was a punk album in the most simple sense of the word, not as artsy as Marquee Moon and not as ‘dirty’ as Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, just fast and focused and even sounding like 70’s power pop at times. Chairs Missing, on the other hand,is more textured, a lot more varied and it defined what Wire would sound in the years to come. From the tension of album opener, ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ to the propulsive riffs of closer ‘Too Late’, Wire never settles throughout the album, pulling trick after trick, hook after hook, never betraying their early sound and yet taking it far enough to sound renewed. Its darksy nature would influence the band’s later sound, even now, 40 years later, the band could be releasing it and it wouldn’t feel neither outdated nor at odds with today’s post-punk scene.       

Which is, ultimately, the point of this review: Underlining how Chairs Missing has a notable legacy in today’s rock scene and how Wire, is a band that was defined by the nature of this album and both its predecessor and successor. What makes this album special, in my opinion, is the combination of the band’s early energy and their later penchant for experimentation.

The album’s production is clean and polished, and the sounds benefit from it, as every idea is developed succesfully. When I revisited the album for this review, three contemporary bands came to my mind: Parquet Courts, Iceage and Protomartyr, three punk/post-punk acts which I have a strong feeling that were influenced by Wire and this album specifically. NYC’s Parquet Courts fun urgency, Iceage’s intensity and Protomartyr’s darkness are all present in Chairs Missing, well represented. I cannot underscores this album’s timelessness more than this.  

There’s various highlights throughout but to summarize the album’s traits, I’ll talk about three of them. First, Men 2nd, a fast and fun song. The repetitive riff is propulsive and angaging but the effects surrounding it make the song a lot more appealing. A little satiric, the lyrics deal with a man that metaphorically is left behind, taking as an example escaping a sinking ship. Second, there’s Heartbeat. A simple bass riff drives the song as it describes how it feels to be dark, empty and cold, as a lone heartbeat. The darkness of the song is haunting but is a perfect example of what Wire was trying to transmit in the album.

Finally, my favourite, one of the singles and probably one of the simplest and prettiest songs Wire has ever made, Outdoor Miner, is a song for the ages. A quite simple and pop-sounding track, its lyrics are all but relatable. Talking about a type of larva (no, seriously), Graham Lewis fascination with the insect is what gives life to the song and ultimately makes it sound great. It’s a shame it is only 1:45 minutes long.

Wire is not your typical punk band, but they aren’t that other-worldly either. Chairs Missing is the clear proof that a band can sound definitive in their second album, change the way they would record and still sound so true to their sound. Wire is still in the scene and has recent albums that sound great, but they would never repeat this. That’s nothing to regret though, because whatever influence the album has since, being legendary wasn’t even the point. And, yeah, it still is.