Wire - Document & Eyewitness 1979-1980

Pink Flag reissues the legendary fourth Wire album, Document and Eyewitness. Originally released by Rough Trade in 1980, the album was primarily recorded live during a 1979 performance. Long unavailable in any format, this reissue includes additional unreleased material on both double CD and double vinyl.

To describe Document and Eyewitness merely as a collection of live recordings from three late-’70s Wire gigs would miss the point. What sets it apart is the unorthodox nature of the main performance and the way it was presented on record. The centerpiece of the original release was a recording of Wire’s final show of the ’70s era, performed at the Electric Ballroom. The set consisted largely of new—and often under-rehearsed—material, enhanced by a series of artistic actions and performance interventions.

The album uniquely pairs these live tracks with spoken commentary from longtime Wire fans Adrian Garston and Russell Mills, giving rise to the title Document and Eyewitness. Supplementing the Electric Ballroom material are recordings from a more traditional July 1979 performance at Notre Dame Hall, along with a track from a 1979 show in Montreux.