Days of Wire and Roses

“Necessity is the mother of invention and there will always be music. Whether it will be a viable career for five guys with guitars I’m not sure at the moment but you know, they’ll be there in a garage somewhere.”

The words of Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, just one of many musicians who believe that guitar-based music is in danger of becoming an underground art. The current musical landscape certainly appears to be dominated by pop, hip hop and electro. Still, it seems premature to sound the death knell of the guitar just yet, especially with Derry rockers Fighting With Wire chomping at the bit to stake their claim once again.
Having hit the ground running in 2008 with debut album Man Vs Monster, the trio quickly inked a deal with Atlantic Records. It appeared that the sky was the limit. Four years, several broken promises and one protracted legal battle later and the Atlantic deal is dead, but the fruits of their labour remain intact, second effort Colonel Blood. Such an experience would leave most bands defeated, but bassist Jamie King has adopted something of a philosophical outlook.
“Unfortunately, it’s a story that we’ve all heard before when it comes to independent bands who sign to a major label and get swallowed up by the nature of the beast that is the music industry,” he notes, sounding slightly weary after spending eight weeks on the road across the UK and Europe. “It’s an experience that, when it’s offered to you, either you go for it or you don’t, and I think that most bands will just fuckin’ go for it and have a fuckin’ crack at it. That’s what we did. It took a lot of time and we know that it’s cost us a lot of momentum that we had built up previously, but we’re really confident in this record. The songs are stronger than the ones on the first album. It’s recorded better. Our playing is better. We’re just delighted that we still have it.”
Set for release in late September via London-based label Xtra Mile Recordings, Colonel Blood is a huge step forward for the band sonically. Recorded over a six-month period in Nashville with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson, Deftones), the record significantly beefs up Fighting With Wire’s no-holds barred aesthetic, bringing the guitars and drums front and centre without overshadowing Cahir O’Doherty’s spiky vocals. It all adds extra oomph to what King readily admits is a relatively straightforward set-up.
“There’s no great mystery to it”, he nods. “We’ve always been a grunge-influenced rock band and our sound onstage is very raw. We just plug in and rock out. We’re not going to bring in a synth or a drum machine any time soon.”
Does he share the sentiments of Ricky Wilson et al?
“I don’t think guitar bands are dying out, no. There will always be great guitar bands that will take their lead from classic sounds that have already been recorded. Music and technology is always going to be changing and we definitely don’t see ourselves as a retro band. Our influences are from the early ‘90s, sure, and you have to embrace new technology but our guitar sounds are timeless. They’re always going to fuckin’ sound good! People might try and replicate that through digital machines but when it comes to recording and playing live, I think people will always go back to the original.”
Keeping things simple has gone a long way to establishing Fighting With Wire as one of the most impressive live acts to emerge from Northern Ireland in the past few years. Proud of their ‘what you see is what you get’ mantra, they’re careful not to over-egg the pudding on stage, happy instead to concentrate on doing their work justice. As such, King is content to limit his options.
“If I had the money I’d probably try and get a whole collection of bass guitars going but I play a Fender Precision for the most part. I always have two on stage for different tuning but the Precision is perfect for the type of music we play. If I was playing a different style then I might use a Fender Jazz or something. You can get everything you need from that, especially if you want something a little more groove-based but for pure rock, Precision is the one for me.”
King sees the next few months as a challenging, yet exciting time for the band. Recapturing their momentum will be no easy task, even with a strong record in tow. If guitar bands really are flirting with becoming an endangered species, they could do well to embrace the stubborn attitude displayed by Fighting With Wire. Four years ago at Oxegen, O’Doherty paid tribute to headliners Rage Against The Machine, calling for more bands of their ilk to come forward and seize the public consciousness once more. It hasn’t quite turned out that way, but his bass player remains hopeful.
“There is, especially in Ireland, an electro scene that has become really cool and trendy,” says King. “Fads come and go quite quickly these days, but I think people will always appreciate music that is raw and straight to the bone. There’s something really honest about it. Maybe I’m just getting fuckin’ old but all we can do is stick to our guns and maybe it’ll come around full circle and we’ll become a cool new band again!”