Piano Wire

Piano Wire

Piano Wire is a UK rock band from London. It forms from the remains of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, with Sym Gharial and Andy Huxley starting the project as a more self-contained group. Huxley sings, plays guitar and writes the songs, while Gharial writes the lyrics and plays bass.

Line-up and sound

The band also includes Sean Duke on guitar and vocals and Tim Venning on drums. Its sound draws on rock and related alternative forms, with a focus on guitar-driven songs, heavy riffs and direct rhythms. The group is described through references to alternative rock, art punk, electronic music, experimental rock, indie rock and industrial rock.

Repertoire and early releases

Piano Wire’s debut EP, The Genius Of The Crowd, appears in 2015. It contains eight songs in under 24 minutes, including “I’ll Kill You”. The songs are shaped by influences including Love, Brainiac, Elliott Smith, The Clash, Hüsker Dü, The Cure and the Pixies. The band’s early writing process produces dozens of songs, with material being developed and discarded quickly as the group sharpens its approach.

Songwriting and themes

Gharial’s lyrics focus on darker subject matter and draw on art, literature, dreams and psychosis. The band aims to expand the raw energy of its earlier work into something larger in scale and more personal in tone.