The Wolfgang Press

The Wolfgang Press

The Wolfgang Press is a London post-punk group formed in 1983 and active to the present. The core lineup is Michael Allen, Andrew Gray and Mark Cox. Allen and Cox first play together in Rema Rema, a group that also includes Marco Perroni, and later reunite in the short-lived quartet Mass before bringing in Gray to form The Wolfgang Press.

Early work and 4AD

The group becomes one of the longest-serving acts on the 4AD label, and its album artwork is associated with designer Alberto Ricci. Its debut album, The Burden of Mules, appears in 1983 and establishes a harsh, gloomy sound. A sequence of EPs follows in close succession: Scarecrow in 1984, and Water and Sweatbox in 1985. These later appear together on The Legendary Wolfgang Press & Other Stories. The EPs are co-produced by Cocteau Twins member Robin Guthrie.

Developing sound in the late 1980s and 1990s

The band’s second album, Standing Up Straight (1986), adds industrial and orchestral elements. The Big Sex EP includes “God’s Number,” which uses a soulful backing chorus and points toward the band’s later stylistic shift. Bird Wood Cage follows in 1988, with “King of Soul” as its lead single, and draws in dub, reggae and R&B influences. By 1991, Queer moves further into dance-oriented territory and is influenced by De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising; its first single, a cover of Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” becomes a minor hit. Funky Little Demons in 1995 completes the band’s movement toward white funk, and by then Mark Cox has left the group.

Later activity

In 2020 the group releases a collection of demos recorded after Mark Cox’s departure, under the title 1995-1996 - Unremembered Remembered. In 2024 The Wolfgang Press returns with A 2nd Shape, issued on Downwards Records, and performs a series of shows in Europe. At this stage the group consists of Michael Allen on vocals, bass and keyboards, Andrew Gray on guitar, keyboards and drum machine, and Stephen Gray on synthesizers.