The Wake

Spanning the prime years of post-punk and indie pop, the Wake blended introspective, downcast songwriting with infectious melodies voiced in an affably detached manner by frontman Caesar. Initial outings such as the 1982 album Harmony closely echoed New Order before the group developed a brighter, more tuneful version of that approach on 1985's Here Comes Everybody. A subsequent switch from Factory Records to Sarah brought an even more buoyant sound paired with increasingly candid lyrics. The collapse of Sarah created an interruption, yet the band reassembled at intervals for releases like the 2012 album A Light Far Out and select live appearances. In 2022 they contributed a newly tracked song to a compilation spotlighting Sarah Records alumni.

The Glasgow-based quartet formed in 1981 with singer and guitarist Caesar, who had spent a short time in a pre-fame Altered Images, keyboardist Carolyn Allen, drummer Steven Allen, and bassist Bobby Gillespie, later known for his work with the Jesus and Mary Chain and as frontman of Primal Scream. Their dark, somber post-punk orientation was evident on the debut single "On Our Honeymoon," issued in January 1982 on the band's own Scan Records. Although it failed to chart, positive press led the group to sign with Manchester's leading British indie, Factory Records, and issue their first album, Harmony, in October of that year. Briefly assigned to the label's Belgian outlet Factory Benelux, the original lineup delivered its final joint single, "Something Outside," in October 1983 before Gillespie departed.

Alex MacPherson took over on bass, and the revised Wake issued two further Factory singles, "Talk About the Past" in April 1984 and "Of the Matter" in October 1985. Their second album, Here Comes Everybody, appeared in November 1985 and earned favorable reviews. The title referenced the recurring phrase in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, the novel that had inspired the band's name, while the record added understated lyricism, graceful acoustic jangle, and wistful melodies that tempered the earlier post-punk edge. This lighter sensibility persisted through the remainder of the group's career.

After MacPherson exited, Caesar handled bass in the studio and recruited temporary players for the infrequent concerts. Nearly two years after Here Comes Everybody, the band released the single "Pale Spectre," followed a month later by the EP Something That No One Else Could Bring. Sales were modest, and Factory, now focused on dance releases, dropped the group. In 1989 the Wake staged an unexpected return when Sarah Records founders Matt Haynes and Clare Wadd, longtime admirers, invited them to the roster. "Crush the Flowers" appeared in October 1989, and the third album, the ironically titled Make It Loud, followed a little over a year later. Later in 1991 the trio issued what many consider their strongest single, the 7-inch "Major John," whose ultra-melodic A-side was paired with the pointed B-side "Lousy Pop Group," a critique of mainstream British pop.

Another extended hiatus followed until the 1994 release of the fourth album, Tidal Wave of Hype, which matched the quality of Here Comes Everybody while deepening its delicate, melancholic tone. The band increased its live activity, enlisting Matthew Drummond and James Moody of Sarah labelmates the Orchids on guitar and bass. Sarah ceased operations in 1995, after which the Wake again receded from view.

Caesar and Allen resumed activity in 2009, playing a Brussels concert alongside A Certain Ratio and making occasional appearances thereafter. New material surfaced on the 2012 album A Light Far Out. That same year Captured Tracks issued a box set pairing Here Comes Everybody with the band's 1982-1987 singles, plus separate Record Store Day reissues of the Crush the Flowers and On Our Honeymoon 7-inches and the tribute 7-inch Gruesome Flowers featuring covers by Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing. In 2014 the reactivated Factory Benelux label released Testament (Best Of), a collection of label-era tracks that also included archival demos and live recordings from the collection of New Order manager Rob Gretton. Sporadic writing and recording continued, resulting in the 2022 track "Stockport" on the Sarah-related compilation Under the Bridge.