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Wire: Pretty in Pink

Fred Mills, Harp, June 2006

APRIL 1, 1977, LONDON: Onstage at punk venue the Roxy is a young quartet nearing the end of its 17-song set – which, in a flourish of Ramones-like economy, will clock in at barely 25 minutes. Out of the blue the band catapults into 'Glad All Over'. Delivered at breakneck speed and shorn of its '60s pop feelgood vibe, the Dave Clark Five chestnut is reinvented as a punk anthem steeped in irony.

Total word count of piece: 1521

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