The Wolfgang Press/Pozi/Terse Affection
The Lexington, London - 11 January 2026
"This
gig was awesome - The Wolfgang Press triumphed"
4AD stalwarts
The Wolfgang Press have always been a bit of an enigma. Formed of
Michael Allen, Mark Cox, and Andrew Gray, they put out some of the
most unique, soulful, urgent, genre-defying, and edgy music out
there, and their catalog between the years 1983 to 1995 is
fundamental listening. Allen’s voice is one that is instantly
recognizable and it’s always given me the shivers (in a good way, of
course).
Like many, I
first got turned onto them via the landmark 4AD compilation Lonely
Is An Eyesore (1987) and immediately gravitated towards the
darkly-charged plaintive moodiness of their track Cut the Tree.
The next thing I saw from them was the video for Kansas
(from Bird Wood Cage, 1988). The surrealness of that video,
complete with piglets, dancers in JFK, Jackie Kennedy and Lee Harvey
Oswald masks, with J. Edgar Hoover leering from behind the drums,
set in a barn in a foggy field, was so odd and unsettling and
exactly right up my street. Plus, being from Kansas it made me feel
seen, even though the song isn’t really about Kansas. Still.
They spoke to
me and thus began my love of The Wolfgang Press. It was to be only
from a distance though, as I never got the chance to see them play
live… until a social media notification very subtly popped up that
they were playing a show at The Lexington. So of course, I had to be
there.
TWP’s output
was non-existent for a long time (they went silent after 1995’s Funky
Little Demons) although each member has had plenty of
fantastic projects going on. TWP suddenly and officially popped back
into being in 2024 with a slightly changed lineup (Andrew Gray’s
brother Stephen has replaced Mark Cox on keyboards), and a scorcher
of an album called A 2nd Shape. The Lexington isn’t a huge
place, and a TWP show is about as rare as hen’s teeth (only two
shows in the past two years), so it sold out very quickly.
I planned to
get there very early to secure a good location, but London transport
(coupled with the London drizzle) had other plans. As I arrived, Terse Affection - the first warm up
band - was just on their last few songs. I liked what I heard and
hope I can catch them properly another time.
 |
 |
Photos: Pozi
x 2
Second up was Pozi, a trio that I’d never heard before but really enjoyed. They were a bit off kilter, with a unique post-punk sound and a great energy. Switching vocals between the three members and featuring the unusual and very proficient use of violin as a main instrument, I really found them a compelling and fitting choice, and hope to see them out and about again soon. Once Pozi had finished, we were all ready for the main event.
Many
people had travelled quite far for this show (I heard some
continental voices) and the sense of excitement was so thick you
could cut it with a knife. Nothing loud, just an intense focus. The
clock was ticking towards their set time, and Andrew Gray appeared
on stage. He picked up his guitar to sound check… and nothing. Tried
again. Nothing. What could it be? Lots of button pushing, cable
jiggling, communications with the sound engineers, and an
increasingly frustrated Gray ensued. An engineer came on stage and
futilely unplugged and replugged cables. He began sweating. Time
clicked on, ten minutes became twenty, became thirty.
The crowd
patiently waited, but sideways looks and increasingly worried faces
belied our fear that perhaps the chance to witness TWP might not
happen. Ten minutes later the culprit - in the form of a dodgy cable
- was exorcised from the rig and Gray’s guitar triumphantly sounded
with the audience following suit. And with that, Stephen and Mick
took the stage as we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and
shared in the communal feeling of victory, readying ourselves for
what was to come next.
 |
 |
 |
"Are you ready?" shouted an audience member. "I think so" replied Andrew. "I hope so!", added Stephen. Mick leaned into the microphone. "Are YOU ready?" The audience confirmed that indeed, they were. "Another stress-free beginning…" he intoned. Then BOOM, we were off and running with The Art of Writing a thunderously driving track which immediately hooked us right into their groove, and they followed with ten more, the majority of which were from A 2nd Shape.
These tracks
were so powerful live, and I was glad I got there early enough to
witness Allen up close. He was exactly as I imagined he would be on
stage - intense, crooning, dark, soulful, sometimes menacing, and
occasionally leaning into the apocryphal. The Gray brothers did a
smashing job, Andrew’s guitars slinky and sidewindering, Stephen
cooly controlling the keyboards and rhythms.
 |
 |
At one point
someone in the crowd shouted "Kansas!" and my heart fluttered
in solidarity…. but my hopes were dashed when Allen responded in the
negative. No doubt they have their reasons for not playing their
older material, but they did give us Raintime from the same
album (Bird Wood Cage) along with a few brilliant standalone
tracks and even a couple from upcoming new album Asylum
Variations (Speakers Don’t Speak and Lizard).
At one point, the guitarist from Terse Affection joined them, which
was a really nice touch too. The sound was fantastic, it is really
music to let yourself drop into like a big wave, and let it take you
down, wash through you and give your soul a good thumpin’ in the
best possible way. The Wolfgang Press hit the target, and all I
could say was wow, wow, wow!
In short, this
gig was awesome, and The Wolfgang Press triumphed!
It was so
meaningful to finally have the chance to see them after 39 years of
listening. It was over way too soon, but I’m glad it happened at
all. If only it could have been a bit longer! Hopefully, with the
release of new album Asylum Variations, future gigs will see
them expand their set list and give us a bit more time to lose
ourselves in their sound. We shall see if they do the next time they
play London, which will be at the 100 Club in January of 2027. It
will no doubt sell out fast, so don’t wait to get on those tickets,
and keep an eye out for Asylum Variations, which has a
release date of September 25th on Downwards Records. 9/10
Setlist:
The Art of Writing, Sad Surfer, The Line , Speakers Don’t
Speak , Raintime , This Garden of Eden , Take It Backwards ,
Reset Your Mind, Lizard, Man Made Heaven, Glacier