The Wake

The Wake formed in Glasgow in 1981, founded by Gerard 'Caesar' McInulty — formerly of Altered Images — alongside drummer Steven Allen and bassist Joe Donnelly, who was quickly replaced by Bobby Gillespie. Carolyn Allen joined on keyboards and remained a constant presence. Their music combined post-punk energy with a melodic directness and atmospheric quality that gave them a distinctive identity within the early-1980s Scottish indie scene, drawing comparisons to Joy Division and the classic Factory Records aesthetic.

Signed to Factory Records, they released 'Harmony' (1982) and scored an indie hit with the 1984 single 'Talk About the Past', which featured Vini Reilly of Durutti Column on piano. Gillespie departed in 1983 — subsequently drumming for The Jesus and Mary Chain before founding Primal Scream — and the band's 1985 album 'Here Comes Everybody' marked the apex of their Factory period. They later moved to Bristol's Sarah Records, releasing two further albums before dissolving when Sarah shut down in 1995.

The Wake reformed in 2009 with McInulty and Carolyn Allen, releasing 'A Light Far Out' (2012) on LTM Records and continuing to perform. They are one of the most underrated acts of the early-1980s Scottish indie scene — a band whose combination of melodic gifts, atmospheric quality, and Factory Records aesthetic produced music of genuine beauty, and whose connection to the wider post-punk story through Gillespie's subsequent career gives them an additional historical significance.