The Wake were a Scottish post punk and later indie pop band, founded in Glasgow in 1981 by Gerard “Caesar” McInulty (formerly of Altered Images), Steven Allen and Joe Donnelly, who was later replaced by Bobby Gillespie. Steven’s sister Carolyn Allen soon joined, and remained in the band until its end.
The Wake released their first single on their own Scan 45 label, coupling together On Our Honeymoon and Give Up. This single eventually caught the attention of New Order manager Rob Gretton, who helped the band sign to Factory Records in 1982 and record an LP (Harmony) at Strawberry Studio in Stockport. This was followed by a number of singles on Factory and its French sister label Factory Benelux. In 1983, The Wake toured with New Order, and thus received critical attention but were often unfavourably compared to their more celebrated labelmates. Gillespie was asked to leave in 1983, subsequently playing drums with The Jesus and Mary Chain and achieving fame with his own band Primal Scream. Alexander ‘Mac’ Macpherson replaced Gillespie in 1983. That same year the band recorded a session on John Peel’s BBC program. The band toured extensively and scored an indie hit with their 1984 single “Talk About the Past” which featured Vini Reilly of Durutti Column on piano. The recording and release of their seminal 1985 album Here Comes Everybody marked the apex of their career. Further releases were few and far between: one more single “Of the Matter” emerged in 1985 before their last release for Factory, a 4-track EP entitled “Something That No One Else Could Bring” finally appeared in 1987.
In 1988, disillusioned with the lack of proper promotion and indeed apathy from Factory Records, The Wake left the label and signed to Bristol’s legendary Sarah Records, releasing two singles and two LPs, the last being 1994’s Tidal Wave of Hype By this point, once again down to a three piece featuring Caesar, Carolyn and Steven, they also shared personnel with another Glasgow-based band on Sarah, The Orchids, with whom they had also played a few live gigs. When Sarah shut down in 1995, The Wake effectively dissolved.
There are other two bands with the same name. An American goth band and a Finnish death metal band.
2. The Wake (U.S.) ---- NOTE: The following Description is quoted in its entirety from The Wake's Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/thewake#!/thewake?v=info
"Formed in 1986 by vocalist Troy Payne and guitarist Richard Witherspoon in unlikely Columbus, Ohio USA – The Wake made its’ first studio recording “Procession” using session musicians on drums and bass in 1987. Bassist James Tramel and electronic drummer Scott Rozanski were recruited later the same year. This lineup quickly recorded first versions of tracks like: “Burial”, “Shelia”, and “Locomotive Age”, creating a rough template for what would become The Wake’s signature sound.
Acoustic drummer Daniel C. replaced Rozanski early in 1989. Driven forward by Daniel’s acoustic drum sound, the band moved substantially towards the rock and roll end of the sonic spectrum. Hoping to add yet another dimension to their sound, keyboardist Robert Brothers was added to the mix in 1990.
In a move to gain exposure, the band started Blaylox Records. Named after the band’s mascot cat, the label proved to be the perfect outlet for the band’s creativity, and a vehicle for spreading the band’s sound far and wide. Bolstered by the sales of the their demo cassette - The Wake burst on to the NYC goth club scene with their 7” vinyl single “Harlot” in 1990.
Following on the success of “Harlot”, the band released a second 7” - “Sideshow” on the Blaylox Records label in 1992. The combination of the popularity of these two singles, and the moxie of an influential NYC DJ, led to the band signing with Cleopatra Records in 1993. Considered by many fans of Gothic rock as a “landmark record”, The Wake’s debut album “Masked” was released in October 1993.
After the completion of the “Masked” tour, the band parted ways with bass player James Tramel. New bassist Steven Creighton was brought into the fold before the release of the “Christine EP” in 1995. The EP had a decidedly industrial/dance flavor, thanks in part to the re-mixes supplied by Rosetta Stone. The single “Christine” (mixed by The Wake and Zane Eric Brown) broke onto the top ten of Alternative Press’s Dance Club charts where it remained for months. Also in ‘95, the still popular “Christine” video was filmed in and around Mexico City during the tour supporting the EP.
In 1996, The Wake joined forces with former Ministry engineer “Fluffy” on their third CD – “Nine Ways”.
Recorded and mixed at both Chicago Trax, and the Chicago Recording Company, “Nine Ways” was the last record the band would release on Cleopatra.
Just before the release of “Nine Ways”, guitarist and co-founder Rich Witherspoon left the band and former MCA recording artist Mark Gamiere was enlisted to take over at guitar. Though no studio recordings were made with this lineup, Gamiere provided live tour support from 1996 to 2000. Other lineup changes include the late J.T. Murphy replacing Steven Creighton on bass in 1998. The band turned bass playing duty over to a hard-disk recorder in 1999 before giving way to an extended hiatus in 2000.
Fast forward to 2008: The Wake surprise fans with “BLACKlist” - a “best of” compilation DVD with bonus un-released material, rare tracks and video. The band also confirms rumors that the full 1993 lineup has reunited and is working on new material.
To date, The Wake has been featured on thirty plus compilations world-wide. In addition, the band has amassed an impressive and diverse list of opening dates with bands such as NIN, Skinny Puppy, Christian Death, Innocence Mission, Alien Sex Fiend, And Also the Trees, and Shadow Project - touring extensively in the US and playing dates in Europe and Mexico.
Turning the page and starting a new chapter in their storied career – 2010 promises fans of The Wake the debut of a highly anticipated new single. Due out in the spring, “Emily Closer” was mastered by the legendary Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk." --- quoted entirely from: The Wake, http://www.facebook.com/thewake#!/thewake?v=info
3. A Finnish metal band who formed in 1998 in Karjaa. Their style is the melodic death metal style normally associated with Swedish metal bands. Their 2 albums have been released on Spinefarm Records.
4. There was a UK band of the same name in existence prior to any of the above. The Wake issued a single entitled “Linda” back in 1971 which got a reasonable amount of radio airplay at the time, although it never entered the singles chart.