Fischer-Z

Born out of the late-1970s London new wave scene, Fischer-Z is built around songwriter, singer and guitarist John Watts, supported by a revolving lineup of musicians. From the albums Word Salad (1979), Going Deaf For A Living (1980) and Red Skies Over Paradise (1981), Fischer-Z positioned itself between rock, post-punk and new wave pop. The writing combines political observation, everyday narratives and dry humour, with tracks like So Long and Berlin often associated with this early period. After the band went dormant in the early 1980s, John Watts pursued a solo career and later reactivated Fischer-Z at the end of the decade with new collaborators, extending the project on Reveal (1987), Fish’s Head (1989) and Destination Paradise (1992), where the emphasis shifted toward a more melodic rock without abandoning social themes. The albums Ether (2002), This Is My Universe (2016), Swimming In Thunderstorms (2019) and Til The Oceans Overflow (2021) confirm Fischer-Z as a durable vehicle for John Watts’s songs, in which he explores contemporary tensions, Europe and individual trajectories while staying true to a blend of taut guitars, new wave–tinged keyboards and accessible choruses.