Fischer-Z

Fischer-Z has always felt less like a fixed band than a vehicle for John Watts’ restless curiosity. Cutting his teeth while working in psychiatric hospitals, Watts channelled those observations into wiry, neurotic new wave that sat somewhere between Talking Heads and The Clash. In interviews, he’s described scrapping line-ups at their commercial peak out of boredom, preferring to rebuild with whoever matched his evolving ideas. Later, he leaned into lo-fi mobility—writing on the road, recording in makeshift spaces, even crafting songs from conversations with fans—treating touring less as promotion and more as an ongoing, unpredictable creative lab.