In 2026, the defining British new wave pioneer band Fischer-Z, led by songwriter, performer and multimedia artist John Watts, looks back on 50 years of band history — and at the same time announces a new studio album as well as an extensive worldwide tour.
“It’s hardly believable that it’s already fifty years,” says Watts. “It’s been an enormously intense journey — full of highs and lows — but I can’t wait to celebrate this anniversary with everyone. Here’s to many more years of new music, concerts and art.”

50 Years of Fischer-Z

2026 marks a defining milestone — 50 years of Fischer-Z. A story that began in the post-punk underground

John Watts entered the professional music world in the late 197s after studying clinical psychology at an experimental institution known for using neither medication nor coercive measures.

Fischer-Z formed in 1976 at Brunel University, where Watts met keyboard player Steve Skolnik. With Watts’ razor-sharp political lyrics and a jagged post-punk energy, the band quickly drew attention and signed to United Artists in 1978 — alongside labelmates such as The Stranglers and the Buzzcocks.

The highly regarded debut album “Word Salad” (1979) became a staple of the European post-punk movement. Driven by the single “The Worker,” which earned the band an appearance on Top of the Pops, and “Remember Russia,” championed by John Peel.

In 198 came “So Long,” the band’s biggest chart success — one of the very first music videos ever to be aired on MTV, and the launchpad for international recognition.
In 1981, “Red Skies Over Paradise” followed, with further successes such as “Marliese” and “Berlin,” which further cemented the band’s worldwide reputation.

Five decades of uncompromising creativity

Since then, John Watts has released 24 albums, sold over two million records, and played more than 4,000 concerts in Europe, North America and beyond. His musical collaborators include Peter Gabriel, Steve Cropper, and members of the horn section of Dexy’s Midnight Runners, among others.

Fischer-Z shared the stage with James Brown in East Berlin, toured with The Police and Dire Straits, and performed with Bob Marley on his final European festival tour.

In 2025, the art-and-music project “PUNKT!” was released. John created ten standalone artworks, an album of ten tracks, and an accompanying art film. In celebrated gallery exhibitions across Germany, he presented his new art and music and received excellent reviews from the national press.

The new album X-Ray Serenade brings together powerful new songs with exciting reinterpretations of some of John's favourite pieces from earlier years. The album will be released in September 2026.

John Watts is still regarded as one of Britain’s most distinctive creative voices.
“I’m ready for it,” he says. “This is simply the next chapter.”