Mid-eighties Fall were, as ever, a strange proposition, fast becoming a cult band; yet always wilfully on the sidelines, casting caustic barbs at the more banal elements of pop culture. So it was with the ninth album, the brilliant Bend Sinister. It was named after the Nabokov novel. Even the cover points to the kindContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: The Fall- Bend Sinister”
Tag Archives: The Fall
Dance Review: Eidos/Rules To Live By
This wonderful double bill by dance artist Suzi Cunningham couldn’t be more perfect for this blog. Eidos was created by Cunningham in tribute to both the late,great Mark E Smith of The Fall, and Cunningham ‘s own grandmother, who like Cunningham herself exuded glamour and independence. Cunningham is like a shapeshifting sorceress. She is, variously,Continue reading “Dance Review: Eidos/Rules To Live By”
Anatomy Of A Fall Song: I Am Damo Suzuki
We’ve lost some wonderful people lately, and far too young: Benjamin Zephaniah, Olly Emanuel and Sinead O’Connor, to name but a few. Damo Suzuki ,while not as young, nevertheless leaves a sad space in our lives. The indefatigable solo artist and former Can frontman toured and recorded well into his senior years. He passed awayContinue reading “Anatomy Of A Fall Song: I Am Damo Suzuki”
That Time MES Played A Christlike Vision…
Ideal, written by Graham Duff, was an odd little sitcom. It focused on Moz, a drug dealer in Manchester, played by comedian Johnny Vegas. A lifelong Fall fan, Duff got lead vocalist and legendary curmudgeon Mark E Smith to appear in a vision as an unlikely Christ like figure, muttering expletives as only be could,Continue reading “That Time MES Played A Christlike Vision…”
Favourite Cover Versions: The Fall – There’s A Ghost In My My House
I was just a young ‘un when this came out, but it sealed my life-long love of The Fall. The original, by R Dean Taylor, is an undisputed Northern Soul classic, perfect for those headspinning routines in Wigan on speed at 2 am (such is my understanding of the scene). The Fall had even referencedContinue reading “Favourite Cover Versions: The Fall – There’s A Ghost In My My House”
Overlooked Classics: Hail The New Puritan (1987)
“Michael! Michael! “ I’m trying not to get too nostalgic here, as any nostalgia suggests there’s nothing worth dipping into in contemporary culture, but Charles Atlas’ fictionalised account of Michael Clark was like a firework going off in my soul. Something just sparked within me. Epiphany is an understatement. This was something I wanted inContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Hail The New Puritan (1987)”
Lost In Music: The Fall- Edinburgh Man
It’s that time of the year, when the Edinburgh Festivals engulf the whole city like a tidal wave of culture, so this seems like the ideal anthem. As I’ve heard over the years, Mark E Smith was a fan of the gorgeous architecture, but mostly the drinking establishments, of the fair city. I know aContinue reading “Lost In Music: The Fall- Edinburgh Man”
The Singular Line
Kb hi
We’re Not The Mighty Fall…
In the brilliant Fall documentary, The Wonderful And Frightening World of Mark E Smith, the famous curmudgeon grumbled, ” There are all these bands saying,’We’re influenced by The Fall” .Fook off. That just means you’ve run out of fookin’ ideas. ” As ever, the wordsmith had a point. Many bands tried to emulate his stream-of-consciosnessContinue reading “We’re Not The Mighty Fall…”
Favourite Cover Versions: The Fall- Lost In Music
The Fall never did anything by the book, and their covers are always fun (more of which later) so what a delightful surprise it was when I heard this for the first time, aaaaaages ago. MES took Sister Sledge ‘s Disco classic by the lapels and shook it, until all the glitter fell off. HisContinue reading “Favourite Cover Versions: The Fall- Lost In Music”
Hit The North 