Brix and the Extricated

I had, of course, heard quite a few songs by The Fall before 1990 but none of them had ever grabbed me the way that 'Telephone Thing' did. It was shared with me by my friend, Bob, who used to send me quite excellent mix tapes, a cultural phenomenon that has been a regrettable casualty of the digital age. 

The song grew on me so much that I bought its parent, 'Extricate', which I think is a near perfect album. Indeed, I've bought many albums by The Fall since but never loved one as much as that. It was written after Mark E Smith split from his wife, Brix, and his response lends the album an emotional depth (at least in places), which I've not heard in subsequent Fall releases. 

Perhaps what I should make clear is that Brix was the lead guitarist in The Fall for a while and that she made a major songwriting contribution to the band. Consequently, when I heard she was playing a gig in Manchester, this week, with her band, The Extricated, there was no way that I wasn't going to go along.

First, though, I had a late lunch with my friend Ian at Mackie Mayor, where we were joined after work by two of my daughters, Charlie and Hannah, and their cousin, Lydia. We had a fine time although I had to pace myself so that I'd be in good nick for the gig...

...which was at a venue, Night People, that I've never been to before, nor heard of prior to buying my ticket for the gig. It was a nice little place, actually, full for the most part on this occasion of men in their fifties. The gig itself was great. Brix always bought something of pop element to The Fall - in a non-trivial way - and has a great singing voice. Plus, the band, almost all ex-Fall members, is excellent. 

And so I had a very enjoyable hour or so there, sipping a beer and enjoying the set right up to and including the first encore after which I had to dash for the train. But that was OK because the encore was 'Something To Lose', which is my favourite track on theirs. (To date, that is: their new album is out next Friday.)

****
-12.3 kgs
0 words
Reading: Today I finished ‘The Liars’ Gospel’ by Naomi Alderman. I bloody loved it. I may not be religious but I grew up in the church and I love stories relating to Jesus and that period in the Middle East. I also enjoy a bit of history when it’s leavened by a good story. This is a gripping, absorbing sideways take on the man and the legend. Not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m sure, but I could hardly put it down once I’d picked it up (was somewhat distracted the first three weeks that this was my current book).