The Fall: Futures and Pasts - A Weekend celebration of 50 years of The Fall

Join us in celebrating 50 years of one of the most iconic bands in British music history at Band on the Wall, a legendary Manchester music venue that played host to The Fall on many occasions, It is the perfect setting for what will be a very special weekend.
The Fall: Futures and Pasts will include walks, talks, music and more.

Friday 5th June, 5.30pm - Sunday 7th June, 10pm.
The full line-upincludes familiar faces, sounds and imagery that span five decades of The Fall, plus fresh insights into their enduring legacy.
Our 'Waitin' for the Worm' Weekend Passes will give those lucky enough to secure one an exclusive t-shirt for collection on the day.
Don't miss out. We can't wait to see you there!

Joining us for the weekend will be Fall aficionado Daryl Easlea:

Daryl was bought Hex Enduction Hour as a 16th birthday present by his friend Mysterious Phil in 1982. It is still one of his favourite birthday presents ever. In 2002, he wrote his first sleevenote for a Fall CD, and since then he has had the enormous pleasure of writing notes, in a chummy lifestyle for Sanctuary, Cherry Red, Beggar's Banquet, Fontana and Iconoclassic. He compiled 50,000 Fall Fans Cannot Be Wrong and its offshoots and that has made him very happy indeed. Known as 'the sleevenote feller' by MES, he has spoken to a great many of the Fall diaspora for the notes over the years, and interviewed Brix and Paul Hanley in front of other people, some of whom actually paid to be there. In 2022 he edited Record Collector Presents The Fall. He does other things too, but that's not important right now. Favourite Fall album: Hex or The Infotainment Scan. Favourite Fall single: The Man Whose Head Expanded/Ludd Gang. Favourite colour: yellow.

FRIDAY 5th JUNE WILL INCLUDE:

DAS GRUPPE ON THE WALL A monograph by Paul Hanley

Specially commissioned for the festival, this new monograph by Paul Hanley tells the story of The Fall at Band on the Wall, an iconic venue in Manchester which played an important role in the early career development of many groups in the city, thanks in the main to the activities of the Manchester Musician's Collective. The book also takes in the three-night residency The Fall had at Band on the Wall on the Hex Enduction Hour tour, when Paul played in the original two-drummer line-up. Paul played drums in The Fall from 1980-1984. He is the author of three previous books centered on Manchester music, Leave the Capital, Have A Bleedin Guess and Sixteen Again.

Paul will be in conversation with Daryl Easlea.

LOST IN MUSIC

A one-off group featuring ex-Fall members with guest vocals by BC Camplight.

THE LOOK BACK BORES:

The Look Back Bores are Fall fans, playing Fall songs for Fall fans! They're not a tribute band. No dressing up! They cover the wonderful and frightening music of The Mighty Fall with respect and care.

SATURDAY 6th JUNE WILL INCLUDE:

FUNKY SI's WALKING TOUR OF MANCHESTER

A one-of-a-kind walking tour led by Simon Wolstencroft and Jackie O’Malley, who bring their popular podcast Funky Si's A-Z of Manchester to life. Starting at The Free Trade Hall, walk with them through the streets ofManchester as Simon shares first-hand tales from the city’s music scene. From iconic venues to hidden corners where musical history was made, this immersive tour brings Manchester’s post-punk and alternative legacy vividly to life. The walk will last for 90 minutes. Limited spaces, so registration to secure a spot on the walk is essential.

THE FALL 93 94: The Dave Bush Tapes

Film Premier

When The Fall toured the USA in 1993 and 1994, band member Dave Bush took a video camera on tour with him. The surviving tapes have been digitised and collated into this film. It’s narrated throughout by Dave Bush on the scene, and includes never seen before concert footage, the band at sound checks, hotel rooms, bars, on the tour bus – all the sights and sounds of The Fall on the road.

WE ARE THE FALL. Joining us from the USA with guest Grant Showbiz

WE ARE THE FALL Podcast is a raucous, affectionate deep-dive into the chaotic universe of The Fall, where two mates, Gavin and Steve, explore Mark E Smith and the group’s sprawling sonic and visual aesthetic. Each week they crack open albums, lost nuggets, side projects, and Peel sessions with a mix of obsessive curiosity, dry humor, and pub-chat warmth, making even the wildest corners of the discography feel like stories shared between old friends. With special guests, fan perspectives, and 'interrogations' of Fall-related luminaries, the show leans into unpredictability and passionate argument, celebrating the band’s shifting line-ups and strange detours while keeping things fun, welcoming, and just scruffy enough to feel true to The Fall’s spirit. Drink the long draught, with WE ARE THE FALL.

This special edition of We Are The Fall will feature Grant Showbiz.

Grant's engagement with The Fall spans longer than anyone else apart from Mark E Smith. He was a producer and sound engineer for the group on and off from the 1970s through to 2013, the first album he worked on was Dragnet, the last one was Re-Mit.

DJ SETS with MARC RILEY & CRAIG SCANLON

Marc Riley
Birth / School / Bowie/ Fall /Creepers / Radio…AND BEYOND!
Craig Scanlon
Played guitar in The Fall between 1979 and 1995. During his tenure, he was a stalwart member for 17 albums and co-wrote over 120 of the group’s songs; singer Mark E. Smith excepted, this tally is unmatched by any other musician to have passed through the group.

POPPYCOCK:

Poppycock was formed in 2012 by Una Baines (The Fall / The Blue Orchids / The Fates) who has been described as a ‘New Wave Pioneer’ and ‘Unassuming heroine of the Manchester music scene’. Working from Una’s substantial back-catalogue of songs, Poppycock began initially as a floating collective of musicians. Poppycock’s signature sound has been described as ‘Cockypop’ featuring quirky lyrics and seasoned musicianship – Lizard Man for example, was written after a dream Una had about The Fall and is a tribute to Mark E Smith. Poppycock’s ethos of collectivism and creativity often results in a cross over between art and music.

HEY! LUCIANI

A stage play by Mark E Smith.

Raw, strange and uncompromising, Hey! Luciani is part theatre show, part performance art-rock gig. Smith himself mischievously described his play as ‘a cross between Shakespeare and The Prisoner’.

In reality, it’s his typically elliptical interpretation of the events of September 1978, when Pope John Paul I (aka Albino Luciani) was found dead, leading to theories that he had been murdered by the Papal Court, with involvement from the Freemasons.

Incorporating witty dialogue, grotesque characters and contemporary dance, Hey! Luciani also features performances of several Fall songs, including ‘Doctor Faustus’, ‘Sleep Debt Snatches’, and the unreleased ‘Luciani Today’.

In its 40th anniversary year, with a script transcribed from recordings of the original 1986 performances, this new production of Hey! Luciani features guest appearances from some of the original cast, plus a live band performing the original score. It’s directed by Smith’s friend and collaborator Graham Duff (Ideal, The Otherwise).

SUNDAY 7th JUNE WILL INCLUDE:

FUNKY SI's WALKING TOUR OF MANCHESTER

A one-of-a-kind walking tour led by Simon Wolstencroft and Jackie O’Malley, who bring their popular podcast Funky Si's A-Z of Manchester to life. Starting at The Free Trade Hall, walk with them through the streets ofManchester as Simon shares first-hand tales from the city’s music scene. From iconic venues to hidden corners where musical history was made, this immersive tour brings Manchester’s post-punk and alternative legacy vividly to life. The walk will last for 90 minutes. Limited spaces, so registration to secure a spot on the walk is essential.

THE CHURCH OF THE FALL: Steve Titley

The Church of The Fall is an award-winning, joyous, musical spoken-word show that celebrates the epic music and life of Mark E. Smith. Expect joy, laughter and genius music, as you follow Stephen G. Titley on a musical journey where he will convince you that The Fall isn’t just a cult band – it’s a broad church! Come and revel in the love and certainty of the faithful – ‘Come one, come all, to The Church Of The Fall’!

Image credit: Jane Whittaker

HEY! STUDENT | Prof Martin Cloonan
How – if at all – can academia help us understand and appreciate The Fall? Join leading Popular Music Studies scholar Professor Martin Cloonan for a discussion of academic work on The Fall. A long time Fall fan who first saw them at Sheffield University, Cloonan will situate his talk within the wider study of popular music and suggest, pace Marx, that while Popular Music academics have studied the Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall, they have yet to change it. Wise Old Man, Glam Racket or A Lot of Wind? You decide.

Professor Martin Cloonan is the Director of the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS), a multidisciplinary research centre in Finland. He is a leading Popular Music Studies scholar with particular interests in the live music industry, musicians' work, music policy and issues of freedom of expression. Martin is also coordinating editor for the leading academic journal, Popular Music. In this talk he reflects on academic accounts of The Fall.

MIDDLE MASS-TERMIND

Join host extraordinaire Frank Skinner for our quiz pitting two teams of Fall fans and associates against each other to test the depth of their knowledge of Fall ephemera. Set by none other than Dan Bye, aka Dannyno, whose Fall knowledge is legendary, and more than a little worrying, if we're being honest. Audience participation encouraged (at your own risk – you'll probably be wrong).

DJ SET with SIMON ARMITAGE

Simon Armitage | The Poet Laureate

Acclaimed poet and lyricist Simon Armitage was born and grew up in Marsden, West Yorkshire. His numerous awards include the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry and an Ivor Novello for songwriting. Armitage has explored where poetry and song lyric converge through different enterprises – most recently as writer and performer with the ‘ambient post-rock’ band LYR but also as lyricist for various film and theatre productions including the BAFTA-winning Feltham Sings. He has published over twenty poetry collections including Blossomise and Dwell, both recent Sunday Times bestsellers. His book Never Good with Horses features his song lyrics for the first time. A regular broadcaster, Armitage presented the popular BBC Radio 4’s series The Poet Laureate has Gone to his Shed. His brand new podcast series The Shed is available now. He also contributes to Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour (BBC Radio 6 Music). He was appointed UK Poet Laureate in 2019.

Image credit: Chris Close

Oh! BROTHER LIVE PODCAST - in conversation with Simon Armitage

Oh! Brother is a much-loved, long-running podcast about The Fall hosted by celebrated Fall alumni, brothers Paul and Steve Hanley. Guests include ex-members of the band, associates, collaborators and fans from the world of arts and entertainment. Early in the conversation, guests will be asked how they first encountered The Fall, and then it can travel in any way the wind might blow it.

IMPERIAL WAX
Imperial Wax were formed by the remaining members of The Fall following the death of Mark E Smith in 2018. They have produced two albums, Gastwerk Saboteurs (2019) and Tranquilliser (2024), experiencing a few line-up changes in the interim. They describe themselves as 'noise rock & garage brawlers unafraid of a psych workout or a rockabilly dust-up'.

THE FALLEN WOMEN

‘The Fallen Women are a Fall that never were, comprised of veteran superstarlets of the indie scene, adept at recreating every era of the band's catalogue in a way that the band proper were never required to, be it gruelling dirges, garage punk bangers, or fizzy Falltronica. It’s a shame Mark E Smith never lived to front The Fallen Women, as surely their turn to till the Fall sod would one day inevitably have come. Instead, as this strange performance art project surges ever forward, it is you that gets to front The Fall from another dimension. I’ve done it at half a dozen gigs and it’s like riding a rocket. And it’s true what they say. You never forget your first time.’ Stewart Lee

All events accurate at the time of publication. There may be some additions and alterations to programme content and order.

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