Brix and the Extricated
Close your eyes, and it could be 1983. It is exactly the kind of nostalgia that Mark E Smith hates, so I did not expect to be joined by him at the Ruby Lounge for the debut performance of Brix and the Extricated. And I wasn’t, despite my dreams of the former husband and wife reuniting for one last time.
For those who are not engrossed in all things Fall, (where have you been?) this gig has whet the appetite because it sees Brix Smith-Start, the old curmudgeon’s former wife and Fall guitarist, and the Hanley brothers, bassist Steve and drummer Paul, perform tracks from one of the most commercially and critically acclaimed periods over the band’s near 40 year history.
This all came about after Steve, once labelled as the true sound of The Fall by former manager Kay Carroll, wrote a highly recommended (by me anyway) book about the 19 years he spent in the wonderful and frightening world of The Fall. At a launch event for the book, the three long serving band members reignited the spark, and locked themselves into rehearsals for the one-off gig. Supported by another former Fall bassist, Steve Trafford, as well as guitarist Jason Brown, the five-piece launch straight into a blistering version of US 80s-90s, as if the past 30 years never happened. The intrinsically connected Hanley rhythm section is in full flow, as sharp as a knife, with Steve recreating his signature pose, hunched in front of his bass amp for fear of a certain lead singer messing with his dials. Brix takes centre stage, and with it, the unenviable task of attempting to replicate vocals which make The Fall what it is as a musical project. Supplemented by a lyrics sheet, she still prowls the stage with her effortless glamour just as she did when she was simply Brix Smith.
The classics keep on coming, next is 2×4, followed by Cruiser’s Creek, L.A. and Dead Beat Descendent. Very little is said by Brix or any other band member in the way of crowd interaction, but it is clear that there is an elephant in the room. It is also clear to see which of our musicians have been a part of that age old Mancunian institution, as the only one who visibly seems to be enjoying himself is Jason Brown. Saying that, even Steve sees the irony of it all when the group, when returning for an encore, the group Big New Prinz. “He is not appreciated”, Steve sings, as goes the song’s well known refrain, and a smile appears on his weathered face.
No-one mentions his name, but it is Smith’s creative force and stubborn work ethic that brought everyone into the Ruby Lounge. They may not particularly like him anymore, or even while they were in the band, but the fact that they have reunited for such a show highlights the admiration they still have for his goals and mission statement. Smith said there could never be a Fall tribute band, but here on show at the Ruby Lounge, we have one that is unrivalled against any other. Finished off with the obligatory airing of Mr Pharmacist, Brix and the Extricated successfully transported the middle-aged in the audience back to a time when Brix and Mark were the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian of the indie world.
My sources inside the Smith camp say he is very annoyed at his former comrades getting back together, saying it is like they are “picking at his corpse before he is dead”. For a man who never rests on his laurels – which this reader can testify to, having travelled to York for a Fall gig which featured four brand new songs in a row to open the set – such nostalgia is abhorrent. But Brix and the Hanley brothers have every right to revisit that period. They were more than the “session musicians” which Smith often likes to categorise his band as, and were as much as the sound of The Fall as Smith was, and continues to be.
Brix said the band would see how the Manchester gig went and move on accordingly, but on tonight’s evidence, Fall fans around the world will want a piece of this.
Brix Smith-Start Twitter
Brix and the Extricated Set List
Manchester is my heaven, Matt Busby once said. I don't think he was wrong. We have the music, the football, the culture and people to rival any city in the world. Once we get that beach... I am a local journalist by trade, and contribute to the news section of the Silent Radio website.
