The Fallen reunites The Fall(en)!!

Fall founder Martin Bramah has a new band called Factory Star and very good they are too. The band includes the classic Fall rhythm section of Steve and Paul Hanley. They have recorded a great session for BBC 6Music's Marc Riley show - yes, another ex-member of the Fall!

Very nice of Martin to mention on air that it was The Fallen that reunited them after many years. That "Fall Reunited" joke in the book seems to be coming true!

The Fallen - Life In and Out of Britain's Most Insane Group ONSALE AUGUST 6

On sale soon - another chapter, a few tweaks, more ex-members, and a few surprises.

Canongate

Steven Wells joins the fallen

It's with great sadness that I heard of the death of Steven aka Seething Wells, Bradford poet, NME attack dog and scourge of Tetley Bittermen. I never knew him - but a lot of my friends did, and loved him - but I loved his work, His ranting poetry and NME diatribes were a big part of my youth. At some of the earliest gigs I went to - supporting New Order at Leeds F Club in January 81 or the free festival at Hyde Park Corner the same year - Swells was always popping up. His wild-eyed, pretension-splattering delivery was, in full fury, a sight to behold. He was obnoxious, angry, raving mad, insightful, blistering and bloody funny. Few who encountered his Tetley Bittermen poem in full flight would ever feel comfortable supping a pint of Carlsberg-Tetley's ever again.

I shall sup a pint to his memory this weekend - and, as ever, I'll steer clear of Tetley's for fear it may turn me into a Tetley Bitterman.

RIP.

My favourite new band

Stornoway are a five piece from Oxford. They dress like the Farmers Boys circa 1983 (natty farm labourer attire - think Karl Burns 2009) and consist of an ornithologist, a Russian transalor, a South African pirate captain, a human radio and a kitchen sink. They have never been to Stornoway. I'm not the first to herald their charms - they've been getting rave reviews for a couple of months - but since they only play Darn South at the moment I've not had chance to see them. But their first single Zorbing is one of the first truly great singles of 1989. It reminds me a bit of the Housemartins circa the delicate Flag Day crossed with someone like Belle & Sebastian. The lyrics - "lying in your attic, I can feel the static" - are wonderfully evocative. They don't sound anything like the Fall, but hear them on www.myspace.com/stornoway

The Fallen hardback now very scarce

The six copies onsale at Amazon marketplace at this minute seem to be the last anywhere. One dealer is offering a copy at £11.25, another £18.99, then the prices ramp up again to over sixty quid, if not to last week's extortionate levels of £137. Alas, I don't have crates of them stashed away... I gave 'em all away to former members of the Fall!!

The paperback is here

I took delivery of the first copy of The Fallen paperback this morning and am really pleased with it as I hope everyone else will be. It looks really striking... and inside the photos have repro'd much clearer than in the hardback. Canongate have done a fabulous job. Can't wait for publication!

The Fallen - the paperback

The Fallen will be published in paperback by Canongate, rrp £8.99.

The paperback includes one or two tweaks plus a new chapter, more ex-members (taking the roll call to over 50), one more trip to the hillsides, another death threat, a new girlfriend, the first involvement of the Freemasons and one long lost Fall drumming legend.... who phoned me this morning to say he's just bought a new drum kit for the first time in many years. In my world at least, this is tremendous news.

Incidentally as far as I know this will be the final edition of The Fallen. Unless there are really dramatic developments, I don't anticipate updating it every year to sell it again as some have suspected. As for the new chapter in the paperback, I appreciate there will be those who own the hardback who may feel a bit miffed that the paperback contains more Fallen, but such is the way of the Fall. Almost as soon as I'd finished the original manuscript, the American "Dudes" line-up joined the ranks of the Fallen. Thus the new chapter includes ye Dudes, among others. But enough is enough. My search is over.

"A tremendous read" - Stuart Maconie, Radio 2

"I just f***ing burned it" - Mark E. Smith