Book Launch at Rough Trade East in London

Book Launce: The Big Midweek - Life Inside The Fall by Steve Hanley & Olivia Piekarski plus special guests.


The first insider's account of life inside The Fall, Steve Hanley's story unfolds like a novel; from 1979 when he joined his schoolmates Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon in The Fall, he puts us right in the heart of the action: on stage, on the tour bus, in the recording studio, and up close and personal with an eccentric cast of band mates. These vividly drawn scenes give unprecedented insight into the intense, highly-charged creative atmosphere within The Fall and their relentless work ethic which has won them a dedicated cult following, high-art respectability and a unique place in popular music history.

There isn't a band in the world with a story and output to match The Fall, and there isn't a man in the world who could tell that story as well as Steve Hanley, the heartbeat of the band. This a book about the people who made the music, and you're unlikely to find a richer set of characters than the blessed talents that make up The Fall. Just like the band, this book breaks the mould. As Marc Riley writes in his foreword: "You don't have to like The Fall to enjoy this book. You don't have to like Mark E Smith to enjoy this book... Hell, you don't even really need to like MUSIC to enjoy this book! It's a gripping tale of forged and broken relationships, friendship, and betrayal."

Steve Hanley is a legendary bass player best known for his time with iconic Manchester band The Fall, a band he was recruited into at the age of nineteen. His distinctive and original sound has seen him acknowledged as one of Britain's foremost bassists.


"Steve Hanley has seen one of British music's most perplexing and brilliant institutions from the inside and lived to tell the tale. This is the absorbing, eye-popping, hilarious story of growing up in the feverish heart of The Mighty Fall.' - Stuart Maconie