Brix Smith: The songwriter who changed the sound of The Fall forever
Prestwich is an unlikely setting for a revolution, but the town in Greater Manchester fostered one of the most important and revolutionary groups to ever emerge onto the airwaves: The Fall.
Originally founded in the wake of punk rock back in 1976, the band were fueled by experimentation, classic literature, and, above all else, the defiant attitude of songwriter Mark E Smith. In fact, The Fall is often viewed as an extension of Smith himself, given that he was the only constant member of the band.
“If it’s me and your granny on bongos, it’s The Fall,” Smith is often quoted as saying, and, although that is actually a misquote, it does capture the ever-changing line-up of the band. If you were a Mancunian musician operating between 1976 and 2018, there is a distinct possibility you’d end up performing with The Fall at one point or another – at least 49 members came and went during the group’s history. With this revolving door of musicians supporting Smith’s artistic vision, it can be easy to overlook the individual efforts of any other band members who worked with the band.
In reality, virtually every band member brought something new to The Fall, either in live performances, in the studio, or simply in energy. This fact is well-reflected in the constantly shifting sound of the band, who explored a seemingly unending range of sounds, influences, and inspirations over the years. One member who had a particularly profound effect on the sound of The Fall was Brix Smith, whose introduction transformed the Prestwich outfit.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, thousands of miles away from the perpetual drizzle of Greater Manchester, Smith arrived in The Fall with a completely different outlook, influence, and sensibility, which had a colossal impact on the band. She first met Mark E Smith during a Fall gig in Chicago in 1983, and they married that very same year. Her impact both on Smith’s songwriting and the sound of The Fall became immediately apparent on Perverted By Language, which was also released the same year and only developed from there.
Brix Smith quickly proved herself to be an adept songwriter, but she managed to push The Fall into a more accessible avenue of expression. As opposed to the subversive and typically abrasive brilliance of their early work, the American began to incorporate more modern, pop-influenced sounds into the band, helping to keep their material fresh and engaging. What’s more, her efforts were further rewarded with the band’s first glimpses of mainstream success.
The Fall’s first entry into the Top 40 singles chart came in 1987 with ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’, and was followed by ‘Victoria’ the following year. Although both of these tracks were cover versions of R Dean Taylor and The Kinks, respectively, Brix Smith and her guitar stylings were utterly essential in establishing the expansive and accessible sound of these efforts.
This is also something that she excelled in in her own songwriting efforts, which form some undeniable highlights on records like I Am Kurious Oranj and The Frenz Experiment – two of the band’s most successful and groundbreaking records.
Of course, The Fall were never out to make hit records, but the guitarist was vital in bringing the revolutionary attitudes of the group to more widespread audiences, influencing Mark E Smith’s songwriting in the process. Even after she left the group in 1989, after divorcing her husband and bandmate, her influence remained in the output of the band (particularly after she rejoined in 1994 for a couple of years).
So, although Mark E Smith was always the beating heart of The Fall, viewing the band as merely an extension of his weird and wonderful mind is more than a little reductive. The band members that came and went over their five-decade career in music often had a profound effect on the output of the group, and that was never more true than in the case of Brix Smith.
