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Music writer, consultant and friend of the show Daryl Easlea sits down with Paul and Steve to explain how a request for 500 words on a budget CD launched his sleevenotes career. His first subjects were Sergio Mendes and the exclamation-mark incarnation of Ultravox!, which is a respectable range by anybody’s standards. From his arrival at Record Collector to his enduring love of The Fall, Daryl reflects on being a musical generalist, finding the melody in Status Quo and searching patiently for the appeal of death metal.

Recorded live at Futures and Pasts, this special episode of Oh! Brother sees Paul and Steve joined on stage by the Poet Laureate himself, Simon Armitage. Simon looks back on discovering The Fall as a teenager, his early gigs, and what it is about Mark E. Smith's lyrics that has captivated so many writers. There's talk of poetry, songwriting and life as Poet Laureate, a few brief encounters with Mark, and a moving poem written after his death. Thanks again to Simon and everyone involved with Futures and Pasts, hope you enjoy!

This week Paul and Steve welcome Liverpool musician Barry Sutton, former Fall roadie and founder of Beatnik Hurricane. Barry recalls hearing Slates at 15, abandoning prog on the spot and beginning his long association with The Fall. He also covers the drum stands he may or may not have set up, his expulsion from school and his family's habit of setting off fire alarms. Paul and Steve also ask him about Beatnik Hurricane's film Sketches of Skem. Hope you enjoy!

This week on Oh! Brother, we were thrilled to welcome Manchester music legend and Mercury Prize-winner Badly Drawn Boy (Damon Gough) to the show. Damon talks us through his early days as a tape-op at Square One Studios in Bury, his years at print works and music college, and how hearing Springsteen and The Stranglers sparked his obsession with sound. We also hear the full story of how Mark E. Smith mistook him for a taxi driver outside Night and Day — complete with false teeth and a Pet Sounds cassette — leading to their collaboration on "Calendar", plus Damon reflects on life after quitting the booze, his friendship with Mark over the years, and the John Spencer Blues Explosion gig that changed everything. Hope you enjoy!

This week on Oh! Brother, we welcome BC Camplight — aka Brian Christinzio. Brian discusses discovering the piano as a child, beginning his career in Philadelphia and finding a new home in Manchester. He also recalls his unusual introduction to The Fall, reflects on his approach to recording and production, and prepares to reinterpret songs covered by the band for Futures and Pasts. Hope you enjoy!

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome drummer and academic Kate Themen to the show. Kate talks us through being recruited by Julia Nagle to play three shows with The Fall in April 1998, rehearsing the material at short notice, and joining Mark E. Smith and Julia on stage at Dingwalls and Reading — where the unpredictable performances included a brief appearance from dancer Michael Clark and objects being thrown from the audience. We also hear about Kate’s band Polythene, her later musical projects, and her memories of appearing as an extra alongside Karen Leatham in the independent film Glow Boys. Plus, Kate discusses her academic work on women’s football, the continuing struggle for equality within the game, football clubs’ responsibilities to their communities, and her hopes of returning to drumming after recovering from injury.

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome Rob Barbato to the show. Rob talks us through joining The Fall at short notice in 2006, learning the set on the fly, touring America, recording with Mark E. Smith in Los Angeles, and coming to Manchester for The Fall’s 30th-anniversary show at New Century Hall in 2006. We also chat about the creative freedom and unpredictability of working with Mark, the appeal of songs such as “Blindness” and “Reformation”, and Rob’s later career as a producer, session musician and composer for film, television and advertising. Plus, Rob discusses his work with Squeaky Clean, his forthcoming recording project with Vivian Girls, the importance of preserving human imperfections in an increasingly digital music world, and the friendships he made through The Fall.

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome Erwin Blom to the show. Erwin takes us back to the late-70s Dutch punk scene and the formation of Eton Crop, talks about touring Holland and England, recording five Peel Sessions, and supporting The Fall — including memories of Amsterdam’s Paradiso, freezing nights in the van, and seeing Mark E. Smith halt The Fall mid-set. We also chat about post-punk DIY culture, touring behind the Iron Curtain in Poland and Hungary, Erwin’s later work in journalism and digital media, and his enthusiasm for AI as a new do-it-yourself tool. Plus, there’s talk of Pip Blom, the realities of life in today’s music industry, and why making music still means making friends for life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome Steve Diggle for a live episode covering his early life, the formation of Buzzcocks, and the first rush of punk in Manchester. We look back on 60s music, dead-end jobs, the Lesser Free Trade Hall, Spiral Scratch, Howard Devoto’s exit, and writing songs with Pete Shelley. Later on, audience questions bring in Manchester venues, B-sides, fashion, schooldays, fellow travellers from the class of 1976, and Buzzcocks’ place in the city’s wider story. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Tommy Crooks joins us to talk art school, painting, Provence, East Lothian, and the chance meeting with Mark E. Smith on Leith Walk that led, somehow, to The Fall. Along the way, we get into first hearing “Totally Wired”, Craig Scanlon’s exit, Lucy Rimmer’s letter, Brix’s last gig in Motherwell, rehearsals in Levenshulme, Jilly’s, Cardiff with Super Furry Animals, recording Levitate, the Irish dates, the US tour, and the final meltdown at Brownies. Tommy also talks about what came after: floor sanding, renovating old houses, and building a soap business. Hope you enjoy! We're thrilled to have Tommy exhibiting and attending "The Fall: Futures and Pasts" this weekend, hope to see you there! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week, the inimitable Jon Spencer. Jon talks us through P***y Galore, Blues Explosion, Heavy Trash, working with Steve Albini, US punk networks, record shops, and his current band. We also get onto The Fall, Jon supporting them on the 1993 US tour, infamous gigs in Philadelphia, Reading and Connecticut, Brix, Mark E. Smith, Elena, bass amps, rockabilly, the Brix-era records, and imitating Steve’s bass sound. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Oh! Brother, we’re joined by Paul Research of Scars. Paul talks Edinburgh punk, Fast Product, Horrorshow, touring with The Human League, and the making of Author! Author! There’s Fall chat too: Live at the Witch Trials, meeting Mark E. Smith and Kay Carroll, Martin Bramah’s guitar, and Marc Riley’s long-standing support for Scars. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Oh! Brother, Paul and Steve are joined by Brian Turner. Brian talks about discovering The Fall in small-town Pennsylvania, catching the band live in the US, and how that fascination grew into radio specials, archive digging and sleeve-note work. There’s also chat about WFMU, East Village Radio, Yoko Ono, Eleni Poulou, Marc Riley, and the strange world of Fall live recordings and reissues. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week on Oh! Brother, Manc music scribe Mick Middles. We dig into the DIY fanzine boom—spilling ink on buses, dodging bricks from Teds at the Electric Circus, writing for Sounds. Also: touring NY with New Order, plus writing books on Frank Sidebottom and Les Dawson, as well as writing with Mark, of course. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to present a live episode with Simon Wolstencroft, with Craig Scanlon joining later on, for a spirited look back at The Fall in 1994. Simon and the Hanleys revisit Middle Class Revolt, Peel sessions, a US tour, shifting line-ups, Brix’ return, Julia Nagle’s arrival, and the usual road-bound chaos. Later, Craig joins the conversation for audience questions, memories, credits, grievances, and a few welcome detours along the way. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.