The Big Midweek

Book excerpt: The first insider's account of life inside seminal British rock band, The Fall. Hanley's story unfolds like a novel; from 1979 when he joined The Fall with his schoolmates Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon, up to and including an infamous on-stage fight in New York in 1998, 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. "One of the more sincere and endearing band biographies available. Hanley's book is enjoyable to read from start to finish."-LA Review of Books. A Guardian Book of the Year 2014 and A Rough Trade Book of the Year 2014.