The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Craig Scanlon, Marc Riley, and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.
The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani and drummer Reni.
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, Adam Zindani, Jamie Morrison and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards). The group previously included Stuart Cable (1992–2003) and then Javier Weyler (2004–2012) on drums. Stereophonics have released twelve studio albums, including eight UK number one albums. A successful compilation album, Decade in the Sun, was released in November 2008 and charted at number two on the UK Album Chart.
The Toasters are one of the original American third wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records.
Alan John "Reni" Wren is an English rock drummer and member of The Stone Roses.
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for his songwriting when J. Mascis gradually took over creative control of Dinosaur Jr., in which Barlow plays bass guitar.
Letters to Cleo is an American alternative rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for the 1994 single, "Here & Now", from their full-length debut album, Aurora Gory Alice. The band's members are Kay Hanley, Greg McKenna, Michael Eisenstein, Stacy Jones, Scott Riebling, and later, Tom Polce and Joe Klompus.
Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1983, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist Martyn Walsh and keyboardist Clint Boon.
The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout its existence. Drummer Lindy Morrison joined the band in 1980, and its lineup would later expand to include bass guitarist Robert Vickers and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Brown. Vickers was replaced by John Willsteed in 1987, and the quintet lineup remained in place until the band split two years later. Forster and McLennan reformed the band in 2000 with a new lineup that did not include any previous personnel aside from them. McLennan died on 6 May 2006 of a heart attack and the Go-Betweens disbanded again. In 2010, a toll bridge in their native Brisbane was renamed the Go Between Bridge after them.
Thomas William Hingley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman of Inspiral Carpets.
Blue Orchids are an English post-punk band formed in Manchester in 1979, when Martin Bramah left the Fall, after playing on the band's debut album Live at the Witch Trials. Christened by Salford-based punk poet John Cooper Clarke the band recorded for Rough Trade and acted as backing band for the Velvet Underground's Nico before a 25-year period of intermittent activity and fluctuating line-ups.
Abba Are the enemy is the debut album by Tom Hingley and the Lovers, which features Inspiral Carpets singer Tom Hingley, Steve Hanley and Paul Hanley from Manchester punk band The Fall. It was released in 2004. The album was given a six out of ten rating by PopMatters, with reviewer John Bergstrom calling "Online Pharmacy" as a "Hendrix redux", and stating that Hingley sounds "like the bastard child of Paul Weller and Roger Daltrey".
Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. is an English actor and musician. His television and film credits include The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), The Match (1999), Hotel (2001), The Last Minute (2001), Bodies (2004-2006), The Last Enemy (2008), Survivors (2008–2010), Mad Dogs (2011-2013), Suits (2013), Empire (2015-2016), Ordinary Lies (2015), Jamestown (2017-2019), The Outsider (2020), Operation Fortune (2022), The Midwich Cuckoos (2022), and most recently Hijack (2023) for Apple TV.
Voorhees is a hardcore punk band formed in Durham, England. From early 1991 until late 2001 they released records on international record labels and toured Europe and the USA.
Stephen Hanley is an Irish-born English musician who grew up in and lives in Manchester, He is best known as the bass guitarist in the Fall from 1979 to 1998. His distinctive and muscular basslines were a signature part of their sound, often carrying the songs' instrumental melodies. Hanley is second only to Mark E. Smith in longevity in the band. With Peter Hook, Andy Rourke and Gary Mounfield, he is widely considered one of the pre-eminent Manchester bassists of his generation. He has always been very private and rarely interviewed; for this reason his 2014 autobiography The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall was highly anticipated. On publication it was met with widespread acclaim for its frank honesty and dry, no nonsense humour.
Too Much Texas were an English indie rock band, formed in 1984 in Manchester, best known as the band that Tom Hingley was in before joining Inspiral Carpets.
Highlights is the second album by Tom Hingley and the Lovers, who feature Inspiral Carpets singer Tom Hingley, Steve Hanley and Paul Hanley from Manchester band The Fall, Jason Brown and Kelly Wood. It was released in 2008.
Factory Star are an English post-punk group, formed in Manchester in December 2008. The group was formed by singer/songwriter/guitarist Martin Bramah. Factory Star began life as Bramah, Tim Lyons (bass) and Brian Benson (drums). In April 2009 they were replaced by Steve Hanley (bass), Paul Hanley (drums), and John Paul Moran of Gnod & Rapid Pig (Keys). Bramah had two stints in The Fall - 1976 to '79 and '89 to '90 - and fronted several incarnations of Blue Orchids from 1979 - 2005. The Hanley brothers were also previously members of The Fall - Steve from 1979 to '98 and Paul from 1980 to '85. They got in touch with Bramah through Dave Simpson, thanks to Simpson's book The Fallen. The band performed in Anglesey on New Year's Eve in 2008, playing tracks from Bramah's solo album The Battle of Twisted Heel. Their first single "Lucybel" was made available on iTunes in 2009. The band performed a live session and were interviewed by Marc Riley on his BBC 6 Music show in July 2009.
WU LYF were a band from Manchester, England that originally became known for creating a mystery about themselves by declining requests for interviews and not releasing much information to the press. The band described their music as "heavy pop".
"Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous.
