God-box documentary…

There’s a mountain of books about The Fall. Loads of them. But not many documentaries. So, lifelong Fall fan and freelance film editor Gareth Davies has decided to make one. He’s made programmes for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4; now he’s tackling this potentially mammoth project on his own. Gareth talks to Cult Manchester’s David Nolan and chooses his three essential Fall releases.

Look, know... Gareth Davies.

Cult Manchester: So many books about The Fall, but far fewer docs. Why do you think that is?

Gareth Davies: There are so many books about The Fall partly because of the vast number of people involved in the group over their 40-plus years and partly because the story of The Fall can be approached in so many ways. They were truly unique as a group and always interesting, even at their least accessible. There’ve been a couple of very good documentaries but nothing that tells the whole story. Now that The Fall is sadly, definitively over, I think it’s a good time to assess the entire body of work and perhaps begin to think about the group’s lasting cultural impact. Unfortunately, no-one is really stumping up the money to make feature-length music documentaries at the moment. And if they were, it’s unlikely that it would be for a film about The Fall. So, I’m taking the punky, DIY approach and hoping that there’s enough goodwill out there to help me bring it together.

CM: Who’s going to be in it? What’s going to be in it?

GD: Ideally, I’d like to hear from everyone. Haha! I started to make a list of who I’d like to interview. You don’t want more than about a dozen contributors for a documentary, do you? I think I’ve managed to narrow it down to about 80! With so many lineup changes, The Fall’s history is inevitably complex, but it’s the fact that they kept going, kept putting out brilliant stuff, despite - and in many ways because of the constant changes - that really interests me.

CM: You filmed at the Fall Futures and Pasts weekend in Manchester in June. How was it?

GD: A Fall festival? Who’d have thought it? But it was brilliant, with a huge variety of bands and artists. I did some filming there and I’m in discussion with the organisers about how the footage will be used. What was great though was meeting lots of past members of The Fall, as well as chatting to the likes of Frank Skinner and Jim Moir. Since then, I’ve managed to interview Paul Hanley, Una Baines and Simon Wolstencroft and I’ve arranged lots more, so it was a very productive weekend in that respect.

CM: Do you think most people will say yes?

GD: It’s no secret that few musicians left The Fall on good terms and that not everyone looks back with the same degree of fondness, but I’d really like to give everyone a chance to tell their version of events. I’m not setting out to do a hatchet job, or a hagiography, but I think there’s a really interesting story to tell and one that’s not been told fully before.

CM: What was your ‘Fall moment’? When you went, that’s the band for me...

GD: I grew up in Rhyl, North Wales where there was really nothing much going on in the 70s and 80s. My best mate Leigh was always ahead of the curve in all things cultural - he still is. Anyway, he bought a copy of Early Years ’77-’79 on a trip to Cardiff in 1986 and brought it round to mine and demanded that I listen to it. It was quite startling on the first listen - not easy music to get into; it required some effort, and that started a lifelong interest. I first saw The Fall live when I moved to Manchester in the early 90s and then saw them pretty much every time they played nearby till the end. When I went to see them doing a four-night residency at The Roadhouse in March ’95, my partner at the time asked why on earth I’d want to go and see the same band four nights in a row. Reader, I didn’t marry him.

CM: You’re a TV person; how aware are you of those ‘rock doc’ tropes? The needle drops on a record, talking head interviews, bit of archive and so on...?

GD: Well, that’s ruined my opening sequence, hasn’t it? Haha! I’m not setting out to make a documentary that tells people how important the group are, which is what most ‘rock docs’ try to do. One of the reasons The Fall have such a cult following is that they created an entire world of their own - music, art, literature, ballet, architecture, geography, language - everything. There’s so much more to them than just the records and the gigs and I really want to try and convey that in this film.

CM: When will we see it?

GD: Because it’s a labour of love, I don’t have anyone setting a deadline, but ideally, I’d like to have it ready for screening by the tenth anniversary of Mark E Smith’s passing, which will be in January 2028. As for where it’ll be shown - who knows? But I’ll keep updating the website and the socials (see below), so people can see where I’m up to.

CM: How can people help?

GD: This is a no-budget film so I’m going to have to crowdfund at some point but first I have this idea to build sequences using peoples ‘home movie’ footage. So, if you have anything you have shot at a Fall gig, video or stills, and you’re willing to share them, please do. Also, if you have any footage of venues, cities, travelling shots, anything that would illustrate the story, please get in touch. I don’t have a bean to pay anyone, but everyone gets a credit!

Gareth’s Top Three Fall Choices:

1. Dragnet (1979) - with only Mark E Smith and Marc Riley remaining from the lineup that recorded their first album, Live at the Witch Trials, their second, Dragnet, sees the debut of both Steve Hanley and Craig Scanlon, who would become the group’s engine room till the mid-90s. They would go on to record the holy trinity of Grotesque, Slates and Hex Enduction Hour, but this is where The Fall really started to sound like The Fall. Key track: ‘Spectre Vs. Rector’.

2. The Complete Peel Sessions (1978 - 2004) - The Fall famously recorded more Peel Sessions than any other artist and the quick, no-nonsense approach to recording obviously suited the group. This box set includes all twenty-four sessions. Key track: take your pick from the 97 on offer here.

3. Fall Heads Roll (2005) - Picking three albums is an impossible task. As John Peel said, ‘you have to have them all...’ This is a belter though and they were so tight and powerful live around this time. The NME review for this album said, ‘The Fall are actually at their most settled, stable and plain rocking for years’. Predictably, the whole band quit in the middle of the following US tour. Key track: ‘Blindness’.

Contact Gareth at therealnewfallfilm@gmail.com or @therealnewfallfilm on social media.

The website is therealnewfallfilm.co.uk