Singer and guitarist Brix Smith, best known as the lead guitarist of English post-punk outfit The Fall, has announced that she will be embarking on eight dates of Public Image Ltd’s forthcoming UK tour, alongside a brand-new band. The dates can be viewed at the end of the article. Tickets can be found here.
@Brixsmithstart, formerly of The Fall and The Extricated, has been confirmed as support for PiL on 8 UK shows this June. The all new female band also features members of My Bloody Valentine. https://t.co/i6IxleCSRk. pic.twitter.com/r7iXFAatZR
— Public Image Ltd (@pilofficial) April 13, 2022
Brix Smith revealed in February that she will be releasing a new album entitled Valley of the Dolls, and will be joined live by an all-female group. The newly formed band consists of Smith, alongside My Bloody Valentine’s Deb Googe on bass and Jen Marco on keyboards and guitar, in addition to Vas and Ros from Deux Furieuses. To quote Smith herself, she says that she has “put together the motherfucker of all girl bands.”
Smith said of the band’s formation and as-yet-unannounced official name, according to NME: “I’m going under the name Brix Smith or possibly Brix Smith Group, I haven’t decided yet. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is and take it out there! All of us are between 40 and 60 and they’re all top post-punk feminists.”
Smith’s last band was called Brix & the Extricated, which featured other former members of The Fall, Steve and Paul Hanley. The band’s formation was originally intended to be for a one-off concert at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge, however the show was so successful that the group performed more gigs and went on a national tour in 2015. The group released a single in 2016 called “Something To Lose”, and an album entitled Part 2 was released in 2017. The group would then go on to release two more full-length records; Breaking State in 2018 and Super Blood Wolf Moon in 2019. The band are seemingly still active, however have not played live or released any new material since 2019.
The band’s studio material was received warmly by fans and critics, with Louder Than War saying of the group’s third album, Super Blood Wolf Moon: “9/10 for a glorious album that sees Brix break free from the Lovecraftian clank and grind of the Fall without losing those glorious Hanley bass lines and create shimmering music of her own…The album is full of these gems, each song is its own empire, a place to get lost in full of melody and ideas and intense emotional workouts and yet captivating, blissful classic guitar pop.”
You can view Smith’s forthcoming tour dates with PiL down below.
06/06/2022 – O2 Ritz, Manchester
07/06 – O2 Academy, Leeds
16/06 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
17/06 – O2 Institute, Birmingham
18/06 – O2 Academy, Bristol
20/06 – UEA, Norwich
22/06 – O2 Academy, Glasgow
23 /06– Rock City, Nottingham
