Brix Smith revealed last week that she will be touring the UK with her new band this coming October. The band features Deb George (bass) and Jen Marco (keyboards and guitar) of the iconic experimental rock band, My Bloody Valentine. They will be joined by Vas Antoniadou (drums) and Ros Cairney (guitar) from the up-and-coming London duo Deux Furieuses.
Yay!!!!
— brixsmithofficial (@Brixsmithstart) July 29, 2022
Smith is most famous for playing lead guitar for seminal English post-punk band The Fall, playing with the band between 1983-1989 and a second stint from 1994-1996. Smith grew up in Los Angeles, moving to Chicago in 1972, where she became a punk, playing The Clash’s “The Guns of Brixton” so often that her friends nicknamed her Brixton, later shortened to Brix.
Telling The Guardian back in 2016 about hearing The Fall for the first time, she said, “something hit me so hard I became obsessed with them, though not in a psycho fan way. I listened to Slates over and over and over until I understood it, internalised it and then could move”.
Her life changed dramatically after a chance meeting with The Fall’s lead singer, Mark E. Smith, at a gig at the Metro in Chicago in 1983. The two hit it off, “I had found my soulmate,” Smith told The Guardian. The couple moved to Manchester and were married two months later in Bury; she was only twenty and he was twenty-six at the time and they had known each other for less than six months.
She joined the band, singing and playing the guitar on The Fall’s 1983 album Perverted by Language bringing more of a mainstream sound to the band. She left the band for the first time in 1989 when the two divorced. Since The Fall, Smith has started the bands The Adult Net and Brix & the Extricated and spent a whirlwind 24hrs in Courtney Love’s band Hole.
Back in February, Smith told NME, “This is the announcement: I’m going out on the road with an all-female band. 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.”
On the upcoming tour, NME reported Smith’s feelings, “I’m so excited to be playing these iconic intimate club shows in October with my amazing supergroup of phenomenal women players. Come feel the power, noise, energy and love. We will take you on a full spectrum ride.” Tickets for the upcoming tour are available here.
Yes Dawnits true ‘California Smile’ is a little taster from my new album called Valley of the Dolls , which is out in full early next year. More singles to come…. This is from my solo album co written and produced by the legend that is Youth! @youthmartin
— brixsmithofficial (@Brixsmithstart) July 30, 2022
Smith will also be releasing her debut solo album, Valley of The Dolls, early next year, featuring contributions from Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama and Shakespeares Sister and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. She released the song “California Smile” as a teaser on July 29th of this year, you can listen here.
Brix Smith UK tour dates:
16/10/2022 – Key Club – Leeds
17/10 – Arts Club (Loft) – Liverpool
18/10 – The Boileroom – Guildford
19/10 – The Lexington – London
