Bye Bye Mark E

It must have been kismet years ago when as a young teen I discovered John Peel on the radio many an hour listening to him lead me many ways in my music taste but the biggest of them and the longest lasting was The fall a band of the ever-changing group of musicians backing up the brilliant Mark E Smith. The band named after a translated novel would happen to be one of my favourite bands. From the NME interview with Nick Cave, Shane MacGowan and Mark talking about the world and their music. Peel doing something that seemed unheard of at the time playing a full album over two nights when Shiftwork came out a high point for the band really. Over the years I have bought or listen on spotify to the latest records from the Band even the complete peel sessions when it first came out with the 24 sessions he record with Peel more than anyone. So when the sad news hit us that Mark has passed tonight leaves the world a little poorer in a world of people trying to get by we need a few more mark as the voice of the disfranchised, the non-iphones smart phone people, the football fans, the northerners, the man in the pub because there won’t be another Mark and that is sad.