Oh! Brother

This week on Oh! Brother, we were thrilled to welcome Manchester music legend and Mercury Prize-winner Badly Drawn Boy (Damon Gough) to the show. Damon talks us through his early days as a tape-op at Square One Studios in Bury, his years at print works and music college, and how hearing Springsteen and The Stranglers sparked his obsession with sound. We also hear the full story of how Mark E. Smith mistook him for a taxi driver outside Night and Day — complete with false teeth and a Pet Sounds cassette — leading to their collaboration on "Calendar", plus Damon reflects on life after quitting the booze, his friendship with Mark over the years, and the John Spencer Blues Explosion gig that changed everything. Hope you enjoy!

This week on Oh! Brother, we welcome BC Camplight — aka Brian Christinzio. Brian discusses discovering the piano as a child, beginning his career in Philadelphia and finding a new home in Manchester. He also recalls his unusual introduction to The Fall, reflects on his approach to recording and production, and prepares to reinterpret songs covered by the band for Futures and Pasts. Hope you enjoy!

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome drummer and academic Kate Themen to the show. Kate talks us through being recruited by Julia Nagle to play three shows with The Fall in April 1998, rehearsing the material at short notice, and joining Mark E. Smith and Julia on stage at Dingwalls and Reading — where the unpredictable performances included a brief appearance from dancer Michael Clark and objects being thrown from the audience. We also hear about Kate’s band Polythene, her later musical projects, and her memories of appearing as an extra alongside Karen Leatham in the independent film Glow Boys. Plus, Kate discusses her academic work on women’s football, the continuing struggle for equality within the game, football clubs’ responsibilities to their communities, and her hopes of returning to drumming after recovering from injury.

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome Rob Barbato to the show. Rob talks us through joining The Fall at short notice in 2006, learning the set on the fly, touring America, recording with Mark E. Smith in Los Angeles, and coming to Manchester for The Fall’s 30th-anniversary show at New Century Hall in 2006. We also chat about the creative freedom and unpredictability of working with Mark, the appeal of songs such as “Blindness” and “Reformation”, and Rob’s later career as a producer, session musician and composer for film, television and advertising. Plus, Rob discusses his work with Squeaky Clean, his forthcoming recording project with Vivian Girls, the importance of preserving human imperfections in an increasingly digital music world, and the friendships he made through The Fall.

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome Erwin Blom to the show. Erwin takes us back to the late-70s Dutch punk scene and the formation of Eton Crop, talks about touring Holland and England, recording five Peel Sessions, and supporting The Fall — including memories of Amsterdam’s Paradiso, freezing nights in the van, and seeing Mark E. Smith halt The Fall mid-set. We also chat about post-punk DIY culture, touring behind the Iron Curtain in Poland and Hungary, Erwin’s later work in journalism and digital media, and his enthusiasm for AI as a new do-it-yourself tool. Plus, there’s talk of Pip Blom, the realities of life in today’s music industry, and why making music still means making friends for life.

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