The Fallen

Life In and Out of Britain's Most Insane Group

Dave Simpson

The Fallen by Dave Simpson (Paperback ISBN 9781847671448) book cover

Available as Paperback

‘The best book yet on a band that have evolved into a cross between a large Victorian family and a rehab unit’ The Times

Ever been thrown off the bus in the middle of a Swedish forest or asked to play at one of the UK’s biggest music festivals with musicians you’ve just met who are covered in blood? If so you’ve probably been in The Fall. Dave Simpson made it his mission to track down everyone who has ever played in Britain’s most berserk, brilliant group. He uncovers a changing Britain, tales of madness and genius, and wreaks havoc on his own life.


“Riveting stuff ****”
q Magazine

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“Three decades of personal stories, of social change, shifting cultural landscapes and musical minimum wage slavery, seen through the eyes of a random collection of people whose only constant is that at some point, for some reason, they were members of The Fall. A Canterbury Tales for the MP3 generation.”
stewart Lee

“A tremendous read. I warmly recommend it.”
Stuart Maconie
radio 2

“A great book - a fucking amazingly great book … a simple but excellent concept … Absolutely brilliant. It has made me race back to all 554 Fall songs and put them on repeat.”
everett True

“The best book yet on a band that have evolved into a cross between a large Victorian family and a rehab unit.”
the Times


Dave Simpson

Dave Simpson writes on music and the arts for the Guardian newspaper from an isolated base in the North of England. He has been a fan of the Fall since 1979, and once admitted to hating The Beatles.