Brix Smith (born Laura Elisse Salenger) is an American singer and guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a major songwriter for the English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band The Fall during two stints in the band (1983-1989, and 1994-1996). Acknowledging her importance to the band, and noting she co-wrote several songs for the band's most widely acclaimed album ''

This Nation's Saving Grace ''This Nation's Saving Grace'' is the eighth studio album by English post-punk band the Fall, released in 1985 by Beggars Banquet. The lyrics and singing melodies were written by vocalist Mark E. Smith, with a portion of the music composed ...

'' (1985), some critics break the Fall's career and evolution into the pre-Brix years, the Brix years, and the post-Brix years. She is currently the lead vocalist and guitarist with Brix & the Extricated, along with brothers

Steve ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

and Paul Hanley, both of whom were long time musicians in the Fall. She published her memoir ''The Rise, The Fall, And The Rise'' with

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

in May 2016, noting that "writing the book freed my creativity to play again."

Biography

Smith was raised in Los Angeles by her mother Lucy Salenger, a TV executive at CBS. Mother and daughter moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

in 1972, when Salenger married political economist Marvin Zonis and became a powerful regional figure in the film business as head of the Illinois Film Office. Studying theatre and literature at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

, Smith formed a group, Banda Dratsing, in which she performed as bassist/vocalist; she adopted the name "Brix" after

the Clash The Clash were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave music, new wave moveme ...

's 1979 song " The Guns of Brixton".

The Fall

Smith met Mark E. Smith, vocalist of the Fall, at a gig at Metro in Chicago on 23 April 1983; she moved to his native

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where they settled in Prestwich, Bury,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and married on 19 July of that year.Hughes, Rob. "Slang Queen!". ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'', May 2016 She initially played with the group on two songs for the album '' Perverted by Language''. She co-wrote some of the best-regarded Fall tracks from the period, and is acknowledged for introducing a more mainstream, pop-oriented element to the group's sound. She remained with the Fall until her divorce from Smith in 1989. She rejoined for the live promotion of the album '' Middle Class Revolt'' (1994) and remained for the recording and promotion of albums ''

Cerebral Caustic ''Cerebral Caustic'' is the seventeenth full-length studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in 1995 on Permanent Records. It spent one week on the UK Albums Chart at number 67, 19 places lower than its predecessor ''Middle Clas ...

'' (1995) and '' The Light User Syndrome'' (1996).

The Adult Net

In 1985, Smith launched side project the Adult Net with fellow Fall member Simon Rogers. Contributors included Mark E. Smith. The group released four singles for the Fall's label

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing ...

in 1985 and 1986, including a cover of

Strawberry Alarm Clock Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967 with origins in Glendale, California, a city about ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles. They are best known for their 1967 hit single " Incense and Peppermints". Categorized a ...

's "Incense and Peppermints". The Adult Net released ''The Honey Tangle'' in 1989 on Phonogram Records. This line-up included Craig Gannon,

The The () are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles ...

member James Eller and Blondie drummer

Clem Burke Clement Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski; November 24, 1954) is an American musician who is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. He also played drums f ...

Brix & the Extricated

Smith reunited with former Fall bassist Steve Hanley and drummer Paul Hanley as Brix & the Extricated for a one-off gig at the Manchester

Ruby Lounge A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

in December 2014. They played Fall songs to celebrate the launch of Steve Hanley’s book '' The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall''. The success of the concert saw the band start performing more gigs and, in 2015, a national UK tour. They played the

Rebellion Festival The Rebellion Festival, formerly Holidays in the Sun and the Wasted Festival is a British punk rock festival first held in 1996. The festival has attracted mainstream press coverage from such sources as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily ...

in August 2016, where Brix was interviewed by John Robb. The line-up is completed by guitarists Steve Trafford (another ex-Fall member) and Jason Brown. By this time new material was being written and introduced into the set. A single, "Something to Lose", was released on Blang Records in November 2016, followed by the album ''

Part 2 Part Two, Part 2 or Part II may refer to: Films and television * "Part 2" (Twin Peaks), also known as "The Return, Part 2", the second episode of the third season of the TV series ''Twin Peaks'' Music * ''Part Two'' (Throbbing Gristle album), 200 ...

'' in September 2017. Their second album, '' Breaking State'', was released in October 2018 on Grit Over Glamour Records and almost exactly a year later in October 2019, their third album, '' Super Blood Wolf Moon'', came out on the same label.

Solo work and other activities

After leaving the Fall and disbanding The Adult Net, Smith went on to tour with

the Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...

. She became romantically involved with

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and background Kenn ...

, and they collaborated on a cover of

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world musi ...

's " Hurdy Gurdy Man" for the 1992 Donovan tribute album '' Island of Circles''; the song was released as a single in 1993 on

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

. In 1994, Smith auditioned for

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

after the death of bassist Kristen Pfaff, but was in the group for one day. Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson, while supportive of

Melissa Auf der Maur Melissa Gaboriau Auf der Maur (; born March 17, 1972) is a Canadian musician. Auf der Maur began performing in 1993 after forming the indie rock band Tinker while she was a student at Concordia University. She was recruited as the bassis ...

as Pfaff's replacement, later commented that he was a huge fan of Brix and expressed regret that he didn't get a chance to play with her in the group. In 1997, she released the ''Happy Unbirthday'' EP on Strangelove. The EP is a collaboration with Marty Willson-Piper and includes a cover of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's "

Space Oddity "Space Oddity" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a Single (music), 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album ''David Bowie (1969 album ...

". A decade later, in 2007, she released her debut solo LP ''Neurotica'', as a digital download on Loser Friendly Records. In 2022 Smith announced a new album, ''

Valley of the Dolls Valley of the Dolls may refer to: * ''Valley of the Dolls'' (novel), a 1966 novel by Jacqueline Susann ** ''Valley of the Dolls'' (film), a 1967 film adapted from the novel *** " (Theme from) Valley of the Dolls", the title song from the film, pe ...

'', co-written with

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Y ...

from

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass). Their first album, '' Killing Joke'', was released ...

, and a new live band to perform this material, containing Debbie Googe and Jen Macro of My Bloody Valentine, as well as Vas Antoniadou and Ros Cairney from deux furieuses. The album contains guest contributions from Susanna Hoffs of

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...

and Siobhan Fahey and is planned for release in 2023 on Republic of Music. The band has supported Killing Joke, and went on tour with

Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and ...

in June 2022

Work in fashion

Smith married fashion entrepreneur Philip Start. In 2002 the couple opened the boutique "Start" in east London. The business expanded to four boutiques and an online store. The Shoreditch boutique closed in May 2015. In recent years Smith has appeared as a fashion expert on British television shows, including

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's '' Gok's Fashion Fix''. She also appeared on Animal Planet UK's ''Top Dog'', '' The Culture Show'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

, '' John Peel's Record Box'', ''

LK Today The following details are for the programmes that GMTV (Good Morning Television) broadcast on ITV. GMTV is the former breakfast television franchise for the UK's ITV network. It began broadcasting on Friday 1 January 1993 and finished on Friday ...

''s 'What's Hot and What's Not' segment and

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 19 ...

's '' Angela and Friends''. She appeared as a fashion expert on Sky television's coverage of the 2011 Academy Awards in February 2011, and she took part in the fashion commentary in

's coverage of

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

in June 2013. That summer she presented the first series of ''Ultimate Shopper'', broadcast in the UK by digital channel TLC.Chavda, Sanaya.
Wear what feels right, says style expert Brix Smith-Start
. dnaindia.com. Retrieved 2 May 2022

References

Sources

* Edge, Brian. ''Paintwork: Portrait of The Fall''. London: Omnibus Press, 1989. * Ford, Simon. ''Hip Priest: The Story of Mark E.Smith and the Fall''. London: Quartet Books, 2002. * Hanley, Steve. '' The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall''. London: Route, 2014. * Irvin, Jim (ed). ''The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition''. London: Canongate Books, 2017. * Norton, Tessa; Stanley, Bob. ''Excavate!: The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall ''. London: Faber & Faber, 2021. * Smith, Brix. ''The Rise, The Fall, and The Rise''. London: Faber & Faber, 2017.

External links

*
Loser Friendly Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Brix Living people 1962 births American expatriates in the United Kingdom American women singers American rock songwriters American rock singers American punk rock guitarists American punk rock singers Women punk rock singers The Fall (band) members The Adult Net members Singers from Chicago Singers from Los Angeles Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Chicago Bennington College alumni 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from Illinois