Stephen Hanley (born 29 May 1959) is an Irish-born English musician who grew up in and lives in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, He is best known as the bass guitarist in the Fall from 1979 to 1998. His distinctive and muscular basslines were a signature part of their sound, often carrying the songs' instrumental

melodies A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

. He is currently a member of

Brix & the Extricated Brix & the Extricated are a British post-punk band, formed in 2014 in Manchester, by ex-Fall members Brix Smith Start (vocals/guitar) and Steve Hanley (bass guitar).Brix Smith Start 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 band The Fall during two stints in the band (1983-1989, and 1994-1996). Acknowledging ...

. Hanley was a foundational Fall member, second only to

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

in longevity in the band. With Peter Hook,

Andy Rourke Andrew Michael Rourke (born 17 January 1964) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the Smiths. He is known for his melodic approach to bass playing. Career Rourke's father was Irish while his mother was English. He received an a ...

and

Gary Mounfield Gary "Mani" Mounfield (born 16 November 1962Warshaw, AaronMani allmusic.com) is an English rock bassist, best known for being a member of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. Career Mounfield attended Xaverian College in Rusholme, Mancheste ...

, he is widely considered one of the pre-eminent Manchester bassists of his generation. He has always been very private and rarely interviewed; for this reason his 2014 autobiography '' The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall'' was highly anticipated. On publication it was met with widespread acclaim for its frank honesty and dry, no nonsense humour.

Career

In 1978 he played in the Sirens alongside

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961 in Manchester) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of the Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Ta ...

and

Craig Scanlon Craig Antony Scanlon (born 7 December 1960 in Manchester) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of the Fall between 1979 and 1995. Despite his surname being spelled 'Scanlon' he was wrongly credited as 'Craig Scanlan' on every record h ...

. When Riley left to join the Fall, they became Staff 9, but disbanded when Hanley and Scanlon joined the Fall themselves in 1979. During the first half of the 1980s, Hanley's brother

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

was also a member of the Fall, playing drums and keyboards. In a late 80s interview, Smith said that "the most original aspect of The Fall is Steve...I've never heard a bass player like him. He is The Fall sound." Hanley co-wrote the music for over 100 Fall songs on more than a dozen albums; including the tracks "

Rowche Rumble "Rowche Rumble" is a 1979 song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith, Craig Scanlon and Marc Riley. Released as the band's third single, it was the first record by the Fall to reach a recognised national chart when it rea ...

", " Fiery Jack", "Container Drivers", "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul", " Totally Wired", "Winter", "The N.W.R.A.", "To Nkroachment: Yarbles", " I Am Damo Suzuki", "Jerusalem", "Van Plague?", "Yes, O Yes", and "

Free Range Free range denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals, for at least part of the day, can roam freely outdoors, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day. On many farms, the outdoors ranging area is fenced, ...

". Hanley left the Fall in April 1998 following an onstage altercation in New York, which also resulted in the departures of longtime drummer

Karl Burns Karl Burns (born Carl Birtles,1958 in Manchester, England) is a British musician best known as the drummer for the Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998. Although several musicians have rejoined the Fall havi ...

and guitarist Tommy Crooks. Smith regretted the row and asked Hanley to return, but the bassist declined. SteveHanley1980

Following his departure from the Fall, he formed Ark with Burns, Crooks and former Creepers bassist Pete Keogh, the band releasing the album ''Brainsold'' in 2002, and joined the Lovers in 2001, a group fronted by

Tom Hingley Thomas William Hingley (born 9 July 1965) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman of Inspiral Carpets.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 803 Early life Hingley was born i ...

Inspiral Carpets Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1980, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist ...

. Both these bands also featured Paul Hanley. The Lovers released two albums, '' Abba Are the Enemy'', released in 2004, and '' Highlights'' which was released in March 2008. The band split amicably in 2012. He was briefly a member of fellow ex-Fall member

Martin Bramah Martin Beddington (born 18 September 1957 in Manchester),The Fall online – biography

's group Factory Star, as was his brother Paul Hanley. "The Big Midweek" a book chronicling Hanley's time in the Fall, written by him with Olivia Piekarski, released by Route Publishing on 15 September 2014. He is currently a member of

Brix & The Extricated Brix & the Extricated are a British post-punk band, formed in 2014 in Manchester, by ex-Fall members Brix Smith Start (vocals/guitar) and Steve Hanley (bass guitar).The Big Midweek: Life Inside the Fall'' was met with critical acclaim. Hoskyns, Barneybr>The Big Midweek: Life Inside the Fall
. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, 1 October 2016

Discography

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. * Smith, Brix. ''The Rise, The Fall, and The Rise''. London: Faber & Faber, 2017.

External links

The Fall in Fives
- Contains detailed analysis of Hanley's songwriting and bass lines
Van Plague?
- From "I Am Kurious Oranj"
We are the Fall as if from Heaven
Reykjavik, 1981
Totally Wired, New York 1981
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanley, Steve 1959 births British people of Irish descent English songwriters Living people Musicians from Manchester English punk rock bass guitarists The Fall (band) members