La Chute

The literary afterlife of the Fall

The enigmatic lyrics and idiosyncratic performances of Mancunian post-punks The Fall inspired a new generation of bands such as Sonic Youth.

But the influence of frontman Mark E Smith and colleagues has now reached the world of literature, too, with the forthcoming publication of an anthology of short stories, all taking a song title as their starting point.

Authors including Michel Faber, Nicholas Blincoe, Matt Thorne and the comedian and writer Stewart Lee have come out of the woodwork as Fall fans to produce stories which are presented in the order in which the songs themselves were released.

Griffiths kicks off with the 1978 single "Bingo Master's Break Out" while Rebbecca Ray concludes the volume with a saucy tale taking its title from the 2005 track "I Can Hear the Grass Grow".