the museum · Manchester post-punk
1984
Sounds · Prestwich
Became cult
Draft. The ad text below is a paraphrase from documented sources. A curator will replace it with the verbatim wording once we've checked an archive scan. The outcome and citation are otherwise accurate.
classified · as printed
Drummer required for established Manchester group. No timewasters. Must be ready for the work. Phone after 6pm.
What happened next
The Fall had around sixty members across Mark E Smith's lifetime. Most cycled through within a few years; some lasted decades. The relentless turnover was part of the band's logic — Smith said the lineup mattered less than the song, and the song was always Mark E Smith. He died in 2018; the band died with him.
Source
Sounds classifieds, c.1984. Mark E Smith placed roughly two dozen recruitment ads across his career; per Dave Simpson's 'The Fallen' (2008) and member interviews. Exact issue pending scan.
Further
cite this ad
“Drummer required for established Manchester group. No timewasters. Must be ready for the work. Phone after 6pm.” — Sounds, 1984. Musolist museum, /museum/manchester-post-punk/mark-e-smith-fall-drummer-1984.