How The Fall Nearly Sank Flying Nun

When the New Zealand indie label Flying Nun got a chance to record a live album by Manchester band the Fall, the tensions fraying the group almost destroyed the record company – as documented in a new book called, Needles and Plastic: Flying Nun Records 1981-1988, written by Canadian editor and publisher, Matthew Goody.

The Guardian recently published an extract from Goody’s book:

“When Flying Nun announced in 1983 that it was going to issue a new live album by the renowned Mancunian outfit the Fall, the news came as a bit of a surprise. The label had positioned themselves as advocates for New Zealand underground music and here it was doing a live record from a prominent UK act. Yet Flying Nun’s Roger Shepherd and Chris Knox sensed an opportunity.

“The exact story of what happened next has taken on mythical proportions over time and many of the facts still remain unclear.”

Original article by Matthew Goody, The Guardian, February 21, 2023.