Our affectionate comic strip tribute imagines the late great singer of The Fall having an unlikely side hustle as a violin tutor at Salford College of Musical Technology. Follow his adventures – and learn some valuable lessons about music and life – in Ugly Mug, our anthology of comics to amuse and confuse, starting with issue 7.

We’ll be raising a glass or three to the memory and legacy of Mr Smith and his many musical collaborators this weekend at Futures and Pasts, a celebration of 50 years of The Fall, at Band on the Wall in Manchester. It looks to be a great event, with performances by bands including The Look Back Bores and The Fallen Women, guided tours of Manchester by Fall drummer ‘Funky Si’ Wolstencroft, a rare behind-the-scenes tour film, a restaging of The Fall’s 1987 play Hey Luciani and much more. Check out the programme for more details.

Meanwhile, new episodes of Mark E Smith Music Teacher are being prepared for Ugly Mug 9, due out this September. If you’re not a member of our Patreon clubs, look for the ‘Join for free’ button on this page to receive notifications about that and other House of Harley activities.

Back issues of Ugly Mug are available from our Etsy shop, along with other House of Harley publications, original drawings and comics, music and merch.