Marc Riley

Marc Riley
Riley (centre) with Ty Segall and band in November 2014
Born	(1961-07-10) 10 July 1961 (age 55) Manchester, Lancashire, England
Station(s)	BBC Radio 6 Music
Time slot	Monday to Thursday 7 pm – 9pm
Country	United Kingdom

Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961 in Manchester) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic and musician. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Formerly a member of the Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger for bands such as Massive Attack, the Pixies, the Cocteau Twins and the Happy Mondays. Marc has worked in radio since about 1990 and for 14 years of that he worked with Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 5 and BBC Radio 1, during which time he was known as Lard. He joined 6 Music in April 2004.

Born and raised in Manchester, Riley was in a band at school called the Sirens with Craig Scanlon and Steve Hanley (both of whom were later members of the Fall). Riley was an early fan of the Fall and worked for the group as a roadie. He was added to the line-up, playing bass, in May 1978. Riley's recording debut was The Fall's second single, "It's the New Thing" and their debut album Live at the Witch Trials.

Riley switched to guitar and keyboards in 1979 and held this position with The Fall, until he fell out with Mark E. Smith in 1982, during the group's first tour of Australia and New Zealand. Riley was sacked by Smith – according to Smith this occurred on Riley's wedding day. According to Riley, however, he was married on Christmas Eve, 1982 and remained in The Fall until January 1983, when Smith had sacked him by telephone, telling Riley that the group was undertaking a tour without him. He subsequently joined 70's hitmakers Mud!