Una Baines
| Una Baines | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1957 (age 60) Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave |
| Occupation(s) | Keyboardist |
| Instruments | Keyboard |
| Years active | 1977- |
| Associated acts | The Fall, Blue Orchids, The Fates, Poppycock |
Una Baines (born April 1957, Manchester, Lancashire, England) is best known as the keyboard player in the first line-up of British post-punk/new wave band The Fall. Her strong feminist ideals shaped the band's early political stance and she remains one of the very few Fall members, other than frontman Mark E. Smith, to have contributed lyrics to Fall songs.
Baines grew up in the Collyhurst district of Manchester. Her mother was Irish, her father Mancunian. She met Smith at college, but both left after finding studying financially difficult. After a stint working as an office clerk, Baines began training as a psychiatric nurse. She rented a flat on Kingswood Road in Prestwich, which became a meeting place for the four friends (Baines, Smith, Martin Bramah and Tony Friel) who would go on to form the band, inspired by seeing Sex Pistols play in Manchester.
Baines was originally going to be the drummer in the group but realised that she would be unlikely to be able to afford a drum kit. Instead, she started saving up for a keyboard. Baines did not play at the band's first gig on 23 May 1977, as she had applied for a bank loan to enable her to buy a keyboard, and it had not arrived in time. She made her debut at The Fall's second gig, on 3 June 1977, in Manchester. Apparently, she played the National Anthem on her keyboard (a cheap model called the "Snoopy") at one point during the set, although no recordings of the gig exist.
Two songs from the band's 2 October 1977 appearance at Manchester's Electric Circus venue were recorded, and released on the 10-inch LP Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus with the remainder of the set on master tape being stored in Virgin's archive. Baines also played on the band's first recording session, on 9 November 1977 at Indigo Studios in Manchester. Three of the songs were later released as the band's first single, "Bingo-Master's Break-Out!" in August 1978 - after Baines had left the band. The fourth song recorded in this session was "Frightened" which was re-recorded for Live At The Witch Trials, however, this early version has never been released and is believed to be lost.
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