Born in Los Angeles in 1962, the musician Laura Elisse Salenger adopted the stage name Brix in honour of the Clash song The Guns of Brixton. After studying theatre and literature at Bennington College in Vermont, she moved to the UK, where she joined the Fall as guitarist and songwriter (and married lead singer Mark E Smith). In 2016 she published a memoir, The Rise, the Fall and the Rise, and she has appeared in films including Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and Creation Stories. Smith’s debut solo album, Valley of the Dolls, is released on 10 March by Republic of Music. She lives in London with her husband, fashion entrepreneur Philip Start.
1. Dance
Woolf Works, Royal Opera House
One of the greatest ballets I ever saw was Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project – I was blown away. I could have seen it 10 times and never seen the same thing. I found the section on purgatory really fascinating – it was all encased in a membrane that you could not puncture, and although it was torturous it was darkly beautiful. He’s got another ballet in March called Woolf Works, based on the works of Virginia Woolf, with music by Max Richter. I thought that sounded perfect so I’ve booked tickets.
2. Album
Fossora by Björk
Björk makes art at the highest level. I found this album really interesting and creative and multidimensional. As I listened to it for the first time, everything that came was completely unexpected: it was all about fungi and the earth. This is a woman who exercises her complete artistic freedom with absolutely no boundaries whatsoever. She’s pulling from the ether, from everywhere. When I listen to her music, I feel that she’s half elemental and half human. I mean, I know her and she is that way anyway, but I thought this album was a masterpiece.
3. Documentary
Kingdom of Dreams (Sky)
The last thing I watched was this four-part documentary about the rivalry between LVMH and the Gucci group – I’ve actually watched it twice. What I liked most was the in-depth look at both Galliano and McQueen, and remembering all the extraordinary shows they did: how McQueen was more architectural and structured, while Galliano was decadent, delicious femininity, like glorious meringue. And Tom Ford’s early shows for Gucci, with the velvet hipster pants and satin shirts, were just so sexy and modern. That was an incredible time for fashion.
4. Place
Barbican Highwalks
I’ve lived in Shoreditch for 22 years, and during the pandemic my husband and I took to doing city walks. One day my friend told me about the highwalks in the Barbican. I’ve been to concerts there, art shows, plays, and the greenhouse is absolutely magical, but this is a part of London a lot of people don’t know about. It’s a network of walkways – you can get to St Paul’s without ever having to cross a street. I discovered a monastery in the city I didn’t know about, Roman ruins. You always end up somewhere interesting.
5. Restaurant
Rochelle Canteen, London E2
This is my favourite restaurant at the moment. It’s owned by Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold, and it’s like a secret oasis in the middle of Shoreditch. I love it because I can bring my dog there. Outside there’s a big walled garden, which is great in the summer and the winter. It’s got a good vibe – everyone looks cool, and there are always really interesting, creative people. The menu is ever changing and the food is delicious. I’m mostly a vegetarian, but sometimes I taste the fish, which my husband gets.
6. Film
Border (dir. Ali Abbasi)
This was the most bizarre and surreal movie I can ever remember seeing. It’s a total cult movie, about a customs officer with an extraordinary sense of smell who can sniff out guilt on anyone hiding something. It was horrendously disturbing and also strangely beautiful at the same time – it affected every fibre of my body. There was one scene in it that I will never forget as long as I live; the stuff of nightmares but also life-affirming. All I’m gonna say is two words: penis flower.
