A large ceramic and glass mural of Mark E Smith, the founder and frontman of The Fall, has been unveiled in Broughton, Salford, on the side of a building at the junction of Lower Broughton Road and Great Clowes Street.

The artwork is by the artist Mark Kennedy, who told the BBC he was a “great friend” of Smith. It shows Smith holding a buttercup beneath his chin and is based on a photograph Kennedy took while the pair walked through Heaton Park. Salford Now reported that Kennedy took around 18 months to complete it and that the walk followed a meeting about the artwork for The Fall's album Your Future Our Clutter.

The mural was unveiled on 15 October as part of Salford's celebrations of its 100 years as a city. Salford City Council said it contributed £6,000 towards the cost of materials. The city mayor, Paul Dennett, said it was “fitting that we have created this artwork to recognise a Salford legend and cultural icon”.

Smith was born in Broughton and worked as a shipping clerk at Salford docks before founding The Fall after seeing the Sex Pistols play in Manchester in 1976, the BBC reported. The band released around 30 albums, with Smith the only constant member across four decades. He died in 2018. The former New Order and Joy Division bassist Peter Hook told the BBC that Smith was “a maverick and totally unique”.

Sources: BBC News, 16 October 2026; Salford Now, 15 October 2026. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.