Injured Fall singer back on stage

Mark E Smith and The Fall were championed by John Peel

The Fall's frontman Mark E Smith has returned to the stage for the first time since breaking his hip.

The singer performed in a wheelchair at the band's Cambridge concert, weeks after sustaining the injury.

The 52-year-old musician is also lined up to play a gig at Koko in Camden, north London on Wednesday.

Smith, who has been the band's lead singer since 1976, also broke a hip in 2004 while on a US tour, which led to a number of concerts being shelved.

Cult following

He did, however, make some of his live appearances in a wheelchair.

The singer-songwriter, who wrote a book about his experiences with the band and has been in television dramas, was forced to cancel an appearance at the Huddersfield literary festival last March due to his injury.

The event's director Michael Stewart wrote on The Fall's website that Smith was "in too much pain" and his wife was "unable to get him out of bed".

The Fall's most recent album - the 27th studio album of their career - was released last year, while Smith has made two spoken-word collections.

The long-running band, which has undergone many line-up changes in its history, has scored few chart successes but enjoys a cult following.