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gigography 1998

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Tuesday, 3 February 1998   John Peel Session #21 (broadcast Tuesday, 3 March)

Calendar / Touch Sensitive / Masquerade / Jungle Rock

Mark E. Smith - vocals; Steve Hanley - bass; Julia Nagle - keyboards, guitar; Karl Burns - drums; John Rolleson - backing vocals. Produced by Mike Robinson, engineered by Nick Scripps, recorded in Maida Vale 4.

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9 February : "Masquerade" singles released

March : "Smile... It's the Best of" album released

USA : 30 March - April 8

Monday, 30 March 1998   Coney Island High, New York City, New York

Wolk

Spencer Must Die / 10 Houses of Eve / Hip Priest / Masquerade / Ivanhoe's Two Pence / Scareball / Calendar / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul / Free Range / I'm a Mummy / 4 1/2 Inch / Ol' Gang / Powderkeg / Behind the Counter / Oleano

- "If only you could come from the Nynex gymnasium in your baseball jacket and comprehend. If only." (amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve")
- "Come on, (...)." (before "Masquerade")
- "The house is falling in! Turn the vocals up, (...), you fucking idiot!" (during "4 1/2 Inch")

First (and only) live performance of Ivanhoe's Two Pence; first performances of Scareball and Calendar. Some photos here. Reviews here and here. Thanks to Scott Simpson for the Village Voice blurb, by Douglas Wolk.

Dee Pop's US tour diary as posted to Fallnet (scroll down a bit). Dee Pop was the drummer for support band the Bush Tetras.

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Tuesday, 31 March 1998   Coney Island High, New York City, New York

ticket

Spencer Must Die / Masquerade / Levitate / Hip Priest / 10 Houses of Eve / Oleano / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul / Pearl City / The Chiselers / I'm a Mummy / Calendar / Jungle Rock / He Pep / Behind the Counter

Some photos. Reviews on the Fall news here (scroll down). Thanks to Scott Simpson for the ticket.

- Punter 1: "It's about fucking time!" Punter 2: "I gotta go to bed soon!" (as the band come on at about 1am)
- "Planet coming up. Oh, it must be a comic shop. (...). It must nice. I lost my guitar string." (amended lyrics to "Spencer Must Die")
- "And we asked East Jersey drivers what they thought about the next mirage. Why they're working for the police. Why they're all shits of semi-mental fucking release." (amended lyrics to "Pearl City")
- "I'm in my element. It's the fifth one I've been through. It's cyclic. Seventy years. I'm a mummy." (amended lyrics to "I'm a Mummy")
- "With bouncers stamping on my feet and Jurassic Park walk (...)." (amended lyrics to "Jungle Rock")

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Thursday, 2 April 1998   Loop Lounge, Passaic Park, New Jersey

Spencer Must Die (instr.) / Masquerade / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul / Hip Priest / 10 Houses of Eve / Levitate (instr.) / Calendar (one line of vocals only) / Calendar (instr.) / Oleano (instr.) / Behind the Counter (instr.) / He Pep / I'm a Mummy (Tommy on vocals)

- "It's a gift. It's a gift (...). Please take it as a present." (during "Hip Priest")
- MES: "(...). You turned that air conditioner off? Fucking hell! Ok... don't want any fucking family fire here, y'know, as the Royal Engineers would say. Okay, okay. Turn it off." Punter: "Turn off the fucking light!" MES: "Yeah, correct!" (before "10 Houses of Eve")
- "Start again, come on! Come on! 1, 2, 3, 4.... 1, 2, 3, 4!" [Silence] "1, 2, 3, 4!" [band start "Calendar"] (after "Levitate")
- Punter: "Get back on stage! C'mon! Stop being a baby!" (after first attempt at "Calendar")
- Punter: "Stop the agony! Get over here! We see you with your arms folded! C'mon!" (during the second attempt at "Calendar")
- Tommy: "Back in a minute, folky-wolkies!" (after "Behind The Counter")

Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

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Friday, 3 April 1998   Middle East, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Spencer Must Die / He Pep / Hurricane Edward / Free Range / Levitate / Scareball / Hip Priest / Touch Sensitive / Everybody But Myself / Calendar / Jungle Rock / Powderkeg / Pearl City / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul

Some photos here. First live Touch Sensitive. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

- Audience member: "Where's Craig?" MES [indignantly]: "Where's Craig? Where's Craig? I'm here... in my other persona."

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Saturday, 4 April 1998   Trocadero, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ticket

Spencer Must Die (inst.) / He Pep (instr.) / He Pep (take 2) / Free Range / Hip Priest / 10 Houses Of Eve (instr.) / Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul / Levitate / Pearl City / Calendar / I'm A Mummy / Jungle Rock (instr.) / Everybody But Myself / Cheetham Hill (Mark and Julia only after rest walk off in disgust)

- "The P.A. (...). (...) fucking thinking that we're stupid. (...)." (between attempts at "He Pep")
- "Good evening, we are The Fall. Lazy fat-assed twats in their late-thirties." (during "Free Range")
- "The mic (...) is shit. Fucking (...)." (before "Hip Priest")
- "(...)! Speak English! Attention! Fucking shit!" (before "I'm A Mummy")
- "Right, 'Cheetham Hill', here we go." (before "Cheetham Hill")
- "See the cruisers in the cars. See shits scared to come out." (amended lyrics to "Cheetham Hill", referring to the rest of the group, who'd walked out)

Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down), more here. Thanks to Jamie Robinson for the ticket.

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Sunday, 5 April 1998   Black Cat, Washington, D.C.

Spencer Must Die / Masquerade / Levitate / Hip Priest / 10 Houses of Eve / Oleano / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul / Pearl City / The Chiselers / I'm a Mummy / Calendar / Jungle Rock

- "Right, Tommy... Tommy... Tommy!" (before the accapella bit in "The Chiselers")

Julia walks off after Levitate. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

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Tuesday, 7 April 1998   Brownies, New York City, New York

Spencer Must Die / Masquerade / Pearl City / Everybody But Myself / Hip Priest / Free Range / Levitate (instr.) / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul / Behind the Counter / He Pep / Powderkeg (Mark and Julia only after Steve, Karl and Tommy walk off)

Last Fall gig for Steve Hanley (after 19 years' service), Karl Burns and Tommy Crooks. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

- "Good evening, we are The Fall. From your (jam rag) fucking MES fucking straight!" (during "Spencer Must Die")
- "Your fat cheeks assimilate. They turn the crowd and this line of fat asses are (...)." (amended lyrics to "Spencer Must Die")
- MES: "Right, we just have to take 10 minutes out while the old English boys have a little discussion about what the DAT's gonna be or if the DAT's gonna be on or not." 'Masquerade' sample: "This is new... fresh... fresh out of the womb." MES: "And if it's not, they're gonna beat me up like the big men they are." (before "Masquerade")
- Audience member with mic: "British people in hot weather!" (before "Everybody But Myself")
- "I've got a cassette in the bag of this (...) but I'm (...) at carrying spastics around." (amended lyrics to "Hip Priest")
- Tommy: "Anybody got a spare guitar?" (before "Free Range")
- Audience member with mic: "Come on! Fucking play, you stupid shit! This is a fucking gimmick! Fucking play! Fucking play, you fucking stupid shit! This is a gimmick! Are you in The Fall? Are you a gimmick? Fucking play! Fucking play! Don't be a stupid shit! Fucking play! Don't be a stupid shit! (...)! Play! Don't give me this stupid shit! Fucking play! No gimmick, man! Get behind the fucking drums and play, you..." Karl: "Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!" (during the chaos that is "Free Range")
- "And I suppose this just goes to show the lie dream of the shithouse late-thirties cowards who enveloped the wrath (...) envelope of casino soul." (amended lyrics to "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul")
- "They are back! The four fucking mid-thirties fucking (...)!" (more amended lyrics to "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul")
- "Can they manage it?" [song ends] "Well done, lads! They ended the song at the right time!" [band starts "Inch"] "Hello, my dead New Yorkers! (...). Scottish, Irish, Italian and fucking Canadian. What a lovely fucking group! Get the fucking song going, you fucking cunts!" [band starts "Behind The Counter"] "Can yer manage it? They have to stand together!" (from "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul" into "Behind the Counter")
- "They're so fat, they can't get them on the stage." (amended lyrics to "Behind the Counter")
- "Pep!" (before "He Pep")
- "You'd better listen to me! 'Words are the greatest expression of your soul', as the New York Times said yesterday. This is (...). All in collaboration with musicians. I'll tell yer, this town is a powder keg. You'd better listen. You'd better listen to me. You'd better listen, 'cos the town is a powder keg. Radio head, radioactive force. I had a dream. One, two, three. Radio head active. Where buck grunts had a program on the late TV. And then, there was three people who had to turn up, and then there was buck grunts. Three comedians. And then the owner of the Brownies club was real glad to see (...) three comedians turning up. But he didn't realise that the town is a powder keg. There was three comedians, there was buck grunts, the other one was somebody else, somebody else, and the next one in combination. And the owner of the Brownies club just hoped it made three figures. See you." [drops microphone] ("Powderkeg")

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Wednesday, 8 April 1998   Brownies, New York City, New York - cancelled

Gig cancelled due to Mark's arrest at around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, at the band's hotel in Gramercy Park. He was held in jail until Friday due to a mixup with the forms and the posting of the $1000 bail, and appeared in court on third degree assault and harrassment charges on Monday, 14 April. He was ordered to undergo an alcohol treatment program and anger management counselling.

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April 1998 : lineup # 37 : Mark E. Smith (vocals), Julia Nagle (guitar, keyboards), Kate Themen (drums).

Monday, 27 April 1998   Dingwalls, London

Thanks to David for the ticket.

Scareball / He Pep / Hip Priest / Masquerade / 10 Houses of Eve / Ol' Gang / Calendar / Levitate / Powderkeg / Everybody but Myself / Touch Sensitive / Jungle Rock / Free Range (tape) / Industrial Estate (radically reworked) / Jap Kid (tape)

- "Got a new song out. It's about (...) drugs and that. It's set in Lancashire. But it's been lost in the vaults of the record company by
our manager. Our single is called 'I'm A Fucking Brown Tonguer'." (amended lyrics to "He Pep")
- "If only, in a rap sort of style, I ran out of a bar of chocolate yesterday." (amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve")
- "(...), don't want to do any work nowadays." (before "Powderkeg")
- "But one time, father said to me, 'You might think you're a singer, but you're really a builder. You'll have no luck and money or
advantages. You've got time for everybody. Do you know everybody? And the plastic will melt into the ground. And you know everything.'" (amended lyrics to "Everybody But Myself")
- Michael Clark: "Martin? Martin? Can you put the intro tape on, please? Martin? Intro tape, please. Intro tape... the intro tape. In-t-ro tape." (after "Industrial Estate")

Michael Clarke made an appearance as well. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

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Tuesday, 28 April 1998   Dingwalls, London

intro tape: Everybody but Myself / Everybody but Myself / Scareball / He Pep / Oleano / Hip Priest / Masquerade / 10 Houses of Eve / Ol' Gang / Pearl City / Levitate / Powderkeg / Touch Sensitive / Free Range (tape) / Jungle Rock / Industrial Estate / Jap Kid (tape) / Cheetham Hill

- "One, one! (...) fucking place, fucking technicians (...) nothing fucking works. One! (...). One, two, three, four!" [silence] (before"Oleano")
- "We'll do what we did (...)." (before "Hip Priest")
- "Yeah, what's everybody's opinion, then? (...)." (before "Masquerade")
- "If only the shards would reconnect in a rap sort-of style, and you would shut your face for five seconds." (amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve")
- "All right, we'll take a five minute break, ok?" (between attempts at "Ol' Gang")

Thanks to Paul and Craig for the tickets. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

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Thursday, 30 April 1998   Alleycat, Reading

Everybody but Myself / Scareball / He Pep / Hip Priest / Masquerade / 10 Houses of Eve / Ol' Gang / Pearl City / Levitate / Powderkeg / Jungle Rock / Touch Sensitive / Cheetham Hill / Industrial Estate

Terrific photos by Gez Wood, including three of Fallnetter Stuart Estell playing guitar on Industrial Estate. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

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4 May : "Live to Air in Melbourne 1982" album released

June : "Northern Attitude" album released

August - October 1998 : lineup # 38 : Mark E. Smith (vocals), Julia Nagle (guitar, keyboards), Karen Leatham (bass), Tom Head (drums).

Tuesday, 11 August 1998   Students Union, Manchester University

Thanks to Spen for the ticket

Ol' Gang / Calendar / Touch Sensitive / Spencer Must Die / Scareball / The Joke (instr.) / The Joke / Masquerade (aborted after a few seconds) / 10 Houses of Eve / Levitate / He Pep / F-'Oldin' Money / Powderkeg / Free Range / This Perfect Day

- "I want my chocolate. I want it fucking now!" (amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve")
- "Helium for everybody, that's what we need." (before "He Pep")
- "Tom!" (during "Free Range")

There's some "Plug Myself In" lyrics in "Free Range"; the rest of the song is just the tape.F-'Oldin' Money was an old rockabilly song by Tommy Blake and This Perfect Day was a 1978 single by the brilliant Australian band, the Saints. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down).

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Wednesday, 12 August 1998   Astoria 2, London

ticket

Ol' Gang / Calendar / Touch Sensitive / Spencer Must Die / Scareball / The Joke / 10 Houses of Eve / Levitate / He Pep / F-'Oldin' Money / Powderkeg / Plug Myself In / This Perfect Day

- "I say old gang (...) back at me. I tell yer, even my cat would baulk at this. Hup! Good evening, we are The Fall. Hup!" (during "Ol'
Gang")
- "This is the last time you will ever see me reading lyrics again. Don't trust me. I love the carpet of Astoria 2. It's the only carpet that's worse than my house." (amended lyrics to "Spencer Must Die")
- "You make me smile once in a while. XFM. I always loved XFM. One of the greatest estate agents in the world. They were the best British company from boils and illness." (more amended lyrics to "Spencer Must Die")
- "Turn the lights off, Ed. Turn the lights off the drummer, please. Off, thank you. Hup!" (before "The Joke")
- "(...). I'm so grateful to be here. (...) speak to Loaded magazine." (during the introduction to "Levitate")
- "Come on, Thomas. Get the red light on. Get the red light on." (before "Powderkeg")
- "On short time. Short time. Short time." (before "Plug Myself In")
- Punter with microphone: "Mark E! Come back! All is forgiven! Mark will sink us! Mark will sink us! Mark will sink us! Mark will sink us!" (before "This Perfect Day")

Thanks to Scott and Graeme for the tickets. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down for Fallnet reviews; NME review is at the top).

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September 1998 : "The Post Nearly Man" & "Live Various Years" albums released

Sunday, 18 October 1998    John Peel Session #22 (broadcast Wednesday, 4 November)

Bound Soul One / Antidotes / Shake-Off / This Perfect Day

Mark E. Smith - vocals; Julia Nagle - keyboards, guitar; Neville Wilding - guitar; Karen Leatham - bass, keyboards; Tom Head - drums; Speth Hughes - special effects. Produced by Mike Engles, engineered by Kevin Rumble, recorded in Maida Vale 3.

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Wednesday, 21 October 1998   St. Bernadette's Catholic Social Club, Whitefield

Ol' Gang / Calendar / Touch Sensitive / Spencer Must Die / Scareball / The Joke / 10 Houses of Eve / Levitate / He Pep / F-'Oldin' Money / Powderkeg / Mr. Pharmacist / This Perfect Day

- "(...). This purple lead? (...)." (before "10 Houses of Eve")
- "The Crown And Anchor lies on the corner. I tell yer, town is a (...) powder keg." (before "Powderkeg")

Three photos by Gez Wood. Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down.)

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Thursday, 22 October 1998   St. Bernadette's Catholic Social Club, Whitefield

set

thingsSurmount All Obstacles (tape) / Everybody But Myself (tape) / Antidotes (instr.) / Calendar / He Pep / Touch Sensitive / Spencer Must Die / The Joke / This Perfect Day / Levitate / 10 Houses of Eve / Hurricane Edward / Ol' Gang (x2) / F-'Oldin' Money / Bound Soul One (instr.) / Scareball / Masquerade / Mr Pharmacist

- "(...). He's very happy. They're all very happy." (amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve", during the slow bit)
- "Carry on! Carry on! 1, 2, 3, 4!" (between attempts at "Ol' Gang")
- "(...) the stupid old fat gits called 'Old Gang'." (amended lyrics during the second attempt of "Ol' Gang")
- "Masquerade... 1, 2, 3... Tom, come on!" (before "Masquerade")

Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down.) Thanks to Ian Leaver for the setlist.

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November 1988 : "Nottingham '92" album released

14 December 1998 : lineup # 39 : Mark E. Smith (vocals), Julia Nagle (guitar, keyboards), Neville Wilding (guitar), Karen Leatham (bass), Tom Head (drums).

Monday, 14 December 1998   Fleece and Firkin, Bristol

Anecdotes & Antidotes in B# / Masquerade (DAT only; aborted after 10 seconds) / 10 Houses of Eve / He Pep / Touch Sensitive / Spencer Must Die / Shake-Off / Levitate / Calendar / Antidotes / F-'Oldin' Money / Bound Soul One / F-'Oldin' Money (again) / This Perfect Day / Touch Sensitive (again) / Scareball / The Joke

Reviews on the Fall news.

MES starts singing "This Perfect Day" during the second "F-'Oldin' Money"
- "And over and over again, that Sting man, I'm sick to the guts of him in the part of your town." (amended lyrics to "Anecdotes & Antidotes in B#")
- "And if only it was all like you believed before TFE took over." (amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve")
- "If only, in a rap sort of style, you could sort it out. Oh, oh, oh, if only." (more amended lyrics to "10 Houses of Eve")
- "And a P45 (...) and it's overdue. I got a message from the record company. And it's overdue. I got a message from a 18 year old (...) twat. You pep!" (amended lyrics to "He Pep")
- "He was talking about his house. I was thinking about my debts. I needed to bite my lip to levitate." (amended lyrics to "Levitate")
- "Right! Tom! 1, 2, 3, 4!" (during the introduction to "Calendar")
- "And if the man is (...) to his horse on his (leg), we take him round the corner and pop goes the weasel." (amended lyrics to
"Antidotes")
- "What? What? Er, if you want, Nev. Nev... yeah, right. 'F-'Oldin'', Nev, right. 1, 2, 3, 4!" (before "F-'Oldin' Money")
- "Yeah, we'll be back in a minute." (after "F-'Oldin' Money")
- "The (...) of the bones is disintegrate into the next song." (before the second version of "Touch Sensitive")
- "Inevitable. Too busy never (...). Tom's (...). Too busy." (before "Scareball")
- "Right! Come on! Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!" (during "Scareball")

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December 1998 : lineup # 40 : Mark E. Smith (vocals), Julia Nagle (guitar, keyboards), Neville Wilding (guitar), Karen Leatham (bass), Adam Halal (bass), Tom Head (drums).

Wednesday, 16 December 1998   Astoria 2, London

pass

Touch Sensitive / This Perfect Day / Bound Soul One / Shake-Off / F-'Oldin' Money / Antidotes / 10 Houses of Eve / Calendar / Spencer Must Die (instr.) / Mr. Pharmacist / Ol' Gang // The Joke / Powderkeg / F-'Oldin' Money (again) // Antidotes (again)

Reviews on the Fall news (scroll down). Thanks to Paul for the ticket and Rob for the pass.

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Tuesday, 29 December 1998   Ritz Ballroom, Manchester

Calendar / Ol' Gang / Spencer Must Die / Touch Sensitive / Antidotes / This Perfect Day / Bound Soul One / Anecdotes + Antidotes In B# / F-'Oldin' Money / Powderkeg / He Pep (tape) / Free Range (tape) / Shake Off / The Joke / 10 Houses of Eve (tape) / Mr. Pharmacist (instr.)

- "Tom! 1, 2, 3, 4! Tom!" (before "The Joke")

Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon in the audience. Reviews on the Fall news.

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MES On the Couch was in the 12.12.98 issue of NME; thanks to Ocelot.

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