bibliography
links
photos
The Fall play ...
| Sep 26 | Carling Academy, Islington, London (tickets) |
| Sep 27 | Carling Academy, Islington, London (tickets) |
| Oct 3 | Freizeitzentrum West, Dortmund (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 4 | Manufaktur, Schorndorf (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 5 | Gleis 22, Münster (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 6 | Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 8 | Star Club, Dresden (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 9 | Gebäude 9, Cologne (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 10 | Fabrik, Hamburg (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 11 | K4, Nuremberg (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 12 | Szene, Vienna (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 13 | Registratur, Munich (info/tickets http://www.karsten-jahnke.de) |
| Oct 15 | Virgin Megastore, Union Square, New York City - live in-store and signing starting at 6 p.m. |
| Oct 15 | North 6, Brooklyn, New York. Part of the CMJ Music Marathon, a music industry-targeted conference. Passes to the CMJ are very expensive, but luckily ticketweb are selling tickets for the Fall gig for $15. |
| Oct 16 | Asterisk Art Space, 258 Johnson St. (between Bushwick and White - L Train to Montrose stop), Brooklyn, New York. A Narnack Records / Arthur Magazine party. Free PBR from 8-9pm. Doors 7:30, The Fall on at 1am |
| Nov 17 | Austurbær, Reykjavik, Iceland (not Nov. 18 and 19 as previously reported) |
| Nov 18 | Austurbær, Reykjavik, Iceland |
| Nov 30 | Bierkeller, Manchester (tickets) |
| Dec 1 | Bierkeller, Manchester (tickets) |
| Dec 2 | Boardwalk, Sheffield (tickets) |
| Dec 3 | Bierkeller, Bristol (tickets) |
| Dec 4 | Carling Academy, Liverpool (tickets) |
| Dec 5 | All Tomorrow's Parties (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Camber Sands Holiday Centre |
| Dec 10? | Rock Cafe 2000, Stourbridge, according to this site. Not confirmed yet. |
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The Bavarian station Bayern2Radio will broadcast the recent Munich gig this Saturday, October 23, at 2300 German time (2200 in the UK). You can listen online from this page.
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Ben was interviewed recently by the Aardvark Speaks.
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Interim - out on Voiceprint on November 1: 1. All Clasp Hands |
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A kind soul sent me a copy of the Tom Hingley and the Lovers' new album - Abba Are The Enemy - and what an excellent CD it is. Very highly recommended. You can read all about it on the new and improved Lovers website.
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Conway has announced details of the bonus tracks for the upcoming A Part of American Therein re-release, as well as info regarding other future Sanctuary releases. The Peel box set (due First Quarter 2005) will include the last session - good news indeed.
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From the Liverpool Echo (thanks to Peter):
An odd bit of synchronicity there, and somewhat surprising to see a UK paper adopt the US month/ day/ year standard (to me, anyway - but I've been informed that this format is in common usage among UK newspapers nowadays).
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From Moscow's Exile magazine (Issue 198, Sept. 17, 2004):
Mark on Mark
Exile editor Mark Ames exposes a rare fawning side while interviewing his lyrical hero, Mark E. Smith of The Fall, while Smith, who is notorious for abusing journalists (even reportedly putting a cigarette out in the eyeball of one Brit journo), reveals a charming, disarming side. Particularly in the number of times he addresses Ames by his first name, giving the interview a kind of Paintwork/Dale Car-negie sensibility.
In preparation for this weekend's back-to-back Fall concerts, Ames phoned Smith up at a recording studio in Manchester, where the Fall are laying down new tracks. A woman with a French accent answered the phone -- perhaps MES's beau. She was very particular about getting Ames' first and last name. We pick up from the moment Smith takes the phone...
Smith: Hello.
Ames: Yeah, is this Mark?
Smith: Yeah.
Ames: Thanks for taking my call. So you guys are in the studio right now?
Smith: Yeah, we just finished recording all morning.
[Line goes dead]
Ames: Ah shit.
[Dials, Smith answers]
Ames: Hi, this is Mark again. Sorry about that. KGB cut us off. Happens a lot.
Smith: Ha-ha! Is that it?
Ames: So you guys are working on a new album?
Smith: Well Mark, it's actually like between-album songs, you know. Not a new album, just some between-album songs that we're doing.
Ames: I heard a new song you guys did recently on BBC called "Clasp Your Hands" I think. It kind of sounded to me more like a Grotesque or Slates-era song.
Smith: Yeah, it does sound like Grotesque, doesn't it? I was thinking the same thing.
Ames: Was that intentional or did it just turn out that way?
Smith: No Mark, it wasn't intentional you know, it's just how the song was done. My new bass player wrote it, they're all much younger than I am.
Ames: How do you like your new lineup? How do they compare to previous ones?
Smith: Well I think this band's the best one yet.
Ames: Do you think the sound of this lineup is going back to the old sort of...
Smith: We're not trying to, you know. I don't ever go back and listen to the old Fall albums. I don't like listening to stuff I've already done, unless I have to if we're doing an old song in our set.
Ames: Raw, lo-fi rockabilly always seemed to be one of your biggest influences.
Smith: Yeah, yeah, that's right, Mark.
Ames: How did you find your new band, or they find you?
Smith: I don't know, through contacts and stuff. I don't like hiring Fall fans, you know what I mean? Don't want people coming to me. I prefer if they don't even really know The Fall.
Ames: You're very prolific. I was wondering if you ever had a crash after a hard working period of a few years and you just can't do anything.
Smith: Well I haven't had a vacation in five years, you know!
Ames: Jesus... (Laughs uneasily)
Smith: I really don't understand these bands that take time off, like a year off, after their albums. I like to keep working, you know. Cuz after I put out an album, if I'm just sitting around for a couple of months I get bored, you know? You turn on the radio and it's just nothing but crap, these awful bands and all the awful music, you know. So I have to go back in and make some new songs.
Ames: You've always said that the world needs The Fall. Is that still the case?
Smith: Ha-ha! Yeah, Mark, I think it's still true. It hasn't gotten any better.
Ames: Especially in Russia. It's just kind of waking up after about 10 years of shitty pop, the loudest awful pop imaginable. So I think it's really good timing for you guys.
Smith: (laughs) Yeah, I agree, I think it's a good time too. They've got all that 80s crap they play there, don't they, Mark? All that 80s and 90s crap.
Ames: Matt Damon was supposed to come here to promote his new movie where he plays a fearless spy mixed up with the Russian mafia, and he just canceled his trip because of fears of terrorism.
Smith: Ha-ha-ha! Oh yeah. That's typical isn't it? The Chechens are going to get Matt Damon. Ha-ha!
Ames: Are you worried about something happening at The Fall show?
Smith: No Mark, I don't think the Chechens care about the Fall (laughs). Anyway, we had terrorism here all my life, you know, with the IRA. I don't even think about it, you know.
Ames: You once said "Serial killers have always been a bore in my books." What about terrorists, do you think they're boring too? [Line cut off] Hello? Fuck...
[Ames calls back]
Smith: Hallo.
Ames: I guess the KGB doesn't like all this terrorism talk.
Smith: Ha-ha! Yeah, seems that way. You were talking about this Matt Damon, right? What a [unintelligible]... I can't believe he won't come out. Ha-ha! Incredible. I think I know who you're talking about now, that actor.
Ames: He's afraid to come to Moscow. I hope all the Russians boycott his movie here.
Smith: Yeah! They should boycott it. He deserves it.
Ames: The name "The Fall" came from the Camus novel, and Camus was influenced by the Russian writers, like Dostoeyevskii.
Smith: Yeah, that's right Mark, Camus was influenced by the Russians.
Ames: Did you ever go through a Russophilia stage yourself, with their writers or artists?
Smith: Yeah, still am a Russophile, still going through it.
Ames: Who?
Smith: I like Gogol, still read him.
Ames: What is it about Gogol that you like?
Smith: I don't know Mark, he's just so surreal and comical. I mean this story about the nose coming to life, you know, really great. There's something about his stories.
Ames: It's strange that he seemed to come out of nowhere. There was almost no Russian literature before Gogol and then he came out of nowhere to write these stories that seem so modern and disturbing.
Smith: Yeah, exactly. He's really good, isn't he.
Ames: So what are you expecting when you come out here? Do you have any expectations?
Smith: I was in New York twice in the last three months, you know. And uh, I met a lot of Russians there. There're more Russians in New York than Americans, you know?
Ames: Yeah, New York is full of Russians. Did you hang out with any?
Smith: Yeah, you know, I met a few of these guys.
Ames: Heavy drinkers?
Smith: They're tough guys, these Russians, you know what I mean? They're really tough.
Ames: Yeah, Russians are tough, for Europeans. So you won't be doing any tourism stuff?
Smith: No Mark, I never do that wherever we go.
Ames: You've been to Eastern Europe?
Smith: Yeah, we played Vilnius and Prague.
Ames: How did you like it out there?
Smith: I don't know, they were all over us, the Czechs, you know what I mean? I didn't really, uh, see what the big fuss was. I mean all these English people are saying, 'Isn't Prague great,' you know, but there wasn't much there. Just...
Ames: Yeah, I lived there briefly and hated it.
Smith: Ha-ha! You too? That's what I thought. It's full of stupid college students, you know. They all think they're part of something. I couldn't stand the place. Nothing there at all.
Ames: People think somehow if you go there it gives you literary status and then you can write your memoir about it.
Smith: That's what it is, isn't it Mark. It's like they all think it's something they've got to do, isn't it?
Ames: Yeah, but it's safe.
Smith: Yeah it is.
Ames: Unlike Moscow. Moscow doesn't feel so safe, so those types don't really come here, you know.
Smith: Ha! Yeah, right.
Ames: You guys have influenced pretty much every band in the last 20 years that people now consider important. Does that piss you off that so many bands have ripped you off? Do you want to sue them or something?
Smith: Naw, it doesn't piss me off. I just hate it when they use my name, you know? I don't like it when I see "The Fall" used by all these bands as their influence, you know what I mean? But it doesn't piss me off that they ripped us off, no.
Ames: Well do you find it flattering?
Smith: No I don't find it flattering, not at all. Because they're all such crap, you know. I just wish they would stop using our name. I hate opening a magazine and seeing my name in some article about a crap band.
Ames: Like Pavement. I got genuinely angry the first time I heard Pavement.
Smith: Yeah, so did I. My label was really angry, they wanted to do something about it.
Ames: And Sonic Youth too. Although at least they mixed their own sound with yours.
Smith: Yeah, they're not as bad as Pavement in that way. I don't like any of it really, Mark.
Ames: What bands do you like? Are there any bands you're listening to these days?
Smith: Yeah, there's this band Mouse on Mars from Germany, I heard them a few months ago. They're really good, I like them a lot. And I've been listening to a lot of reggae lately.
Ames: Yeah? Some of your songs have a reggae beat, like Kurious Oranj.
Smith: Yeah, right, it is kind of reggae.
Ames: Will your band do a kind of reggae-rockabilly sound on your new stuff?
Smith: Well the band members like that sound. They're a whole generation younger than I am, you know, and they're really into the reggae and old rockabilly. So that's the sound in some of our songs, yeah.
Ames: Do you think that's because old rockabilly is sort of the least bullshit sound after all the trends?
Smith: I think that's right, yeah.
Ames: Are your new bandmates influencing you as well?
Smith: Yeah, I think so. I mean the bass player was like four years old when The Fall started, you know. (laughs). None of them were big fans of The Fall, so they're not trying to reproduce it, you know. I don't even think they liked The Fall that much when they joined. Ha-ha!
Ames: Yeah, you don't want them to fawn all over you, you want them to push you.
Smith: That's right, Mark. Keeps it more surprising.
Ames: You once said you try to limit the amount of information you take in otherwise it can scramble your brain. Do you still live by that?
Smith: Yeah, you don't want to get too influenced by things, you know. Most of the new music is just crap anyway. You just get distracted. We always try to do something different, you know. Like "White Lightening." I don't know if you've heard that song?
Ames: Oh yeah! In fact when we first started this newspaper, that song became a kind of production day theme song in our office. The Russians we worked with loved it.
Smith: Really? Ha, good!
Mark Ames followed up the above interview with a piece in issue 199 of Moscow's Exile.
Mark E. Smith's Cultural Revolution
At the end of my interview with The Fall's Mark E. Smith a few weeks ago, he invited me to join him and the band to "hang out together" when they got to Moscow. I was considering taking MES up on his offer. Until I saw The Fall's first concert two Fridays ago at Sixteen Tons.
The first night was billed as a "fan's night." As a treat the band showed up two hours late. Mark E. Smith took to the stage, bleary-eyed, sour and sucking his teeth. He wore a cheap Belarusian-looking glove on his left hand, contemptuously tried to rearrange the stage more to his liking, spilling equipment and mike stands. The noise, volatility and unglamourousness of it all was too much for some Russians -- they started filing out. But for hardcore Fall fans it was one of the greatest shows ever. "The ultimate anti-pop show," as one friend put it, in a country of pops.
Even though Smith has claimed he "loves repetition," the fact is that over the past several years, he has been constantly rearranging and destroying The Fall in order to keep it fresh and revolutionary. Like Chairman Mao, who also supposedly "dug repetition," Smith rightly needs the constant sense of chaos and volatility to keep The Fall fresh. And like Mao, he also has his band members in a constant state of fear.
After the show, I saw the Sixteen Tons promoter, Pasha, who looked like he'd been to hell and back. That was enough to convince me to stay away from MES. Later, another person connected to the show described working with Smith this way: "The motherfucking shithead cunt! I've never worked with such a fucking asshole in my fucking life! He thinks he's Mick fucking Jagger or something!" A taxi driver told me that the band left at 5am, fistfighting their way out of the club. "It's true, Mark E. fought with the band. They were all drunk." Supposedly the only way he was convinced to take the stage on the second night was after they were threatened with getting kicked out of their hotels and having their airline tickets revoked.
It worked: the second night the band was only 45 minutes late.
As many have noted, Smith looks physically awful. Liquor, speed and bile take their toll. On the other hand, so what. He's the only rock artist ever to maintain his genius over 25 years, and his wife... I dare any 47-year-old expat sugar daddy to come up with a wife that beautiful. MES is living just about the only life worth envying.
Still, you get the sense that even Smith knows it could all come to an end soon. During a loud and fast version of Mr. Pharmacist, he changed one of the verses at the end, singing "Mr.Pharmacist don't you worry/I'll be fuckin dead in a fuckin ' hurry.."
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Voiceprint:
' Mark E Smith and The Fall release their latest studio album - "Interim" on November 1st 2004. This CD is a combination of new and old songs all recorded in the studio during the summer of 2004.
' The current line up re-visit some of the fall classics...... interspersed with soon to be new classics such as "Blindness" or "Sparta FC No3". '
Voiceprint has added the following with regard to the Access All Areas DVD set (it's verbatim):
"Mark E Smith formed the Fall in 1977 after failing to capture a place in a number of other bands. Despite auditioning for a number of heavy metal bands Mark E Smiths musical tastes were far more eclectic and the Fall would provide him with a far better base on which to utilise his talents. The other major plus was that it was also his band. Mark E Smith to the position of bandleader well and the line up of the Fall has been fluctuation ever since around this mercurial performer who has weathered the storms of an ever changing line up.
"The band were and indeed always have been seen as a cult band and thus they have survived the trends of the music business while other bands come and go it would seem the Fall are there forever. The Fall also boast legendary British broadcaster amongst their fan base and of all the artists tat John Peel has welcomed to his show over the years the Fall are allegedly the only band that John Peel has kept all the session recordings in his personal archive. The band has also covered a great many styles over its twenty-five plus year existence although resolutely continuing to plough its own furrow and therefore maintain its own hard-core fan base.
"This DVD package contains performances from two specific concerts, which took place in 2004 and 2002. The band officially sanctions the release and both emanate from the bands video archive and as such Mark E Smith has overseen the editing and postproduction of both discs. This DVD package will be the bands first DVD set and precedes a new Fall studio album which is due before the end of 2004."
Tracklistings for the DVDs are on the recent and future releases page. I assume they're using my audio recording for the Knitting Factory 2004 set (it was used on the Punkcast VCD). Yes, they are:
Joly of punkcast.com: "I wrote them [Voiceprint] offering higher res copies of the punkcast tracks, but they had gone ahead and mastered it off the vcd already."
Voiceprint has sent a one-track CD containing the demo of Blind Man (retitled Blindness for the Peel Session and Interim) to people who have purchased Fall product from them in the past. Included with the CD is a special offer for fans who want to buy Interim and the Access All Areas DVD sets as well as the Khmer Rouge CDs (Khmer Rouge being Marcia Schofield's old band). The flyer and a scan of the CD are here. Thanks to Mick for sending them in.
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Apparently, Cherry Red are releasing another Fall DVD - The Fall: Live at the Hacienda - on October 25. It's a compilation taken from four gigs the band played at the Hac in the mid 80s.
Tracks are: God Box, Kicker Conspiracy, C.R.E.E.P., Lay Of The Land, Elves, Oh! Brother, Garden, Ludd Gang, Neighbourhood Of Infinity, I Feel Voxish, Slang King, Mere Pseud Mag. Ed and What You Need. According to Amazon UK it's region 2, so North Americans will need a multi-format DVD player to watch.
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September 26, 2004 - Carling Academy, Islington, London:
Stephen:
Remarkable stuff in London last night (Islington Carling Academy 26/9/04).
Setlist was:
Intro tape: Loop 41/Houston [played twice in a row]
1) Open The Boxoctosis
2) Dr. Buck's Letter [incl. Enigrammatic Dream lyrics]
3) Mountain Energei
4) Theme From Sparta F.C.
5) What About Us?
6) Clasp Hands
7) Green Eyed Locoman
8) Mr. Pharmacist
9) Touch Sensitive
10) (We Are) Mod Mock Goth
11) Contraflow
12) Wrong Place/Right Time / I Can Hear The Grass Grow
13) Blindness
encore 1:
14) White Lightning
encore 2:
Big New Prinz
Highlights were many:
. Mark walking on, squinting at the crowd and (just about) smiling
. Very creepy and intense (We Are) Mod Mock Goth with Mark doing the sarcastic questioning voice from Eat Y'self Fitter on the 'chorus'
. Vast and amazing Blindess - already sounding like a classic Fall track
. Mark playing a few high notes on Elena's keyboard (she smiled when he did it the third time)
. Mark doing a funny yodel thing between two of the songs, and then smiling (he was in a great mood, I thought)
. Bouncer getting poked by Mark with mic stand
. Mark taking off his one black glove (can someone explain this?) and examining his fingers very closely for a while
. Singing into two mics at once
. Singing from the corner
. Mark singing one bit of Big New Prinz with no mic at all
. Sarcastic "Thank you for inviting us to your lovely town"
. Clear, engaged and focused vocals (for the most part)
. Band sonding fabulous
Mick:
Got back in the early hours from London, excellent gig at the Carling Academy and well worth a 220 mile trip.
A small venue which was absolutely packed (600 plus?). The six piece Fall came on just after nine (missed the support act) and were on top form.
Many highlights, 'Blindness' was brilliant, 'Sparta' was the start fo the audience really getting in to it (A song that MES even introduced! "This is the theme to a film that hasn't been made yet, Sparta FC") MES was in fine form all night, no walk offs, totally coherent and even smiled at the audience (and also appeared to try and hit someone with the mic after a plastic cup was thrown). Leader and band on top form and a top night out.
There are loads of reviews on the message board here, here, and here; too many to add to the Fall news. Most are highly favorable, a few less so. Playlouder has a review, and Tim Cumming of the Independent wrote this glowing review.
And Paul Lewis has posted a few photos on his site.
And there are reviews of the second night (September 27) here.
Germany / Austria tour, October 3 - 13, 2004:
a general thread about the tour on the message board
October 3 - Dortmund: comments on the message board and some photos, thanks to Michael.
October 4 - Shorndorf:
Martin: Pictures of the Dortmund and Schorndorf gigs at www.kream.tk
October 5 - Münster: comments on the message board and some photos, again thanks to Michael
Thanks to Michael for the setlist
Bernd:
saw The Fall in Münster on the 5th of October 2004. Best Fall Concert I've seen so far. MES in fine shape. Singing with teeth in his mouth. Better clothes, very new fine black business shoes. Didn´t know the exakt tracklist. But nearly the same as September 26, 2004 in the Carling Academy, Islington, London.
Singing in two or three micros at once. Required all micros for himself. Again the black glove: taking it off after the first song, putting it on at the end. Sang the last encore (Janet + Johnny) behind closed stage door.
I knew nobody from the band. But very good sound, nearly a wall of sound. Extremely lovely lady on the keyboards. Is it Elena, his new wife? Where can I read something about the new members of the band?
Martin:
I'm so proud to be a Fall fan. Munster was in fact the best gig ever, read the message board and there's nothing much to add for me there. i met Josef and Michael a fine bunch of people, drank beer had a chat and fooled arround.
The Fall works out fine the way they function' present day. Ben's sort of conductor on the instrumental area taking care on the changeovers and endings of the songs. Mark is very focussed on the singing part as well on the mic-juggling and knob squabbles. He does'nt smoke nor drink on stage. He's full of humor as he wears a black glove in Munster like Alvin Stardust did, or chewing on a drumstick at Schorndorf. Elini's put more up to the front with louder keyboards and voice. Jim is fortunate playing the guitar not doing the background vocals anymore. He's very solid on guitars, a good move to have him back in The Fall. Same's for Spencer, a strong, hardworking drummer. The new bass player is superb both on the instrument as well on backing vocals, good strong voice and a personality on stage. And....ahh..i love The Fall. Slept in my car for 3 nights and drove all the way through Germania from north to south for about 1500 kilometers, but it was worth every inch of it.
October 6 - Heidelberg: comments on the message board
Open the Boxoctosis / Bo Diddley (with CD in Your Hand lyrics) / Dr Buck's Letter / Clasp Hands / Mountain Energei / Mod Mock Goth / Mr Pharmacist / Green Eyed Loco Man / Sparta FC / What About Us? / Wrong Place, Right Time > I Can Hear the Grass Grow / Contraflow / Blindness // White Lightning
October 8 - Dresden:
Andrew:
I've just got back from Dresden, where the Fall played magnificantly. The band has been transformed since their last tour of Germany; everyone played their part in generating a wall of sound that reminded me of the wonderful racket made by the mid-80s line-up.
Mark was also on top form. I haven't seen him so focused for years, and he clearly made an effort with the lyrics (during Dr. Buck's Letter, he told us that another of the things he never leaves home without is "a book of literature," namely "J.D. Salinger: Catcher in the Rye."
The only sour note was the behaviour of a one scary individual in the audience. The man, who wore a beret and a moustache that made him look like Germany's answer to Biggles, had been shouting "Marky Smith" hours befoe the Fall came on. When they arrived on stage, he was standing directly in front of Mark, and spent most of the concert shouting at him and holding up a photo of the great man. That prompted Mark to tell the guy to "Shut yer fucking face," which only seemed to encourage him.
None of this would have mattered. But after an hour of so, Biggles decided to attract even more attention by grabbing hold of Mark mid-song and literallly pulling him off the (unusually high) stage of the Star Club. To his great credit, Mark shook himself free and clambered back onto the stage before continuing the song as if nothing had happened. What a man!
October 9 - Cologne: comments on the message board
Boxoctosis / Clasp Hands / Sparta FC / Mad Mock Goth / Wrong Place, Right Time / Mountain Energei / Mr. Pharmacist / Green Eyed Loco Man / I Can Hear the Grass Grow / What About Us / Spoilt Victorian Child / Janet and Johnny / Blindness // Dr. Buck's Letter (aborted) / White Lightning
October 10 - Hamburg
October 11 - Nuremburg: comments on the message board, and thanks to Michael for the setlist:
October 12 - Vienna:
Some photos, with many thanks to Mayr Thomas
Horst:
pretty good gig in Vienna yesterday. The setlist was:
Intro tape: Recovery kit
1) Bo Doodak
2) Boxoctosis
3) All Clasp Hands
4) Sparta FC
5) Mad Mock Goth
6) Wrong Place Right Time / I Can Hear the Grass Grow
7) Mr Pharmacist
8) Mountain Energei
9) What About Us
10) Janet + Johnny
11) Green Eyed Loco Man
12) Contraflow
13) Blindness
Encores:
14) Touch Sensitive
15) White LightningHighlights:
* Show starts at 10pm sharp, not a minute delayed
* Mark: "Well, we're here for the Vienna Mercury Music Prize awards for the most promising new group."
* Mark smiling after frenetic applause to "Clasp Hands"
* Black glove during "Boxoctosis" and "Touch sensitive"
* Mark removing mic from Spencer's hi-hat, stage hand putting it back between songs, Mark removing it again.
* Great sound.
* Mark's fiddling with Jim's and Steve's amps actually improves the sound during three songs.More thoughts on the message board.
October 13 - Munich: comments on the message board. Jörg has some photos on his site.
October 15 - 16: New York City and Brooklyn:
Virgin Megastore, Union Square, NYC:
Thanks to Michael for the photos
Bo Doodak / Boxoctosis / Sparta FC / Blindness / White Lightning
Michael:
Despite having traveled all the way from Germany the Fall put on a enjoyable energetic short set of about five numbers. I have to admit that it was very strange to see the Fall before the sunset, as I tend to always see Smith showing up on stage much later in the evening. The store was crammed wall to wall as the band went on stage (and was about half full only a half an hour before).
We waited a few minutes while the band was up there sans Mark. After a while somebody shoves us from behind, being that the room was jammed my first reaction was "who the hell is this?" Of course to our surprise it was Mark making his way to the stage! Of course by the time we realized it he was already on stage.
The audience ranged from gray haired punks to young college kids. Most folks stuck around after as after the performance the band signed autographs, which was a nice break for NYC fans who tend only to catch a glimpse of the band on stage.
North 6, Brooklyn:
Bo Doodak / Boxoctosis / Clasp Hands / Sparta FC / Mad Mock Goth / Wrong Place, Right Time > I Can Hear the Grass Grow / Mr. Pharmacist / Mountain Energei / What About Us / Janet, Johnny and James / Green Eyed Loco Man / Blindness // White Lightning
Michael:
This event was part of the CMJ music conference here in NYC. The venue was much larger than Union Square. The event was packed with a mix of music journalists/industry types (who you could spot by their big badges and cell phones) and locals from the Williamsburg scene.
It seems Mark had gotten lost while taking a taxi to the venue (in fact it took him 3 cab rides to get there) so he came on a bit later, but the audience didn't seem to mind. Mark was sporting a black t-shirt that featured various playing cards. Unlike Virgin the band played a much longer set. By the mosh dancing I could tell that the audience was into it.
Despite having flown all the way from Germany and having played one gig the band was up to full speed. In fact as the performance went on they seemed to be getting stronger. Aside from playing with the tuner and mikes, Smith's latest technique is to grab two mikes at once and sing into them.
Comments on both October 15 gigs on the message board, and if you're quick, the North 6 set is being torrented on bt.easytree.org.
October 16 - Asterisk Art Space, Brooklyn:
Michael:
Sadly I got lost trying to find this place! It's an art gallery all the way way way out in East Williamsburg, but of course my damn Yahoo! map didn't show the right location. So after wandering in the cold for an hour I found the place which was located in a somewhat industrial section of town. Lucky for me even though I was late the band still hadn't gone on yet.
The space was up a floor in warehouse which had an art gallery. The crowd was similar to Northsix but sans the music industry types. The band performed in a small room (smaller than Virgin but much larger than Bugaloo) which was crammed with people. At first I thought they would just play a few numbers, but they did a full set. The performance was even more energetic than the night before - and the crammed nature of the room seemed to add to the excitement.
I got so much into the music that I couldn't manage to keep track of the set list. I would say that the high points were Mountain and Bo Diddley in terms of the audience dancing and bobbing their heads.
___________________
Steven Bending's Fall Multimedia Project has been down since August 31 -- no word whether it's down for good, but I hope not.
However, Bike Bloke's Fall multimedia archive is still online: http://www.thefall.da.ru/ or http://www.fall-videos.uni.cc/.
___________________
Market corner:
Impact Merchandising has several "retro" Fall T-shirts and badges.
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Claus Castenskiold is selling signed copies of this PBL poster (30" x 24" on thick, glossy paper). Each signed poster is $20 plus $5 shipping for the USA and $20 plus $10 certified mail for the rest of the world. Posters will be shipped in sturdy tubes. You can order via Paypal using Claus's email address: clauscastenskiold@yahoo.com. Feel free to write to him with any questions as well. He promises to ship the posters the next business day after your Paypal order has been verified. He'll be offering the poster at a fixed price on Ebay presently. |
Oct. 21, 2004
This is the latest news and gossip off FallNet for those with weak stomachs. If you have anything to say, you can mail Stefan, but you can't mail the FallNet mailing list direct anymore. To subscribe to FallNet, send mail to:
fallnet-subscribe@
yahoogroups.com.
|
24sep04 Ireland, Berlin, Moscow gigs, St. Petersburg Times interview, Left of the Dial preview, Peel session/ Job Search, Mouse on Mars, Clayton's Fall Index, Voiceprint redux.
08aug04 Magnet mag., Village Voice interviews, Peel session scheduled, Brix's Full Moon Empty Sports Bag piece, Grotesque press release and MES note, York + Stourbridge gigs.
22jun04 Ben & Dave "sackings," Word & Independent interviews, MES on Morrissey, PJH on the Fall, Brooklyn gig, Jeffrey Lewis's Legend of the Fall, 50k Fall Fans details and comp, How to Buy the Fall, Marc Riley's secret life.
19may04 US tour, part 2 (NYC - Houston - MES statement), a few US press tour previews including LA Weekly interview, Narnack details
27apr04 Daniel Trent Dickson, RIP, US tour, part 1 (NYC - Detroit), Perverted by Mark E, WFMU interview, Stomp and Stammer interview, Mojo MES picks, Franz Ferdinand, G/TT review
07apr04 Birmingham & Liverpool gigs, Steven Trafford - new bassist, J. Neo Marvin interview, Stewart Lee article, 39 Golden Greats, Perverted by Mark E. tribute, Great God Pan comic strip, misc. reviews, MES & Stevie
09mar04 UK gigs, Mark's fractured hip, Bridgewater Hall, Blackburn DVD, University Challenge, Fall fan film, Brix Smith - Fashion Junkie, Lovers UK gig schedule
10feb04 London gigs, loads of music press scans (mostly NME), I'm into CB cartoon, Smash Hits trading card, Michael Pollard photos, Cider with Roadies, Guardian int. w/ Ben, Pascal Le Gras exhibition, Blackburn DVD, Sanctuary update.
24dec03 lots of UK gig reviews, Birmingham Post MES interview, details on expanded LATWT and Dragnet CDs, recent NME Fall snippets.
24nov03 TRNFLPFCOTC reviews, HMV gig, Unpeeled interview (w/ Ben) details, Smash Hits '87, Michael Bracewell's most embarrasing moment (and Pseud's Corner finalist), Durutti Column vs. The Fall photo exhibition, Permanent Years / Rebellious Jukebox comp CDs, Fall badges, Reuben's Paintwork title page.
20oct03 Portugal, Manchester, Leeds gigs, book reviews, 1997 MES interview, new LP and single details.
19sep03 Uncut interview, book reviews, "No Place Like It" transcript, a few old press clippings, Bingo Master's 25th anniversary, War Against Intelligence cd, Bootleg Box Set review, book launch party, Masked and Anonymous, Jack magazine, The Lovers on tour, Johnny Cash
18aug03 Prindle int. w/Ben, Hip Priest reviews, Live at Phoenix cd, War Against Intelligence cd, Brix int. 1994, Lovers single, web-enabled MES filter
22jul03 US tour reports (second half: Cambridge Dallas), New Yorker cartoon, Simon Spencer RIP, "Idiot Joy Show," Words of Expectation review
01jul03 US tour reports (first leg, thru Cleveland), PBL dvd & User Guide reviews, Jim Watts interviews John French, 1999 MES int., Voiceprint clearance sale
19jun03 Canada, ATP cancelled, the fall uk, Fall books, Damo vs. USA, MCR's greatest frontman, Meltzer, Bad Man Wagon, Adult Net debacle, comp reviews, Brix '87int., MES '82 int., "Idiot Joy Show"
27may03 PBL/Leeds DVD reviews, Aarhus gig, great 1981 MES interview, Smiths Week, Woog Riots tribute, Sanctuary CDs, Rubber Banana Fall radio show
29apr03 ATP, PoSR review, Peel Session & Step Forward CDs, Made in the NW, Jeremy Vine show, bits
28mar03 Jim Watts sacked, Country on the Click details, Peel Session, Turkey gig, 85 & 88 gig photos, Luz's "The Joke" comic, Pascal LeGras new work, MES T-shirt, Fall on emusic, Fall Tattooing rip
24feb03 news about books, Mojo top 50, Claus Fall guitar, Beggars vids, Corsa ad link, 9feb83 + 88oct8 photos, '78 So It Goes clip, Hanley bros interview, several early music press scans, other bits
9jan03 Independent interview, Early Singles, Listening In, UK chart placing history, Razor Cuts, Pascal LeGras video, Record Collector, ring tones, Blue Orchids CDs, Peel's Fabriclive
4dec02 Electric Ballroom gig, Virgin Radio, Fall vs. 2003, MES death row picks, Conway's wallpaper
8nov02 PPP review and lyrics, Dave Harrop, Manchester Online soap opera
15oct02 UK gig reports, 1983 photos, Fall press kit
20sept02 loads of upcoming releases, jigsaws, Vauxhall advert, Mark Prindle int., couple of music press scans, Slates movie clip, Fall Tattooing
23aug02 singles box and Totally Wired reviews, Rocking Vicar, lots of old music press scans
3july02 2G+2 reviews, 6FM mp3, Bourgeois Blues, bits
13jun02 2G+2, Wire 25th anniversay piece, custom Fall gig, PDFs of four old articles
16may02 Blackburn, London, ATP gig reviews, BBC 6FM, Sydney 1990 int., French cartoon
19apr02 US tour cancelled, Mojo article, Select (June 91), bits & pieces
19mar02 Euro tour reviews, Record Collector interview., Wire review, new Fall discog., misc.
13feb02 comp results, Athens review, Bournemouth Runner, Pan
13jan02 Timekode, Pan, bad German translations, NME 2/25/89 interview
02jan02 album reviews, ancient Usenet refs
12dec01 MCR gig reviews, album reviews, Pan
28nov01 mammoth US tour edition
13nov01 first batch of AYAMW reviews, London Forum gig reports
5nov01 Euro gig reports, Knitting Factory Knotes interview
19oct01 UK gig reports, studybees interview
30sep01 tour / booking details, 1979 fanzine interview
9sep01 not much
28aug01 Flitwick single, 82/83 gig pics
27jun01 Faustus
31may01 Dublin pics, Cash for Questions, Guardian interview
29apr01 IR, UK gig reviews
9apr01 NL gig reviews
3mar01 Dublin gig, Invisible Jukebox
28jan01 World Bewitched details
1jan01 some ace Castlefield pics
19dec00 more reviews
1dec00 tour reviews, crap interviews
10nov00 Unutterable reviews
21oct00 Stanza festival, HighSmith Teeth, comedy dogs
11oct00 RFH reviews, new Cog Sinister releases
12sep00 DOSE interview, Fall calendar
22aug00 Portugal, Manchester gigs
9aug00 bits & pieces
23jul00 Psykick Dance Hall, Pure As Oranj details, Triple Gang reviews
9jul00 few bits
20jun00 Ashton, Hull, Middlesbrough, Glasgow, Edinburgh reviews, old Volume piece
30may00 LA2 reviews
22may00 few old LP reviews
2may00 bits & pieces
24apr00 TBLY #19 details, Prop details
8apr00 more Leeds reviews. WSC interview, other interview snippets
26mar00 Doncaster, York, Leeds reviews, BravEar interview (plus others)
14mar00 various reviews, old Liz Kershaw i/view
24feb00 Past Gone Mad details
13feb00 few bits & pieces
30jan00 tour details, Tommy Blake stuff
20jan00 TBLY #18 details, Hanley in Mojo
10jan00 Dragnet doylum, New Year message, etc
older news: Nov 1997 - Dec 1999