Lemon Tree, Aberdeen. Tickets from Ticketline (0844 8889991), Lemon Tree box office, Tickets Scotland and Ticketweb. With John Cooper Clarke and Milophobia.
Queens Hall, Edinburgh. Tickets from Ticketline (0844 8889991), Queens Hall box office, Tickets Scotland and Ticketweb. £18 plus booking fees. With John Cooper Clarke and Milophobia.
Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ. SEATED SHOW. Special guest: John Cooper Clarke; support band Bobbie Peru. Ticketline (0844 8889991); Wegottickets. Ticket info see below.
Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ. SEATED SHOW. Special guest: James Blood Ulmer; support band Bobbie Peru. Ticketline (0844 8889991); Wegottickets. Ticket info see below.
Hove Centre at Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove BN3 4AH. Ticketline (0844 8889991); wegottickets. Special guest: James Blood Ulmer; support band Bobbie Peru.
Chino Splashback / Pacifying Joint / Wings / Fall Sound /
50 Year-Old Man /
I've Been Duped /
Wolf Kidult Man /
Can Can Summer /
Tommy Shooter /
Carry Bag Man /
No Xmas For John Quays //
White Lightning //
Reformation //
Blindness
Reviews on the message board. Thanks to Fat Fall Lad for the setlist.
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added 24 November
Friday, 21 November Arena, Vienna
Chino Splashback / Wolf Kidult Man / Fall Sound / 50 Year Old Man / Wings / I've Been Duped / Theme from Sparta F.C. / Latch Key Kid / Funnel Of Love // White Lightning / Blindness // Mr. Pharmacist
Reviews on the message board. Thanks to Olga and Maximilian for the setlist.
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added 21 November
A gem from youtube: "Hitler's BNP membership gets leaked." (The clip's from Downfall starring the brilliant Bruno Ganz).
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added 14 November; updated 15 November
Thursday, 13 November The Duchess, York
Chino Splashback / Fall Sound / Wolf Kidult Man / Wings / 50 Year Old Man / I've Been Duped / Funnel of Love / Tommy Shooter / Carry Bag Man / White Lightning / Reformation // Blindness
Martin Bramah has his first solo album out ("The Battle of Twisted Heel") and is playing his first solo gig at City Varieties in Leeds on Saturday, 15 November. John Cooper Clarke also on the bill. A bit steep at £17 on the door (£15 in advance). You can hear a few tracks from the album on Bramah's cluttered myspace.
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added 11 November
News from one of the "dudes, Orpheo:
Hey Stefan,
Just thought I would give a heads up that I will be coming to do a small UK tour playing drums for Domino recording artist Cass McCombs. Cass is a great songwriter and we will be playing mostly brand new material from an album to be released early next year on Domino. He hasn't played in the UK in quite some time. He was invited by the late John Peel to participate in the John Peel sessions a few years back. Our first show will be in Dublin 11/15 @ Whelan's. The tour dates can be found at myspace.com/cassmccombs.
Cheers,
Orpheo McCord
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added 6 November
Wednesday, 5 November The Brook, Southampton
Hot Cake / Wings / Fall Sound / 50 Year Old Man / I've Been Duped / Tommy Shooter / Latch Key Kid / Wolf Kidult Man / Funnel of Love / Mr. Pharmacist
Funnel of Love a Wanda Jackson cover. Reviews on the message board. Thanks to Johnnymills for the setlist.
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added 2 November; updated 10 November
Sunday, 2 November Hove Centre at Hove Town Hall
Bury / Over! Over! / Wings / 50 Year Old Man / Latch Key Kid / I've Been Duped / Fall Sound / Tommy Shooter // Wolf Kidult Man / Carry Bag Man
Hot Cake / My Door Is Never / Wings / 50 Year Old Man / I've Been Duped / Wolf Kidult Man / Latch Key Kid / Fall Sound / Tommy Shooter // Carry Bag Man / Blindness
Hot Cake an instrumental. Reviews on the message board. Thanks to Johnnymills for the setlist.
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added 31 October
Friday, 31 October Hackney Empire, London
Chino Splashback / Fall Sound / Wings / Wolf Kidult Man / Tommy Shooter / 50 Year Old Man / I've Been Duped / Reformation // Jack the Ripper / Latch Key Kid
Jack the Ripper a Screaming Lord Sutch cover. Reviews and photos on the message board, more photos on flickr by DanMud. Thanks to Mark for the setlist.
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added 31 October
David "Bumble" Lloyd was in the Guardian on the 28th, talking about his love of the Fall. Thanks to Tony for the scan.
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added 31 October
Thursday, 30 October Nation, Liverpool
Chino Splashback / Wolf Kidult Man / Wings / Fall Sound / 50 Year Old Man / Pacifiying Joint / I've Been Duped / Latch Key Kid / Theme from Sparta FC / Carry Bag Man
Reviews on the message board. Thanks to Nurdled, by Astley for the setlist.
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added 29 October
2:40pm GMT: The server the Fall Online forum's on (z1.invisionfree.com) has been down for a few hours. I don't know when things will be up and running again. Soon, I hope.
ca. 11:00pm GMT: The forum's back online.
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added 24 October
2 MES interviews:
First, a syndicated Q&A by the Liverpool Music Week people:
Mark E Smith – The Fall
The creative force behind seminal band The Fall since its inception back in 1976, Mark E Smith has earned a reputation as a formidable frontman. While developing a line in often incoherent, absurd lyricist (with his cryptic delivery riding those abrasive guitar grooves), thirty years of performance haven’t detracted from his appeal. He now joins the likes of Goldfrapp, Black Kids, Martha Wainwright, Vampire Weekend, Mystery Jets and Dizzee Rascal for the sprawling MTV Liverpool Music Week.
How are you?
Okay. I’ve just found out that it’s International Fall Day today. Nobody thought to tell me any earlier.
Looking forward to the Liverpool Music Week performance?
I am. The Fall hasn’t ever been a ‘festival’ group. We’re more of a club band so this works for me in as much as what we’re doing is part of a load of stuff that’s also going on around the same time. And loads of younger bands are on too. That’s good.
What young bands do you like?
My minds gone blank now. I do listen to a lot of stuff: I get sent a lot of new shit. And I watch some of them on that daft show on T4. You know: where they get the chance to play or talk in between that girl going on. Some of them sound all right. There’s that one band from Liverpool who are pretty good. The Wombats? Yeah, that’s them.
During one era for The Fall, wouldn’t your contemporaries have been seen to be Liverpool bands like The Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen?
Yeah. But we always held them in contempt. There was a bit of a rivalry there.
Hasn’t there always been some rivalry for musical supremacy between Liverpool and Manchester?
Personally, I’ve always preferred Liverpool over Manchester. Then again, I’m actually from Salford.
Fellow Salfordian Tony Wilson used to further the banter between Manchester and Liverpool’s music scenes. So you never saw it as ‘them’ and ‘us’?
No. Not at all. People forget that we could never get a show in Manchester for ages. Then we’d drive over to Liverpool and find that we were top of the bill. That went on for about three or four years, believe it or not. We couldn’t get jack shit in the place where we lived.
The Fall have never really fitted in with the various Manchester bands, have they?
No. We tried to keep it all at arm’s length. I’ve never seen us as part of the city’s music scene. Every few years they’ll revive some Manchester thing. One year it might be The Buzzcocks or whatever. But a mate of mine was saying it’s the same in Glasgow and there’s this cycle where people try to spark some kind of revival. We never did that. We never saw us as part of any particular movement. If you want the brutal truth, Manchester’s really just a lot of big fish in a small pond. And while we were being ignored there, we were playing to crowds in Liverpool. We were bigger in Germany. People don’t appreciate what’s on their doorstep.
Do you think that it’s because you weren’t closely associated with any particular movement that The Fall has really endured?
I do think that’s true. But then we’ve also been through a lot of different line-ups and that’s helped too. People move on, don’t they?
So who, for you, are The Fall’s peers?
I don’t really see any. I’m not much of a musician, me. Believe it or not. I’m more of a writer. I’ve always thought about what I do in those terms. When it comes to the music, I do like it to be pretty brutal and I can’t think of an example of anyone else who is working along similar lines.
So where do you get your inspiration?
I do go back to a lot of rockabilly and dub reggae. I like how raw some of it sounds compared to a lot of new music.
Do you listen to your own music?
When I do, I don’t tend to listen to a lot of the early records. The thing is, I am a pretty big fan of The Fall. I am [laughs]. Sometimes I’ll play an old recording and I’ll be like, “that’s great, that is”. It does surprise me how great some of it is.
So who is the average Fall fan these days?
From what I see, they’re all like 17 years-old. Real wild boys. The dads must be stood somewhere near the back or something. We played the other night and people went mad, barricades were broken, all that.
And you don’t tire of playing?
No. These MTV Music Week events look good and - especially as it’s for Liverpool - I was up for playing a gig. Sometimes we get invited to do these things and they’re not as well organised. I mean, we did one and we played after that Karl bloke. You know: the f*cking doctor from Neighbours. And then, after we were on, there was this other old crock from Barclay James Harvest or summat. You looked at the brochure for that one and there were no new groups. None. But even some of the new bands that you see coming through at these things, half of them seem to be made up of professional actors. Groups that were all formed at some London college or stage school. They’re not proper groups. It is all pretty polished but, behind it, there’s really nothing there.
So you reckon The Fall would never have made it beyond the first X Factor audition?
Too right. Because what programmes like that forget is something called creativity. I look around sometimes and I think I’m in the wrong f*cking job.
The Fall open this years MTV Liverpool Music Week, performing at Nation, Courtyard on Thursday 30th October, tickets on sale now £16+BF, Tickets: 0151 256 5555 / Info: www.liverpoolmusicweek.com
And second, there's a Fall-cliché-ridden interview with MES in today's Liverpool Daily Post by Mike Chapple
A meeting with The Fall guy
THE Fall’s Ubergruppenfuhrer Mark E Smith has a formidable reputation for being a cantankerous, awkward git especially with journos who light his ire.
He is after all the man who once infamously stubbed out his burning ciggie on one unfortunate hack’s forehead (which is not such an extreme action as, after due consideration, there’s at least one I could happily do the same to myself).
With this in mind, however, it was probably best to err on the side of caution in that Yours Truly was at one end of the phone line and Mr Smith on the other.
We were talking about The "mighty" Fall being named as the flagship opening act for Liverpool’s prestigious MTV music week which begins on Thursday October 30 and culminates in the channel’s European awards fiesta 7 days later.
This is the man who has fronted the late great John Peel favourite band for over 30 years in which time he has hatched and dispatched over 40 recruits to his sonic creation sometimes in less than congenial circumstances.
He is naturally, therefore, not one for sentiment.
The 51-year-old Salford lad does, though, have a soft spot for the ‘Pool.
"We got the invite although we wouldn't have done it if it was just for MTV - but because it was in Liverpool I thought why not?" in between puffs on his trusty fag from the home in Prestwich he shares with third wife and keyboard player Elena Poulou.
"Liverpool's always been very good to us right from the start when we played at Eric’s. In fact Liverpool was the first city to give us a chance - and still gives us a chance now."
He adds with just the merest hint of bitterness: "People forget that we couldn’t get a show in Manchester for years - we couldn’t get a show there for jack s**t in fact.
This is somewhat understandable for those who like their music mainstream. After all since the band’s formation in 1976 it has been the musical equivalent of Marmite garnering fanatical support from their supporters matched by a dislike bordering on revulsion from its detractors who loathe its primal fury.
MTV Liverpool Music Week
It’s a nice surprise then that they should be chosen as the MTV week openers.
"Although as far as them giving me an award I can’t really see them going that far can you?" Smith says through a cackle that’s half Mutley and half hissing snake.
But if they were to make one, what would do you think it should be?
"I dunno - why don’t you make one up for us, Mike?" he replies before another burst of cackling.
Which in its own way is a sound statement since the band have and its only remaining founder member has always been in a category of its own.
Or as Peelie once so succinctly put it: "The Fall - always different, always the same."
An insight into what fuels this phenomenon is there in Smith’s recent autobiography Renegade. It’s a very entertaining read indeed - part rant, part anecdote with some rather surreal observations thrown in including: "Primark have some alright stuff at a fair price... Bargain Booze is a particular favourite shop of mine. You get some good offers there."
"Yeah, some of is very funny, like a soccer book written by one of them players like," he announces enigmatically in between more cackling. " To be honest, though, I read the drafts but I haven’t looked at it since. I don't like reading about meself."
He had, however, summoned up the gumption to read Dave Simpson's recently published tome The Fallen about then self confessed Fall fanatic’s search for the many who have been filtered and spat out in Smith’s ruthless recruiting process through the years.
The attitude is perhaps best summed up by Smith’s ex-wife Brix. She too is one of The Fallen who explains in Simpson's book: "When anything would get too good or big or too smooth he'd f*** it up on purpose."
Mention of both Simpson’s name and the book brings an indignant outburst that’s hard to interpret as to whether its mock or genuine given his mischievous nature.
"I hate that f*****g t**t!! I've just burned the f*****g thing," he explodes down the blower.
But hardly any of those interviewed are openly hostile about you or the treatment they received, he’s told. The storm blows over. Apparently.
"Yeah, you’re right, they don’t have bad things to say . . . quite affectionate really," he confesses.
You’re in danger of becoming quite the cuddly little toy then?
"That’s why I burnt it!"
More good natured cackles follow before a mini rant to compound them so as not to allow the reader to think he's become too much of a softie.
"All of those t**ts I've had arguments with - I’ve got things on all of them. It's amazing what they’ll come up with when someone sticks a microphone in front of them. The creeps"
He is happy with the latest incarnation of the group which recorded this year’s acclaimed album Imperial Wax Solvent.
They, including Elena, may even all still be in place when the latest lazily meandering 11 date tour that started in September ends at the Picturedome Holmfirth Yorkshire on November 29.
"This group is good and the last gig in Edinburgh (Queens Hall October 12) went really well," he says in an astonishing outburst of benevolence.
"The line-up is pretty much the same as on the last album and I feel quite comfortable with them. What's good about them is we went to some awards about six months ago (the Mojo at which Smith actually did win one, appropriately, The Maverick award) and the only person they recognised was Lemmy .
"That gives them nine out of 10 in my book."
Recording for the 28th studio album is also already duly ready to begin and Smith has no concern about there being more to follow.
"There's no worries about drying up or jacking it in on the road," he says, for what many consider is still the one of the most exciting live musical experiences of them all.
"Yeah I suppose it is exciting but I don’t think much about it beforehand," he responds nonchalantly.
So will he continue to be the only one not to Fall.
"Will I be in The Fall to my dying day? Probably. It's my main thing and I suppose it always will be."
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added 21 October
Marcia Schofield will be the guest on next Sunday's Private Passions ("kind of a posh Desert Island Discs" [Stevoid]) on BBC Radio 3. From their web page:
Michael Berkeley's guest is Marcia Schofield, who played keyboards in the post-punk band The Fall in the late 1980s and now works as an NHS doctor specialising in pain management. Her musical tastes are eclectic, ranging from meditative music by Arvo Part and John Tavener to John Adams's post-9/11 piece On the Transmigration of Souls, Scriabin's Prometheus and an excerpt from Bartok's opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle.
A chance to win a pair of tickets to the Fall's Liverpool gig.
The Fall are opening the MTV Liverpool Music Week festival at Nation in Liverpool on the 30th of October and Fall Online readers have a chance to win a pair of tickets to the gig. The promoters have also thrown in a pair of tickets to see Goldfrapp on the 31st of October at Liverpool University.
Chino Splashback / Wolf Kidult Man / Wings / 50 Year Old Man / I've Been Duped / Fall Sound / Reformation / Pacifying Joint / Latch Key Kid // Carry Bag Man / White Lightning // Blindness
Reviews on the message board and in the Edinburgh Evening News ("granny"? check. "curmudgeon"? check. "only constant member"? check. "always different, always the same"? not this time). Another review in The Herald.
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added 11 October
Friday, 10 October Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
Chino Splashback / Wolf Kidult Man / Fall Sound / 50 Year Old Man / Wings / I've Been Duped / Theme from Sparta FC / Can Can Summer (instr.) / Reformation (instr.)
Cut short, perhaps due to MES having the flu. Planned setlist would have continued with Pacifying Joint / Tommy Shooter / Mr. Pharmacist / Carry Bag Man / White Lightning / Blindnesss. Reviews on the message board. Thanks to Peter for the setlist.
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added 11 October
Dave Simpson was on Radcliffe and Maconie's show on BBC R2 Thursday night talking about his book. You can listen again on their webpage; Simpson was on about an hour into the show.
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added 7 October
A message from Saffron Prior re: the part in The Fallen that says she sold Mark's typewriter on the internet.
Can you please make it clear on your website that I did not sell Mark's typewriter on the internet. I know you did not write the article, but I'm getting fed up of being mis-represented, as I never made any money out of The Fall, in fact Mark left me with nothing but a very large debt to pay off. The truth is there were two typewriters in our house, one I inherited when my grandad died and one was given to Mark by Dave Luff, but Mark used my grandad's to do most of his typing. After our split Mark arrived at my house in a rage and dumped his typewriter (not my grandad's, which I would have preferred) with my housemate.
Having lugged it around with me through many house moves I became sick of the sight of it. So I offered it up on your website to any Fall fan who was willing to collect it. I gave it away for free to someone who would treasure it. And, as far as I know, Mark still has my grandad's typerwriter and I only hope he is taking good care of it.
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added 7 October; updated 21 October
Steve spotted Globo's This Nation's Saving Grace Revisited on Amazon UK. Stuart Maconie played "L.A." on his show a couple of Sundays ago.
And Justin spotted the trailer for the documentary Totally Wired on Vimeo.com. The film's about about the Schneiders Buero boutique/modular synthesizer store in Berlin. The soundtrack features Maho Masuda covering the title song.
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added 22 September
Very good news re: the Beggars Banquet albums: they're finally getting remastered from the master tapes (which were rumoured to be lost) and will be reissued next year. First up are TWAFWOTF and TNSG.
There's a thread on the forum where fans are suggesting what bonus material ought to be included.
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added 21 September
It appears that Voiceprint is releasing an expanded (2-disc) reissue of The Unutterable. The second disc has a tracklisting of Serum / Two Librans / Hands Up Billy / Cyber Insekt / Dr. Buck's Letter / Midwatch 1953 / Sons of Temperance / W.B. / Octo Realm/Ketamine Sun / Devolute / Hot Runes / Instrum One / Instrum Two aka Two -- not sure if they're demos, outtakes, live, or what.
There's a typically barmy Voiceprint description on their site that suggests The Unutterable is a new album...
Since The Fall formed in late 1977 the band has released more than thirty albums and possibly twice as many compilations and live albums. Led by the ever present and enigmatic Mark E Smith the band seems unstoppable despite the numerous line up changes over the years. The band effectively continues with Mark E Smith’s creative vision and the bands latest release in entitled Unutterable.
The line up featured on this album is Mark E Smith (vocals, songs) are Julia Nagle (keyboards), Neville Wilding (guitar), Adam Halal (bass) and Tom Head (drums).
The album took almost a month to record and the recording sessions were spread over three locations including The Fall’s own Sonic Surgery.
Tracks include 'Cyber Insekt', 'Pumpkin Soup & Mashed Potatoes' and 'Sons Of Temperance'
As with all the releases from John Peel’s favourite band The Fall’s latest album will prove to be highly anticipated by the Fall faithful.
Derek Erdman is doing another one of his Fall nights, this time in Seattle.
FALL NIGHT #10
Thursday October 2nd 9PM-2AM
McLeod Residence 2209 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington
DJs Derek Erdman & Ruben Mendez
21+ Free
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added 13 September
There's an interview with The Fallen author Dave Simpson in the latest issue of Halfcut. The zine is available for free to those in the UK if you sign up for it on their site: http://www.halfcutpublications.com/Contact/
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added 11 September
Carlos:
Well... it was 30 years ago last month that the world's premier inside out krautrockabilly band The Fall released their debut single 'Bingo Masters Breakout'... so i reckon thats a fine excuse to dedicate my next 2hr podcast to this perennial outsider rock group...with rare tracks, quotes, and very possibly your granny playing bongos......at 11am UK time on Monday 15th September, repeated 11pm that day and again on Sunday 21st September at 10pm, all UK times. Go to www.vinylmicrostore.gr and click on VM radio...more details from www.myspace.com/carlosslazenger.
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added 20 August; updated 16 September
There's a good review by John Doran of Dave Simpson's book The Fallen on The Quietus.
Chino Splashback / Wolf Kidult Man / Fall Sound / 50 Year Old Man / Wings / Theme from Sparta FC / I've Been Duped / Pacifying Joint / Tommy Shooter / Mr. Pharmacist // Carry Bag Man / Blindness
Saturday, 6 September West Coast Festival of New Music, Stavanger, Norway
Is This New / Wolf Kidult Man / Fall Sound / Pacifying Joint / Wings / Theme From Sparta F.C. / I've Been Duped / 50 Year Old Man / Reformation // Mr Pharmacist / Carry Bag Man // Blindness / White Lightning
Issue 3 of the Reformation Post The Pseud Mag fanzine is online now. It includes a terrific piece by Paul Hanley about the 1982 tour in Australia and New Zealand and a particularly cryptic crossword by Acton High Street.
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added 4 September
Spencer Birtwistle’s band, The Blimp, is playing a free afternoon gig at the Hulme Community Garden Centre, 28 Old Birley Street, Hulme this Saturday, 6 September, starting about 12:30. They hope to make some new friends for the garden centre and that people might buy some plants. There’ll be very reasonably priced food and beer to refresh anyone who comes along. The centre is a not-for-profit organisation, set up to benefit the local community in the inner city area of Hulme, Manchester.
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added 3 September
Following his first successful event in February, DJ78 (Dave Guttridge to his family) will again be hosting "Good evening, we are The Fall" at The Birdcage, 23 Pottergate, Norwich NR2 1DS on Saturday, 11 October 2008. Starting 8pm, admission is free and requests are encouraged! The date is the closest Saturday to John Peel Day, and will feature not only DJ78's comprehensive vinyl collection, but also the Peel Sessions CDs.
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added 29 August
The Some Bizarre album from 1981, which featured early recordings from Depeche Mode and Soft Cell, has been reissued on CD recently with 3 bonus tracks and a bonus video clip from The Residents. The opening track is "Tidal Flow" by Illustration, a group that included Julia Adamson (Nagle) on keyboards.
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added 28 August
The Mark E Smith and Ed Blaney album is due out on Voiceprint on 13 October 2008. Entitled Smith And Blaney, the tracklisting for the CD is:
1. Ludite
2. Real Good Time Together
3. Durasti
4. Mettle Claw
5. No Retreat
6. Ludite
7. The Train Pt 1
8. Hustle
9. The Train Pt 2
10. Transfusion
11. When We Were Young
Voiceprint is taking pre-orders for £10.99 on their website.
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added 28 August
This week's NME, the 26 August 2008 edition, features Henry Rollins in What Rock N Roll Has Taught Me. Apparently the third thing Henry has learnt is: "If you're smart, you should be a fan of The Fall." Of course, we all knew that already! Hank goes on to say:
"I don't ever think there's ever been a Fall record that really sucks, but it's like a magazine subscription; if there's one that doesn't thrill you, just wait and before long there'll be another. If you're the kind of person who likes to think about things and needs something more than just a nice tune the The Fall are the band for you. I've seen Mark E. Smith verbally attack people who've lauded his word by saying things like, 'I wouldn't be caught dead with one of your records,' but he was very courteous when i met him."
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added 28 August
From Drowned In Sound, another well known Fall fan, Jeffrey Lewis, answers readers questions with a drawing. Here's his response to the burning question: Do you think Mark E Smith is slowly turning into Stephen Hawking?
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added 28 August
After 27 weeks of round robin polls on the forum, the 2008 Fall Albums League has finished. The 27 studio albums (not including Imperial Wax Solvent, which hadn't been released at the start of the competition) finished in this order:
1. Hex Enduction Hour
2. Perverted By Language
3. Grotesque
4. Slates
5. This Nation's Saving Grace
6. Dragnet
7. The Real New Fall LP Formerly C.O.T.C.
8. The Wonderful And Frightening World Of...
9. The Unutterable
10. Bend Sinister
11. Room To Live
12. The Frenz Experiment
13. The Infotainment Scan
14. Live At The Witch Trials
15. Extricate
16. Fall Heads Roll
17. I Am Kurious Oranj
18. Levitate
19. Code: Selfish
20. The Light User Syndrome
21. Shift-Work
22. The Marshall Suite
23. Middle Class Revolt
24. Cerebral Caustic
25. Reformation Post TLC
26. Are You Are Missing Winner
27. Seminal Live
Further details on the forum. Over the next couple of weeks, Imperial Wax Solvent will be matched up against the competition to see how it rates.
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added 19 August
Derek Erdman is running another of his Fall nights in Chicago.
As the flyer says, it's at Danny's, 1951 W. Dickens, and goes from 10pm to 2am on Monday, 25 August.
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added 12 August; updated 19 August
Terrible news. David Luff -- a longtime Fall fan, good friend of Mark's and the Fall Online, and publisher of the two books of Fall lyrics -- has died. He'd been in and out of hospital these past months with a heart condition. Please see this thread on the forum.
My very deepest sympathies to David's friends and family.
Robert, David's brother-in-law, sent in the image from David's funeral service.
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added 13 August
Former England test cricketer David Lloyd, on skysports:
I had a bit of a disappointment this week, involving my favourite band The Fall.
A few weeks ago, their lead singer Mark E Smith was presented with a Mojo Award – but in typical fashion he gave it away because he didn't want it.
It's fallen into the hands of the guys on The Fall's Internet forum who are raising money for charity in honour of one of the forum members who died recently [no, it was for Victim Support, City of Manchester - ed.]
They decided to auction it on eBay and they said it was going to be out up in mid-August. Unfortunately I haven't been online as much as I should have and by the time I got to a computer I'd missed the end of the sale.
It went for £720 and I'd have paid more than that. So if whoever has bought it wants to sell it on for a bit more (say, £725...) then I'd be a willing buyer.
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added 24 June; updated 12 August
Lough Press has published vII by Mark E. Smith -- the second volume of Fall Lyrics -- in a two thousand, numbered edition.
The book is also listed on Amazon UK for £30 plus postage, but since it's being sold through Action Records you're better off ordering directly from Action's site and getting the Fall Online's 10% discount (enter "fallnet" in the coupon box).
There's a thread about the book on the forum and a reviews page. It's a lovely book; my only gripe is that I wish they'd used higher quality paper. Many thanks to David for sending me a copy.
Action Records still has copies of the first volume -- The Fall Lyrics (1985) -- for a very reasonable £7.99.
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added 9 August
Cherry Red is re-releasing the 1991 Shiftwork and Holidays video on DVD. Their site says there's "some very rare extra material [which] makes this a must-have release for the Fall’s legions of fans"; however, Pinnacle Vision gives it a running time of 35 minutes, which is only a few minutes longer than the original VHS.
If you're in the UK the cheapest option is probably HMV, which has it on pre-order for £5.49 with free shipping. The DVD will be in the shops on 25 August.
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added 7 August
Thanks to Neville for spotting the "Chemical Party" video on youtube.
30 Nov 2008
This is the latest news and gossip off the message board, Fallnet, and elsewhere. If
you have anything to say, please email Stefan at fallnews@gmail.com.
08aug07 UK gigs and Euro festival reviews; Renegade & IWS reviews; MES Q&As; The Story of the Fall; Mojo Maverick award and auction; MES/ Blaney project; Bo Diddley RIP; Annual Bulletin from the Desk of MES; Scotland on Sunday, MCR Evening News, and BBCR4 Front Row interviews; WPRB review of 4/4/98 gig; Bard of Salford documentary; Maxwell Hall debacle
08apr27 March UK tour / Renegade excerpts / The Fallen book / Imperial Wax Solvent / Squirrelgate / Daily Telegraph, MusicOMH, Uncut, Word interviews / Hex on Radio 4 / Blaney on Voiceprint deal / Messing up the Paintwork programme & abstracts / Fall news feed
08jan21 VS / Fall gig reviews, Vice TV's "Soft Focus" int., Messing up the Paintwork conference, message from MES, MES reads Lovecraft, "Latch Key Kid", Suzanne Smith & Claus Castenskiold prints for sale, Flying Nun documentary, Dave Day r.i.p., Renegade preview, MES on BBC radio sitcom "Start", Unofficial Fall site now The Fall Online
07oct16 Fall / Von Südenfed gig reviews, Zone / Jungle World / Chord / Taz interviews (mainly VS-related), Independent Q&A, Fall Box Set reviews, Hammersmith Palais DVD, Mick Middles' Complete Guide, Wyndham Lewis, myspace MES imposter, Fall Cup 2007, Derek Erdman Fall nights, Intermittent Signal (Simon W.), MES fabric doll.
07jul03 Newsnight Review int., Independent Q&A, Barcelona gig, Von Sudenfed reviews & interviews, Fall box set, Julia Adamson, Hurdy Gurdy Man video, Word of Mouth, John Leckie TapeOp int., Reformation video, Ideal TV clip, Record Collector / Manchester Confidential / Harp Magazine ints., Lee on I'm Into CB, official site problems, Foggy Notions letters, PBL fiction collection.
07apr12 UK tour, RPTLC reviews, Narnack edition, Reformation single, Von Sudenfed, MES's 50th, Uncut Q&A, Foggy Notions / Telegraph / Liberation / Rock & Folk interviews, Renegade delayed, Saturn 5, Universal reissues, Culture Show / Transmission TV spots.
07feb22 RPTLC UK released, Malaga gig, MES interviews: Independent, Welt am Sonntag, Stool Pigeon, The Times, Fantastic Man; Johnny Vegas' Ideal preview, Memorex of the Krakens, Anjulireeves on youtube, Packing a Gun, 7 Wives of MES, Saturn 5, Grayson Perry, Brix's "Star," Frank Sidebottom.
06dec30 Reformation Post TLC announcements, NYC & Strangeways gigs, Julia Adamson photos, Dave Milner songs, Gusgus Not Clean remix, Fall forum crash, Sonic Arts Network cd, PBL book, Mitsubishi Blindness, Monks live session, MES on Dylan.
06oct30 Silver Monk Time & Monks gigs, Oct. UK & Ireland gig reviews, Ben Pritchard interview, "Renegade: The Gospel According to MES," MES DJ set on Radio 1, Environmental Health News, Stewart Lee in Sunday Times.
06sep21 Simonfb, r.i.p., Bournemouth & London gigs / UK festivals, Silver Monk Time, Sunday Herald & Maximum RnR interviews, Julia Nagle's latest projects, another Peel tribute CD.
06aug17 Brooklyn Vegan / Arena Homme Plus interviews, Oya Festival, Tesla-K, The Blimp, Tycoons Follies, Artrocker review, Tony Friel archive, PBL book update, KFNY poster, Billboard, more Voiceprint CDs.
06jun13 US tour (second leg), more US press (NYT, The Pitch, SLC Weekly, Stop Smiling), Manchester gig (inc. MEN preview & FT review), What Sven Could Learn from Me (Guardian int. from last year)
06may23 US tour (first leg), US press (LA Alternative, LA City Beat, SF Chronicle, OC Weekly), Smog Monsters, Morley on MCR/L'pool
06may01 Berlin gig, Reclaimers' footy song, MES "In Their Own Write", Praxis Hagen exhibit.
06apr06 UK tour, Greek/ Swiss gigs, "The Two-Year Gap" announcement, John Peel Fall intros/ outros mp3, Wire's Fall Primer, Q's Manchester special, Monks Beat Club clips, Fallnet's "Dr. Buck's Letters", Fall album survey results, Nikki Sudden / Ivor Cutler r.i.p., Brix's new house, cult musicians, Gavin Esler.
06feb21 Official Fall site now Unofficial, Guardian ex-Fall members article, Mojo interview and poll results, IS, IAH, MCR & CC remaster details, Mixing It session, Antwerp & Wigan gigs, Ding's two new bands, Ghostigital, New Year's Honours, fashion corner: Brix interview & Lagerfeld show, Blue Orchids new album, history of Salford bands.
06jan03 Word MES interview, ticket refund information, Festive 50, misc. year-end press roundups and Fall forum poll results, preview of Guardian's ex-Fall members article, MES lego minifig, Armitage Shanks & Necropolis Fall-related songs, Ghostigital's "Not Clean" & "Codomatopoeia," Corsa ad back on TV, John Peel's Record Box.
05nov08 Fall Heads Roll reviews, UK tour, Incendiary, Rock Sound & Pitchfork interviews, PBL book preview, Commercially Unfriendly cd.
05sep30 Fall Heads Roll details, MES to read footy scores, Peel tribute CDs, ChronicArt preview, Blast Off DVD sampler, Frank Skinner, Jacob's Cream Crackers, Stewart Lee, Deisel-U-Matic award.
05aug18 Paul Hanley BBC radio int., MES Metro "60-second" & Kitchen Sink ints., 1979 Jamming! int., Deisel U Matic award, Paul Wilson's Fall Mix, Stewart Lee's favorite things.
05jul26 Berlin & Paris gigs, Fall site news, Diesel-U-Music & Mojo awards, Live from the Vaults: the "real" story, Sanctuary / Slogan Records announcement, Mayo Thompson, Commercially Unfriendly CD, links to loads of Peel box reviews.
05jun14 UK & Lyon gigs, Conway's guitar tab and Adult Net pages, Jools Holland, Deeply Vale cd, MES int. w/BBC on Peel, Lime Lizard 1993, Festive 50 book, Live from the Vaults delayed, Wake Up in the City, Cuz'n Roy's yard sale on ebay, Jahn Rhondos.
05apr27 UK gigs, Left of the Dial & Scotland on Sunday interviews, Deeply Vale CD preview, Bingo Masters press release, Scherzo Schist, Live from the Vaults, Simon Reynolds, Simon Armitage, Prenzlauer Berg, Fall Cafe, Poloraoids special offer, Brix & Gromit, MES on Funhouse, Fall documentary transcript, the Fall wants your photo.
05feb25 BBC4 Fall doc, Hex reissue, KFNY gig, Fall Forum's TNSG, Ice Magazine (UK) MES int., Sun Zoom Spark articles, Playlouder appreciation, unofficial Sparta FC video, Peel set postponed 1 month, MES's New Years Honours list, 9may81 photos, Hunter S. Thompson, RIP.
05jan07 Jim Watts resigns, UK gigs, Pseud Mag, Festive 50, Deeply Vale, documentary, City Bar "fall-out", Polaroids on the Fall, Wipe That Sound, Narnack sampler.
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