New Century Hall – Manchester, 10th June 2006

so, that was my review then...
found a copy of it ...

Not counting the several stops on the M6 motorway I may report that I changed at nine places for a next vehicle which brought my good company and me into the heart of Manchester. May I tell you that we were using four coachs, private cars (three of them) - and as I was coming from Germany I was using the suburban tram, one more coach plus a plane (not very imaginative like a propeller machine; it was a Boeing 737 run by the Irish company Ryan). Anyway, this ride was well organized, nothing went wrong, so finally we got there around 7PM. Enough time to say hello to forum members on the street and to join the meet up at the C&C. A nice place where nice people can meet. Good atmosphere outside and already a bit more calm inside. Many had left for the NCH.

I had missed the pre-supporting acts. Instead I enjoyed the marvellous architecture, truely seventieth flavour, a gem without having had any modernisation. A very special place to held a anniversary gig. No disturbing DJ or danceclub taste. The situation with the drinks was theoretically organized. But in practise? Well, I saw a few helping hands carrying just one box of Beck's bottles. This was enough for maybe five customers... On the other side the bar with only one lager draught running... I may notice that when The Fall are playing some ten running fountains are needed, nine for beer, one for non-alcoholics (maybe this could be connected to tonic water).

As I entered the carpet John Cooper Clarke was already on stage. Missed most of his part due to the beer ordering. Anyway, as I was back I realized that it would be time to step forward, Safi was on. I presumed that after the Elvis bit it wouldn't take too long, then. Although some went furious and shouted very loud I don't believe that he shortened his performance. It was the t i m e for the gruppe.

A compact start which was fine for MES, entering the scene under strong exciting applause. He was appreciated and he gaves us a high concentrated gig. I was very happy enjoying him on such a hard working vocals! Sometimes I like it more nonchalant, but here I felt that he was taking it very serious. The papers must be full of good comments for his attitude.
Highlights Blindness, Assume Reformation and White Line Fever. Last one for giving to it a fine ironical treatment. Instant of handling flying plusch puppies someone throw his t-shirt at him, this made him unsure, but he laughed a bit about this sweaty surprise. Disconnected a blue box and passed it over the bass amp. Live mixing but with caution.

Elena was first class. She got a good mix in the sound, was prominent which is bringing The Fall forward. Sparta, her song, got some extensions if I remember correctly. The call and answer on the Shipman tale can be beaten only by a few performances, maybe by Oxford. That was last year.

Guitar control poseur
Thanks to the circulating recent american recordings I had no fear to see the new line up. I was expecting a good structered unit. On one view I was amazed by the more carpet like guitar, the high pitched drums and the melodic bass with its distorted fuzzy sounds. The unit is giving a good space, (re)opens a dimension of kraut-a-like sounds. Very promising.
I liked the control of time and sound, although I sadly miss a precise hard pointed play. Maybe it was not enough time to set up the thing better. All sounded a bit same... and a bit weak... (at least to my ears). I should point out that the FFD theme was the highlight of the American arm, a tune that they were firing, really. Musically lowlight was the country tune, maybe the Englishmen had been ready to make it a promising new hit single. Irony?

Am I too offensive? I hope so I am not!
I was pleased by the good reception, you know, we don't have this Fall frenzy in Germany. Always worth joining in, in UK. Always worth for trying to make it start here.

The aftergig had some medium private moments. Good to join in several discussions and change thoughts. No, the event wasn't very special, but it was nice to see the gruppe ready for some exchange of views and to say hello. Why not - all this brought money for the duties.



Maybe a bit too personal but has anybody found my lost badge?
It is a part of a design from The Fall in 1988, red typo on the green-black spiral. I lost it in the rear of the mosh at the stage...
C'mon anyone?

the lager was poisoned

Thanks Michael, and people in other threads, for helping to rebuild the lost gig review archive. Much appreciated.

maybe we can get the more enthusiastic views on board again...

I have had mixt feelings about making the start this time,
last time my review was at the very end of the thread...

New Century Hall, the venue was perhaps more suited to a conference hall, but it had a nice carpet there & was packed.

Support acts:

the first one weren't very good, although they were fairly tight considering how drunk they claimed to be at the start.

the second one were a bit boring, 3 songs, the first of which seemed to be one chord played for 10 minutes with a bit of guitar w*nkery thrown in for good measure, hmmm.

JCC was alright I suppose, a couple of poems and lots of talking, occasionally funny but his poem reading voice reminds me of the guy who does/did the horse racing commentary on the telly.

The Video thing. Oh dear, let's not go there shall we. The first one was ok, but the whole concept wore thin after 4 or 5 more.


The Fall.
The bass player still has the beard, hurrah! I'm not sure if this is the exact order around the middle of the set:

New Song(Coming Down/Scenario?)
Assume
Pacifying Joint
Sparta
Mounatin Energei
What About Us
Formation(Reformation?)
Grass Grow
WPRT
White Line Fever
Bo D
Mr Pharmacist
Blindness

Aspen
Systematic Abuse

They come on and go into a new one, it has quiet lead guitar and bass bit followed by a bit where they were thrashing away at both. Sounds good, I was near the back, some woman in a blue dress started doing a bit of only slightly freaky dancing that went on for most of the concert.

Assume rocks tonight, more people start dancing, The Fall remain in heads down-concentrate on playing-mode, and it's really good. Smith on fine form throughout this.

Evidently Smith has f*cked with the bass players amp, as he stands still not playing for the first verse or so of Pacifying Joint, not that this takes anything away from the song though, another blinder. A couple in front of me fall to the floor and it looks like things are going to get messy shortly, but they both realise they'd be missing a great performance and restrain themselves. More people dancing

The guitar player still doesn't seem to have gotten the hang on the Sparta intro, but eventually its all sorted out and we get another great performance

Smith messes with some of the lines from Mountain Energei, sounded like "Mr Blairstone and Mr Partridge, said nepotism, is the last refuge", and another verse or two pop up toward the end.

There's a spot of mucking around around with the Mic's on What About Us, Smith starts on his own and then decides the guitarists mic is better, so moves that towards him and sings through both. Then he wanders over to the bass players and sings a bit into that, before moving his wifes mic round and repeating the singing into both mic's thing. He moves it back in time for the "What About Us Shipman?" bit, although most of the crowd are singing along.

Formation - he shouts Reformation a lot, sounds another good one

Grass Grow starts and about this time the sound begins to go a bit, or maybe it's my hearing, but as usual this doesn't sound as good as the album version, still a little bit sluggish & Marks vocal sounds a bit less clear.

WPRT is great though.

White Line Fever could be good, but it seemed to be a bit of a lazy effort on Smiths part.

I wasn't sure whether it was due to the venue, but the drums on Bo D don't sound very good, it could be that or that Smith messed with the microphones, not really that brilliant a performance anyway

But Blindness is great, I don't know whether the feedback whines at the start were intentional but they sounded really good over the drums before the band came in. It looked like there was a problem with the bass so I'm thinking the noise wasn't intentional. Smith fucks with the bassists amp again but it doesn't affect the sound, and the I liked the bit where they all stopped apart from the drummer, then come
back in thrashing away hard.

Mr Pharmacist, beforehand, saw Smith sounding a little bit more lively than on the two songs before it.

they take a short break and return, with:

Aspen - it's alright

Systemmatic Abuse - it goes on for ages, a little bit too long by that time of the night half 12 and about 4 hours of warm up acts and the main one, maybe.

Lucifer over Lancashire...

Christ I thought I had it bad with a one bus,a taxi, a tram & a train to get there and a train and a 5 mile walk home - Christ you flew in from Germany,more power to yer!!!!! - Thats for your epic journey mate