Forum, Kentish Town, London, 20th May 2005 (merged)

I can't make it.
Please review it for me!

Ah good, I don't have to start the thread myself...

I haven't seen the gig yet, I will post a review when it happens, but let's get one thing clear...

The tracklisting I will post up will be THE ACTUAL SET OF SONGS PLAYED, LISTED IN THE ORDER PLAYED. This is because I jot down the songtitles as we go along on a special notepaper, and use that in writing the forum post later on.

The last Fall gig I went to (Islington Academy) they happened to play "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" and "Wrong Place Right Time" separately, not in a medley, not even in sequence I don't think. So I put the setlist accordingly, and then some squirt turned up on this here forum saying I "must have made a mistake". Furthermore, I think the setlist in the gigography may be accordingly incorrect, though I'm not sure if it's the same night that I saw.

So let's not have any more nonsense. My setlists are entirely accurate and correct. Don't go telling me that they "must be wrong" or whatnot.

I suggest booing loudly when they do I Can Hear the Grass Grow.

As it happens I can't post up a setlist, as the band had not gone on stage by 10.30 (scheduled to go on at 10.00) and so I walked out. I will not be going to any more Fall gigs this year.

Also, I don't think I'll bother buying a copy of the new album, I can just download the files off Soulseek without any cash going to Mark E.Smith, which is compensation for paying to see The Fall and ending up watching John Fucking Cooper Bastard Clarke, the methadone Monkhouse, who should just be dragged off to the Radio 4 Home For Unendurable Northern "Characters", along with Roger McGough and Ian MacMillan.

If anyone reading this is in the band or close to them, could you pass on the news that there were quite a few people there who'd paid to see The Fall for the first time, and they aint fans thanks to what happened. And it werent just me who walked out.

Poignant moment of the night (in retrospect): I popped in to the Bull&Gate next door, just before the doors opened at 7, and I overheard some old bloke saying to his mates "I've never seen them before... dunno what they're like live... great records...." I felt like leaning over and saying: "The gigs are either brilliant or terrible. I've seen both sorts. They don't do "average". "

Tonight was terrible.

The thing was, I'd seen them go on very late in the past, and it usually means MES is inebriated beyond control and/or fracas in the band. Reading Festival '99 was tragic viewing. It doesn't mean they won't do good gigs in the future. But I'm not in the mood for see right now.

Heist were good, though.

Jon, can't imagine what it's like to be you..No offence intended. Try to have a bit more fun..life is short.

That's why I walked out.

I just can't believe it could be THAT bad..but am glad you are not avoiding fun..

Well, let's see. The band were supposed to be on at 10. There had been no sign of them half an hour later. Even if they'd gone straight on at that point we'd be looking at a shorter-than-usual set. And from my experience a late start usually means a shoddy performance (that's how it always happens to me, anyway). So I just couldn't be fucking bothered anymore.

I'm really sorry I couldn't manage more gratitude for this wonderful experience, but I am unemployed and I forked out £10 for the ticket because I thought The Fall were a great live band. I thought the shitty years of late starts and collapsing lineups were behind us. And I think they pissed on me, and a load of other people who were there to give them a hearing.

Oh I'm sure they played a fantastic 40 minute set the very second after I left the building. Go on, tell me how wrong I am. Were you there, by the way?


NB. I was in a jolly, jovial mood when I wrote my very first post on this thread, before the evening's events. I was fully expecting a great show. I went out after a quick play through a live CD of a gig they did a few months back, with lots of ace new tunes in.

Calm down there pappy, no I was not there..You are well entitled to your opinion.. Fair enough?

JonN mate - It sounds like a bastard, I know what it's like being on your arse finacially and still paying out money for something you love.... I'm genuinly sorry you had a shitty night.

Oh, and if your gonna download stuff, don't use soulseek - Virus happy

They came on at about 10.50 I reckon.
MES copped a plastic glass straight away but took it well!
There was on stage filming going on and the young lad with the camera was literally circling MES as he sang.
Words were spoken and the lad took a step back.
The place was packed as I had anticipated.
Even the upstairs seats were full.
Bo Doodak
Clasp Hands
Theme from Sparta
What about us
Mountain Energie
Then I had to leave to get my train home
It IS a big pain in the arse when they come on this late.
You pay your money and get half a show.
But MES looked good in a brown casual zip up and grey slax and the band were on form.
I met Clayts, Steve Hamilton, Tom Damo, Generalist ,Mark,R Totale and some West Ham bloke with powderkeks who looks like Peter Kay.

Well.

They came on at about 10.50, to some relieved cheers and a few understandable boos.

MES was fiddling with amps from the off. It all sounded pretty sludgy to me, though Sparta was decent. New stuff sounded ok but not inspiring, Mountain Energei and Janet, Johnny and James also aired, the latter probably my surprise favourite of the night, since at least there's a bit of bleedin' guitar playing to listen to.

I made no notes so may be wrong, but I think Touch Sensitive was the only pre-COTC thing they played.

More placcy glass/can throwing at the stage than I'm used to seeing at a Fall gig, perhaps an expression of being made to wait till nearly 11 'o'clock and sit through overlong JCC support set.

And then there was the encore.

The band come out and strike up Blindness, which sounds great. A minute in, no MES. About five bastard minutes in, no MES. Ben clearly had enough, puts down his guitar, the others follow him off, except Spencer (is it Spencer? not certain of personnel these days) who keeps drumming. Ben and Steven (?) come back on, play angrily for a minute, no Eleni now and still no MES. They give up. Gig over.

This was about the seventh or eighth time I'd seen The Fall (over a 16 year period), and the biggest venue/crowd. It's the first time I've left disappointed.

So I didn't miss much when I left then

I'll post this quick while this f***ed pc still works (hackers, I'm not a violent person...but if I ever meet one of you) before it goes to that showroom in the sky...

It was an average gig...and yes MES is a spoilt child making the band wait to go onstage so late (they were milling about at the back of the stage from around 10.30).

What the f*** is so rock 'n' roll about making everybody wait?

MES - it did not increase the tension and exitement...I'm sure I was not the only one getting bored and pissed off while I waited. For god's sake man, get a grip...

OK gripe over - there were so some storming performances.

Good to see The Fall playing The Forum again.

However the big venue and cavernous sound meant I kept harking back to what I saw at the smaller Brighton venue.

I'm sorry to say a couple of the new numbers don't make it for me either...but I guess it'll all make sense when the new album comes out.

One encore only, Blindness, and erm, a blinding performance by the band on that.

Good job, as MES didn't bother to come back on stage.

Eleni looked pissed off about this...and about, I think, a cup of water thrown near the wires of her keyboard (she went around to sort this out I think).

Further 'evidence' that Eleni may have been annoyed about MES not coming back for the encore...

Ben was showing signs of impatience and "where's MES" glances...at a nod they walked off, and we got what might have been the first Fall drum solo!

It was good really, just Spencer keeping the beat going rather than any daft fancy tom-tom stuff or anything too 'un-Fall'.

They came back, but no Eleni, no MES. Bass and guitar left ringing. A fan congratulated me on managing to hit the stage with my (empty I should add) water bottle after the house lights came up. Met a couple of other fans when I sold my spare ticket (local guitarist I sort of know was going to come along, but he went into hibernation again, and the friend who was going to come with me originally left it as he's going to AA, and The Fall make him want to drink...he certainly would have wanted to have a drink while he waited for them).

In all, a good gig, but this silly 'keep 'em waiting', and 'do a short set in the time left before midnight, make 'em want more' is short changing the fans to be honest, and MES should grow up a bit.

Yes I know, maybe I should lighten up too, but unless you go along and get drunk (not all of us can afford hotels after we miss last trains home, so driving is a good idea), patience does get stretched, and you find yourself less accommodating of MES whims...

Glad to hear R Totale's still about, I was wondering where he'd gone!

They went onstage at 10.52. Played for 70 minutes, and were fucking blinding.

No offence y'all, but walking out on a Fall gig due to a late arrival seems a little silly.

That was probably the best first half of a set I've seen from 'em, the late arrival meant they were really out of the traps fast. They were very tight throughout, and less of the awkward Ben / Spencer / Steve looking at each other moments.

The amount of shit thrown onstage was completely appalling. Did a fairly good job of dodging them, and seemed in a good mood, pointing and waving to someone in the crowd at one point.

A totally revamped What About Us was my highlight of the evening, just breathtaking.

No encores, Blindness was the last track played, it worked really well, just Spencer, Ben and Steve. MES didn't come out for the song, the rest of the band left after about five minutes in, Spencer was left to showcase his unique playing style for a bit, then Ben and Steve came on the finish the job.

Setlist was, in a rough order...

I'm Bo Doodak
Sparta FC
Clasp Hands
Ride Away
Mountain Energei
What About Us
Pacifying Joint
I Can Hear The Grass Grow
Janet, Johnny and James
Assume
New one which I've certainly not heard before
Touch Sensitive
Blindness

The gig was awesome but too late and too short. Kind of like my review (except the "awesome" bit).

P.S. I mean it - I don't see how people can grumble about what they played. (Other than, perhaps, the disappointing non-entry of MES for Blindness. But then his absence revealed what a good dance track it is - all credit to the rest of the current band.)

P.S. Dear forum, your clock's off by one hour from UK time. It's 3:17am and I'm knackered - don't you love night buses - but it was worth it.

The Fall were abosutely fucking brilliant.

Heist, bless em, were fucking shit, but not in a horrible way. Just as I was praying that they don't do Abba, the opening strains of Fernando appear. They were cheered though, although it was still relatively empty when they played.

JCC was lovable as ever, he does the support act bit really well. By then it was completely full.

The wait was enormous, the anticipation and excitement and tension palapable and intense. The music played before they came on was intstrumental in this - getting more and more bass-heavy. Time passed and whenever anyone (eg roadie) walked on stage, people cheered in expectation. After a chinese millenia of dashed hopes everything went beserk when they came on and started Bo Doodak. MES came on to massive applause of course and faced the confrontation - very upfront, right at the front of the stage, smiling a lot, looking totally in control of things..during the song he sang "We are very happy..to be in the metropolis again". His performance as such, holding the stage, was very much up to the enormity of the event (The Forum is a big, beautiful venue, the crowd massive). The glasses thrown at him had a kind of appreciative dimension in my eyes - bullseye! - he took it all on the chin and smiled his way through it, all the time delivering something as near to greatness as I've ever seen in The Fall.

The sound was very, very very loud, the bass very loud in particular. It didn't suit Heist at all but the strength of MESs voice and of course the music was up to the challenge as such.

The first part of the set, apart from Sparta FC, seemed largely composed of the newer stuff and so sounded really fresh. The energy in the band was reflected in the dancing and was excellent. Ride Away created a really great space within the barrage of aggressive noise. When they did Touch Sensitive it sounded quite tired though. I Can Hear The Grass Grow and Mountain Energei are both very upbeat songs aswell though so the mood stayed up.

Actually later in the set I had the impression that the band were being a bit automata-like. They were very focused and tight, but it seemed at one point like they were possessed by the spirit of Kraftwerk.

The last (lengthy) song they did was completely new to these ears, the lyrics including the phrase 'You're making good progress', and lots of repeats of what sounded like 'you are, you are..'. A BRILLIANT song. Mid-fast paced, spoken-type delivery a bit like Distilled Mug Art but with intense band performace. Mesmerising.

The encore was incredible. He just gave it over to the band. They played Blindness forever without it losing momentum because of the permutations of phrasing given to it. Of course the whole thing was replete with the expectation of MES coming on and he never did but it was one of those utterly unique Fall moments..the band were so disciplined it was like THEIR moment, given over to them. There seemed like a mood of expectation-disappointment-resignation-and-subsequent-enjoyment about MESs non-appearance in this.

A momentous occasion.

I'm another who walked out before the Fall came on - and another who won't darken the Fall door again. 10.50pm - no Fall - my last train to the provinces leaves at 11.45pm - and I had to get across town to catch it.
I realise Smith doesn't give a flying fuck about things like that - but there you are. Some of us live in the real world.

It isn't the first time they have come on late by any means so I would have gone prepared as I have done the past couple of Fall London gigs and drove in rather than risk getting in my case the 11.30 last train back.

Did anyone else notice the blood streaming down MES's forehead after he took a plastic glass straight on the nut as he walked on?

I was a bit concerned it might have turned into a Terry Butcher-type bandage incident, or worse still MES could easily have walked off straight away never to return.

In the end he called for a towel and bravely wiped the blood away, whilst periodically checking for fresh blood from the wound for a while after.

I suppose he deserved to be pelted after coming on so late. At a guess, it may also explain why he never came back on for the encore, so no vocals on Blindness and no Big New Prinz at all.

A pretty good gig anyway - not the best, not the worst (I was at the Dingwalls in '98 after all...). Took a Fall debutant along and happily he's now hooked!

That's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard. Any Fall fan knows the situation, so if you don't like it don't go!!

And I might be wrong, but where on your ticket does it say they'll go on at 10pm??!!

Stage times are only ever a guide, that's all.

I'm surprised that someone so skint would waste something that cost you that sort of money...

If you want a band that follows the rules, I suggest you try following Athlete or someone.

Very strange.

How many artists actually come on at the appointed time? You have to be reasonable about these things...

Very few in my experience.