Academy 2, University, Manchester, 1st October 2005

Wanted to be the first!... Just returned from the gig. Great to see "Sold Out" signs on the doors on the way in. Show time was 10pm, with a curfew of 11.00. I'll leave it to others to give the setlist, but IMO this was a SUPERB gig- one of the best Fall shows I've seen in 20-something years. The band was on top form, as was MES, despite a couple of theatrical trips on stage, much to Ben's amusement.
It was like they knew they only had 60m, so they wanted to get it all in- milli-seconds between songs a la Ramones!
If the rest of the tour is like this, everyone's in for a treat!!....anyway, off to listen to the DAT........

WOW.
Errrr... Just got in about 20 mins ago so I'll add a proper review when I get me barings.

Just got in and wanted to say what a great gig that was.

When we 1st got there we thought the fall had got popular all off a sudden but it was a massive line for CKY at the academy 1.

Venue totally packed with touts selling tickets outside for £30. Band on top form. and I am totally knackered....

Time for bed and the 1st thing I must do tomorrow is transfer the mini-disc.

Superb!

Just got back having had a curry in Rusholme.

Not sure about set list, but opened with Bo Doodak, included Blindness , Pacifying Joint, Ride Away, Touch Sensitive, Sparta FC, Mountain Energi, Curious Orange + others

Encores White Lightening, Boxotoxis

Mark never acknowledged the audience - excellent

Where is Wrexham ?

Right, I'll try and recall as much as I remember.

People I met (sorry if I forget anyone - Shite with names, me)

Clayts
Toby
Pomfob (and loud but nice pal)
Cadishead Acidhead
Genralist
Athlete Not Cured (Not cured, but sure pissed!)
fallfandave
Steve Hamilton

Wahay! Don't let ANYONE tell you the Fall are not on form at the min. That was a kickarse gig, make no mistake. Highlights have gotta be Pacifying Joint (only track on the album that hasn't grown on me, no doubt will now become a fave) Wrong Place, Right Time, Touch Sensitive and a shit-hot version of What About Us?.
Marks vocals on the night were the best I've heard for a long time. He sang like the MES we expect. Did I mention Sparta? Fuck, I thought I would be bored of this but tonight Mark sang it soooo well and the band rocked like mo'fos
Midnight Aspen sounds great live too, even if Ben fucked up the chords more than once (He was superb tonight). Elena looked as wonderfull as ever, of course. You know I don't think Mark had even sniffed a pint either, which might be why he remembered all the words.
Best improv goes to Mountain Energi, where MES starts singing about.... Fuck, I can't remember at the sec, but it'll come to me.

Hey, I thought they couldn't improve on Middleton, but this might top it. I got smacked in the face (accidently I hope) in the mosh pit (!!) but who cares? The crowd were wild, the sound was excellent throughout and the venue itself couldn't have been better. I even bought myself a few badges for 50p a piece from the fallshop.
T-Shirts looked better up close then on the site (The shop had these as well as the orange spata ones) but still not fond of the design.

Errr... Thats about it, I think. I'll say more when Clayts whacks the setlist up (I know he got a pic of it as I was stood behind our longhaird mod at the time!)

You what??
Either I'm deaf or you mean a song of the album (Wrong Place, Right Time)

Excellent stuff - they started bang on time, the band were really tight and MES was definitely on form, sounds like Rotterdam was just a warm up.

Blindness could have done with a bit more bass volume for me but on the whole they sounded fantastic and packed a great set into an hour

Yeah, the only average performance of the gig - Still, it's a small negative.
You *must* catch them on this tour, esp if every performance packs this much punch. Tell you what though, me feet are killin' me.

You what??
Either I'm deaf or you mean a song of the album (Wrong Place, Right Time)

Yes, you've got me there - delaberate mastyke?

I musn't post when I'm tired and emotional.

Did I say that those nice people from Action Records were selling FHR -got my copy, about to give it its first listen.

i didnt actually spend much time in the sardine tin listening to the fall... i get claustrophobic... well sort of... i just find it depressing in a crush like that..wall to wall... anyway i roamed the bar trying to sell fanzines... but evryone was a bit tight for money so i didnt sell many...

got chatting with mark's lovely sister caroline... she really is the nicest person...

Any knob twiddling going on? I mean onstage, not when you got home.

ahem, dimeadozen anyone???

I've only met Caroline once and she was ferocious. She told me I was not a proper Fall fan. Was she right?

All thanks to Mr Altfish, without whom, I would have been ticket-less.

Who said the Blindness bass line was weak. Stand up! You must have been in an acoustic blind spot. Where I was standing, the bass was making the back of my skull vibrate.

Isn't it nice to be alive in the Age of Mark E Smith. Just think if you're going to be born in 3009 you will never see the Fall as (a)live as they were last night.

This man has presence, strolling on the stage post musical intro and picking the worse mike (on purpose) so you can't hear him. The amount of presence he has is an antithesis to lack of presence inherent in 99% of other artists. Take for example the Killdozer/Beefheart front man of the support band. His only presence was his constant cigarette, prop over presence. While Mark appears apparition, manifestation, shade, specter, spirit, supernatural being, wraith, a figure of history, in history as a chimney sweeping boy in 1797, a medieval monk walled up for heresy in 1015, an Alchemist in 892 creating a pre-Frankenstein homunculus.

It was nearly all new song but isn't that the way they Fall? I'd only heard snippets of the new album and here I was sandwiched, sober, between Very Drunk Man and Very Dancey Man on the edge of the pit. Those tempo changes sure do fool those moshers. Everything was powerful in sound and vocal delivery and there were some great keyboard textures clear and present for a change. It was almost the Organic Rhythm Machine of Hanley/Burns that rolled behind Smith like a tank all those years ago but not quite. Maybe it was the lack of head nodding. New songs twitched my legs old favorites nodded my head. They did a perfect hour to comply with the curfew when teenage students turn into imps with needles for fingers. I was so pleased they didn't do Mr Pharmacist as that would of pushed the slam boys right into my ankles.

And Heads Roll for £12 from the lovely Action Records Lady. I've glued it into my Walkman. Not a bad track on it. Pacifying Joint is my latest and greatest Fall song.

Ah ha, last night I saw it for a second or two as the primeval bass merged with Drums from Before Christ and the Abbey Organ in a Dark Wood melted with the Minstrel in a Suit's guitar, Velvet Lou Reed; I saw it as Smith came stage right, a shadow singing, haloed by a blue stage light and wailing like the Hanged Man. I saw something - a dimness, a relic of a dog, a shade just glimpsed in the dust of peripheral vision, something moving in another dimension, an impression that touches you and then is gone.

Crowd reaction? "Good evening, we are The Fall"?

well she congratulated me on putting together such a fine fanzine, and that mark would be proud to have such loyal and supportive fans... and said rob waite had done stirling work on the old fanzine.

well something like that

I am stood up, I'm just short.

It was a minor quibble, I love that bassline and it could have done with a bit more oomph from where I was - left wall, about a third of the way back.

There was minor knob twiddling, MES had 3 microphones to play with but still wandered off with Eleni's for a bit.

I didn't catch the "Good Evening..." - anybody?

Yes there was a 'Good Evening. We are The Fall' seven utterances in, it was on the crap mike as above.

FUCKING HELL ! THE FALL PLAY HEAVY METAL. THAT WAS AS LOUD AS IVE HEARD THEM,AND AS BUSY.NOT OVER PLEASED WITH THE VENUE, STRUGGLED TO GET A DRINK OR A PISS.THOUGHT THE SOUND WAS GOING TO BE CRAP AFTER FIRST SONG, COULDNT HEAR MES AT ALL.
HIGHLIGHTS WERE WITHOUT DOUBT MIDNIGHT ASPEN,P.JOINT AND A ROUSING BOX TO FINISH WITH.
WENT IN LASS O GOWRIE ABOUT 830 FOR A QUICK PINT, PLACE WAS BUSY.MY MATE ASKED A BLOKE IN A WHITE DRAGNET T-SHIRT DIRECTIONS TO GIG.IS THAT ANYONE OFF HERE ?
ROLL ON IRISH CENTRE.

well she congratulated me on putting together such a fine fanzine, and that mark would be proud to have such loyal and supportive fans... and said rob waite had done stirling work on the old fanzine.

well something like that

Wonderful stuff!! Over the top but wonderful.

What does the last word mean?

homunculus means little man and has something to do with alchemy..I think.

Yeah, it was me

It was like a celebration, Martin. Thats the best way to describe it.

Not that I noticed buddy - And when I got home I was too knackered to pull a pint, so to speak, so no chance of any spanky monkey

Just to echo many of the views above. Hard to find fault with last night's gig.

A bit of feedback on the vocals on the opener was quickly remedied and the band proceeded to romp faultlessly through a great setlist. Mark seemed to be sober and needed at least two mikes to impose his authority on most of the songs!

Thought Mountain Energei was superb, other standouts were Pacifying joint, Sparta, Clasp Hands and the storming Box finale.

Struggling to think of any negatives. They could have been on longer but it was an action packed hour so can't complain too much. Oh and was looking forward to 'Ya wanner' which they didn't do.

Will definitely be making the effort to get to another date on the tour after that.

What was the new one they played between Midnight Aspen and White Lightning? Haven't got the new LP yet unfortunately.

was it 'Assume'? . That was excellent too come to think of it but can't remember the running order too well at the mo.