Fez Club, Reading, Wednesday, 28th March 2007

Hot off the press…

Senior Twilight Stock Replacer
Systematic Abuse
I can hear the grass grow
My Door is always Open
Pacifying Joint
Fall Sound
What About Us
White Lightning
The Wright Stuff
Sparta FC
Blindness
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Reformation (inst) (cut)

Well this is the closest I’ve ever slept to a fall gig, writing this in the IBIS in Reading 15 mins after the Fall Gruppe left the stage.

I’m down here due to work (which is a lucky coincidence!) and walked into the hotel about 7pm only to find Mr Mark E Smith in the bar, I thought about approaching him but as I was in total work attire and its not how I would want it to be so I left him to it. Ibis man indeed!

Went down to the venue after the football (!!!) and unfortunately hadn’t missed Safi who at least went straight into the fall tonight which wasn’t the case last time I’d seen him. Set list as above, generally a good (not great gig) few shenanigans although I did think that Mark had sacked Rob at one point when he told him to get off stage – it turned out that it was to prepare for the Keyboards on the Wright Stuff. The sound was really poor tonight which I think took the edge off things, Sys Abuse coming so early with such a poor sound seemed a little wasted.

My main gripe about the night was the crowd. This has happened at a few gigs recently and I really don’t understand it… Why do people spend all night at the front of a gig and then not clap/cheer/shout when the band goes off stage? What the Eff is that all about? Why also do they stand and await the encore they so ‘deserve’ without any encouragement given to the band? I know we’re getting on a bit these days and I’m not expecting the mosh pits of 20 years ago but surely you can applaud the band you’ve paid £18 to see. If not, then why bother coming or staying. The Fall is not the worst case of this I’ve seen (Mozza in Notts was ridiculous – why he did an encore I have no idea) but tonight was really poor for this too. So after 3 of us shouted for a few minutes the gruppe came back on, kicked into reformation and after 5 mins were signalled from the side of the stage. If Mark wanted more from the crowd I don’t blame him – I wouldn’t have come back on for that.

Right then, I’m off down to the bar to find Mark and get him to do an acoustic Just Step Sideways.

I'm Frank (Skinner).

a good gig, imo, but not nowhere near as good as the previous 4 i've seen on this tour (bilston, liverpool, glasgow x 2)

nice to meet a few familiar faces in the hobgoblin, & one i hadn't met before (Hi ChrisG)

crowd did seem a bit flat, i was at the front for the first 4 or 5 songs, i did try bopping about but to be truthful felt a bit knackered so i moved to the back
shit view from the back though

fuck me!!

the set list matches the set!!

Call that a set list Hanley - costs are obviously being cut

Karl ate the other half.

I was rather more sober so actually enjoyed it more than Cardiff earlier this week, had more sense to watch the group, but agree the general comment about audience apathy.

It's only the 2nd time I've seen the new group, drummer busy, interesting to see which songs Dave Spurr led with, Barbato seeming to sit out or strum along to a few. Smith had already earlier switched his amp off before unplugging it and sending him off, seemed churlish even if bordering on a misunderstanding. Otherwise a hell of a racket, lots of noise from the guitarist, who even chanced variation. Blindness was, once again, the highlight for me. Fall Sound and What About Us do nothing for me. Not sure what Smith was drawling on about at the start of the Wright Stuff ("Where were they? Basingstoke?") - I only thank the Lord he didn't veer into Insult Song! A bit crude, but I grinned to pick up - during Spart FC - him shouting "English football fans, you're just a bunch of twats!". Oh dear...

A great gig, but like Max says, overshadowed by previous goliath performances on this tour

a good night though, hobgoblins a lovely pub and it was nice meeting a fellow KW fan, Chris G

That is big news. Very big news.

Oh, the disappointment, and a sort of average show too. What is the world coming too?

Hove might be interesting/anarchic tonight then. If not, I hope Brighton and Hammersmith are.

is barbato going to be the first person to hurl MES off the stage? like darth vader throwing the emperor down that shaft thing in return of the jedi.

It was great to meet a few guys who post on this site at the pre-gig meet-up, hello to Toby and Max, hanley played a fender, Karl and all the others. Really nice people.

I haven't seen any other gig and IMHO it was superb and sounded better than the download I have of the Bilston gig. This is the best I've seen the American Fall, I would say as good as Brick Lane!

Does anyone have a recording?

I thought last night was a bit of a shambles. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing though..

Good things:
-Lots of microphone movement and knob-twiddling
-MES talking about Basingstoke roundabout
-Fall Sound! I know there've been a few bad words said about it on the record but each time I've seen it live it's been one of the best of the set
-Generally I think RPTLC works better live because the music is allowed to be more powerful and edgy, and there's opportunity for MES to expand on the (some might say lazy) minimalist lyrics
-White Lightning was better than I expected, it's one of those sort of 'trashy' Fall songs but everyone enjoyed it
-MES seemingly imitating the guitarist's "grooving" dancing
-Getting an ace position, right in the middle against the barrier..and actually getting into the venue this time.

Bad things:
-The 'encore'
-The sound quality, particularly vocals during The Wright Stuff. It was sort of hilarious though that every time Elani managed to make her voice audiable, Rob synthed over the top and drowned her out. It's odd, I've always thought the Fez to have pretty good sound..perhaps there was a new person behind the desk or something
-Systematic Abuse doesn't really work so early in the set..it was well played but I've come to realise it sounds an awful lot like Assume at times. I think it should be put at the end of the set (taking Blindness' place) and really beefed up synth-and-bass-wise
-I've grown to appreciate beardy abd the whole two-bassists thing in general but I'm still not sure about the guitarist or the drummer. I don't remember who it was on here who described the guitarist as a "Menswe@r reject" but I like that description. He dances too much, too. As for the drummer, I find his permanent grin unnerving.


All in all, it was a good night but I expect better things at Hammersmith and Oxford.

naahhh tim is ace.


I was listening to scenario today and thought that easily sounds like a Hanley-Scanlon-Wolstencroft piece...perhaps with a bit of Marcia Schofield keys. the sort of thing that the last lineup (as much as I loved them) wouldn't have been capable of producing.

I would have cheered, but I was wasted and listing heavily on the bar


Good gig, my Fall outing for the year done, although I do agree the sound was pretty poor in places. Fall Sound was hugely impressive though, well worth the admission price alone

I wouldn't have stayed for the encore, but I heard there was one coming over the security chap's walkie talkie - not that I needed to bother

This gig now up on Dime.

was talking to this tall man who said he was reviewing the gig for Virgin Media. I should've asked him where to look out for the finished article, because I've no luck finding it since.

Perhaps it never got written (he's well gone on beer// Sparta).

If you're reading this Mr Virgin Media: "hello"


For what it's worth, this gig was up there with the second night at the Zodiac, despite the mm ..passive crowd: onstage the group (including MES) seemed locked from start to finish. Best version of 'Wright Stuff' ever! !

the visuals then,

not so bad, aren't they

fantastic capture,

yeah

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