Pavilion Theatre, Brighton, Saturday, 31st March 2007

Perhaps it's me. Perhaps I'm still drunk. But. This was't up to to standard of the Old Market in Hove. Sorry, I'll do this wen I'm sober. Please fiil in

True, but it would be difficult to match that. Young Gnomes has just gone to bed very happy having spent the gig in front of Eleni's keyboard & having caught her eye conspicuously during Wright Stuff. Rascal. As far as I recall (and I'm not good at this sort of thing) it included:

Senior Twilight Stock Replacer
Pacifying Joint
Fall Sound
My Door is always Open
Grass Grow
Sparta FC
The Wright Stuff
Reformation
White Lightning
Blindness

though not necessarily in that order. It was a bit moody - I didn't think they'd come back from the first exit & was completely delighted that they got as far as they did. I was with someone who missed Hove and he couldn't believe it was so much better.

Nice to meet you Sam & Toby & SuperSeagulls (& it was Sam I saw at Hove - you were the big one)

I (and my son) love Karl

& sorry I didn't catch up with you Phil - I don't know what happened there. All the best.

Third gig reference to Basingstoke in a row.

Thanks for the Holsten Mark.

Lovely man.

Jonathan and Robert had a very good evening.

Thanks for the lift Mark forgot to thank you.

Quite simply the distilled essence of rock n roll. Was Hove really better than this?



The event started with a wonderful video featured a totally fucked up recording of Lauren Laverne, James Brown and Deep Purple. From the off this band just let rip.



Two encores later the crowd were totally cowed. Everyone coming out round me was babbling about how great the gig was. The final encore - Blindness - went on for a good 10 minutes and was as great a live experience as I've ever had.

MES did the handing-the-microphone-into-the-crowd thing on a few of the songs. I ended up with the thing and was just inanely chanting "check the record check the record check the guy's track record" whilst that insane Blindness bassline kept on repeating.

The first encore was a brilliant version of Sparta FC. I cannot tell you how much I love that song.

Amazing. Just get out and see them deliver the stuff live. Blows 99% of their competitors completely out of the water. I cannot imagine a world without the unique and extraordinary Mark E Smith. A true maverick and the real deal in a world of careerists and dilettantes. Trends come, trends go but Mark E Smith just keeps ploughing his furrow and when they hit the spot they really hit the spot. This transcends some fucking naff notion of rock n roll. The Fall are the ultimate garage band and what they do is art.

"if you can't deliver it like a garage band, fuck it."

What a night!

Ignore set list after Grass Grow. No MTN Energi, Systematic of Freaks. The encore was Blindness. MES very unhappy with sound engineers. It sounds pretty good to me though!
Karl. I owe you about 23 Redbulls. Top bloke.

Nice to meet you to swiss gnomes. Hope to see you tonight if your going?

Fascinating place, Brighton. Well, not riot-torn but windswept it was. Home of the mighty Electrelane. Non-smoking venue (and bar, downstairs). Rock 'n Roll yeah. Fall lighters (featuring bottle-opener), new badge and great assortment of new t-shirts on sale (think I'll go for the baby-blue one tonight). STSE is indeed a great opener, good seeing it evolve into a fully-fledged song. Mark that down as positve. Pity you couldn't make it, dj hollerbusch, you would have loved it. Forumites: Look forward to seeing all of you guys tonight. Logging out. I repeat. Logging out.

Oh yes, thank you for the lift, pocketsofresistance.

The unseen.

I didn't go the gig but I can review the pre-match warm-up.

I had been working all day:( Groo, what a revoltin development). However, knowing that a small libation awaited me at 6, the day was relatively painless.
A small number of forum members were to meet in the Basketmakers...one of the few proper pubs still existing in the town centre.
Present and correct were Kiespijn, Sudost36, Mjungblu, Generalist and me. I was gobbling down the HSB so pobably made little sense, sorry about that.
After a while Toby and Sam Watts showed up but the pub was heaving and so they said 'hello' and then decamped to the Waggon & Horses.
Twiglets and pistachios were consumed.
Great to meet the merry crew. Good one

when we were later at the basketmakers again twiglets were sold out...
basketmakers was 1st choice - as borderline, both places I can recommend...

what a big contrast between Hove and Brighton,
Hove more settled, Brighton more lively,
Hove build out of classic proportions, Brighton more like a seamens city withouth a blowing aspect of cheap fun (visit of the pier).
Expectations had been like yeah Hove, this calm part, and Brightion had to be brilliant and storming then.

But it was reverse, yesterday.
We got a gig broken into portions - more a walk on/walk off dramaturgie.
Because of their sound. Reporting from the edge of the stage the sound wasnt bad at all - but a mess of sound on stage provoqued MES f*ckfinger. A quite clear comment on the men of the desk.
Why not travelling with a proper deskman then?

The brighton crowd seems to be a bit more reserved than that from Hove,
not such a melting like in the oldmarket, more like an enjoying from the dark.
Not bad but not as engaged, maybe it was like this because of the weekend - a lazyness thanks to a retirement from work. Dont know...

The opener was STSR, a marvellous opener again, soundwise some references to guest informant, the fallspeed full sound of the falls STSR indicates that The Fall are now performing a complete same levelled Fall Head Roll LIVE. Not the FHR tracks in total but the high energetic level.
A nice surprise for me during the gig - later Kiespijn told me that this was his thought as well.


After the gig I missed unfortunately all these kind option to top that night.
Prince Albert - no chairs insight.
F*ckinthebrainaway party - me, too lazy for that, sorry mates!
instead we had a last one in the basketmakers again, where all started.
twiglets were gone - but a good evening on the soutcoast.


heading to hammersmith now. yes London, I am very excited about this one.
I hope that they will serve a good sound there then.

cc - a cologne centurion.

superb show (don't see the point of the cover versions though, why not play 'garden' or some other treasures instead) and great to meet michael, gary, karl and others.
i'll get my photos up in a couple of days,
hey nice camera michael.

good evening folks, here is my review of the gig at the pav. theatre

first of all, it wasn't as good as the old market but myself and Mr Dynamik did praise a good rendition of 'My Door'.

Yet again I got a hold of the microphone when it was handed around during Blindness and Reformation, karl and myself did a fantastic duet of "Blind man... Have mercy on me" about three times

a bit dissapointed about the lack of a mosh pit I mean one did get going to the right of where I was standing up at the front but not as heavy as the one at the old market.

And I also got a fall t-shirt for the evening priced £12 one with the RPTLC album cover on the front in red (I wanted blue but they didn't do it in my bloody size)

I've Just loaded a few more pics from this gig on my Flickr site access it Here N.B there are still some from the old market gig on here

Don't worry, it was great talking to You and your pals in Hove. I was getting a bit run down by this gig (Too many full english breakfasts not enough salad) so I didn't make myself known to very many people. Did talk some absolute drunken drivel to Mohican Karl though for which I can only apologise.
Obviously this gig wasn't as great as Hove but it was still one of my favourites from recent years. Brighton has been great fun and my thanks go out to whoever it was that recommended the fish and chips at The Regency (opposite the wrecked pier).

Possibly me...but anyway - glad you liked it. They run a tight ship on that chippy. The fish is ultra fresh and very well cooked. Sometimes I could do with more chips but thats because I'm a greedy bastard. I knock brighton a lot cuz I remeber it from the olden days...when HMV stocked good records and Sydney Street was half empty...apart from 3 record shops, a butchers and a fishmonger (remember them?) God thats a long time ago.

Possibly me...but anyway - glad you liked it. They run a tight ship on that chippy. The fish is ultra fresh and very well cooked. Sometimes I could do with more chips but thats because I'm a greedy bastard.

This forum needs more chip shop reviews.

My usual collection of backs of heads...






Mark demonstrates how to swallow a microphone

An audience member asks MES for permission to go to the loo.

And finally.....

At the end of the gig, I wandered down to the front. I think I was with Hanley, could have been Karl or Max, doesn't matter anyway. Because Eleanor suddenly appears back on stage, I politely asked her to "Wave for the camera"

She did

it was a pleasure to meet you.( drunken bollocks is the phrase you were searching for)