Carling Academy, Islington, London — 1st night, Tuesday, 17th July 2007

Started around 10pm.

Senior Twilight Stock Replacer
Over! Over!
Pacifying Joint
Theme From Sparta FC
Fall Sound
A track off the current album during which MES went offstage
Wrong Place Right Time
Mountain Energei
My Door Is Never
Elena's Eurovision Entry
Another New One
Krautrock White Lightning
-----
What About Us

I realised I hadn't been playing the new album much from the fact I couldn't recognise the one he walked off during.

Mountain Energei was tortuous, starting with MES rummaging about for lyric sheets, then just ad libbing about that, struggling with the 2 lines he could remember, then suddenly after about 5 minutes he remembered the whole thing and jogged through it whilst the band ran on ahead to the finish with evident relief.

He left during the Elena song as well - I've made that title up, since she did all the vocals, and it was nothing like a Fall song apart from having MES' band performing it. He turned up at the end to fiddle with the microphones, apparently trying to get one of them over the drumkit, and bellowed a little, but otherwise did nothing for that one.

Krautrock White Lightning was just that - the band churning out a solid motorik noise which the WL lyrics were shouted over the top of. Truly weird.

There might have been another encore but I left after they started WAU.

I have absolutely no idea who the band were, apart from that they featured 1 guitarist, 1 bassist, and a drummer, along with Elena on keyboard. I lost track of the names after Ben Pritchard's departure.

Did you enjoy it?
I can't wait for Thursday.
Was it full? Horrible place.

"Enjoy"?? This is The Fall!

No Blindness.

That's not right.

There might have been one as a second encore, I didn't stay to see it.

Encore was Blindness, and the new song is called Ponto.

Now go to bed in your "half educated manor".

More like Panto

broken glass on top of suspension free bus sums up Fall performance

Still The Fall though!

mmm...... I'm glad I didn't bother going in the end. Gave my ticket away.

Overall it was a poor Fall gig. Not the worst but all a bit by numbers. It started fairly tightly but drifted off. Even Blindess didn't pull it back round. It was sluggish never really getting into the groove.

I left feeling a bit disappointed which I havn't done for a while.

On the positive side, it wasn't sold out so there was plenty of room (upstairs was shut). It wasn't too hot despite the temperature outside and the smoking ban seemed to have worked because my clothes were smoke free when I arrived home.

I thought it was the worst Fall gig I've seen for some time. The band was lacklustre, and I am now getting tired of hearing some of those same old songs. Why on earth has "What About Us?" reappeared? I'm heartily sick of it. I do worry that they've hit a bit of a creative block - if they've been in the studio recently working on a new album then surely there must be more to show for it than those half-arsed doodlings they did last night.

I'm not going tonight, but will be back on Thursday...!

I'm a bit of a newbie round these parts and maybe not quite as passionate a fan as some of you guys, but hey ho I love the Fall and have about a million albums by them and have had the honour of recording one of them-but I'm going to be controversial. HAS MARK E SMITH "JUMPED THE SHARK"?!!!!
I was at the gig in Islington last night, my fourth gig in a year and I'm afraid it really wasn't great. I've always liked the idea that he keeps the band on their toes by sacking them every now and then, but we've now got the situation where he is surrounded by scared "yes men". To be edgy, abrasive and exciting I'm afraid you need someone to fight back, at the moment it's like Mark is a big flinty stone surrounded by marshmallows, jellies and teddy bears, he needs another rock to spark off. It's an impossible position I realise, the dream of Steve Hanley, Craig Scanlon and Karl Burns returning probably won't happen but it would certainly give Mark E someone to rub up against. After a few beers last night I reckon what we should do is have a whip round and book Jack Bruce on bass, Tom Verlaine on guitar and Tommy Lee on drums, then lock them and Mark E smith into a studio for a week and see what happens,I'm sure the resultant "Chemistry" would be pretty interesting- I'd buy it!
While I'm being generally controversial; can somebody explain who or what the guy is who stands on stage with a laptop and farts about is for? If I put a 4 year old on stage with a sequencer and Final Cut Pro or whatever it would come up with something better. I seems to be part of the ritual of a Fall gig, but why? At least last night the front of house guy had the taste to keep him out of the PA, it was quite funny standing having a beer and a chat while this distant racket filtered out from the onstage monitors. He seemed to be having a great time deafening himself!
OK I've stirred it enough, be gentle with me!

Another stunning performance by the Fall. Superb. Alright, a new Fall, so cut those guys some slack. Air conditioning unit set to sub-zero temperatures - nice! Gave me a headache, though. Better than wilting at the 93 Ft anytime. Lots of regular attendees conspicuous by their absence. Am considering getting one of the blue shirts tonight. Fantastic 'Reformation' backdrop. Must have been one of the best versions of 'Blindness' ever. Fall Sound another highlight. Eleni's singing on IBD - it just isn't for me. Sued-Ost, mate, did you make it to the venue? Hope he did. Nice chap. How anyone can let/make a guitarist like Tim go is beyond me. Guitar solos and twangy Duane Eddy guitars just don't do it for me, Mr new guitarist man. Crowd response wasn't too enthusiastic - they came back for an encore anyway. Best thing about the show: Mark's little rant.

Thank you, Gruppe.

From London, I'm the unseen.

Don't get me started.

You what? Are the Zs meant to be a comment on the gig or me?

First of all:

A strange, but very nice gig.

Line-up:
MES
ELENI
KEIRAN
THE EAGLE
PETE
SAFI

A heartly welcome, something with "cheshire cheese", nice intro rap before MOUNTAIN ENERGIE(standing behind the amps, reading from a paper).
New instrumental(Ponto?)-highlight!
Eleni's song better than I thought...apart from...
Mics in the front always powerless, but I like seeing Mark barking in the air!
Strange audience!
Only me and two other guys clapping before encore. I would have stayed backstage...
Gig got better and better...
Lots of "Hit me, Hit me's"
Nice accompany of Mark at end of "I am duped": "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"
Eleni making funny gestures while performing!
New gesture by Mark: Arm to the left, spread pinky and the Carolin Reiber-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....
"unknown song": strange town with elves-wanna be your dog-riff
and: nice knob-twiddling(vol up and down with pete)
nice shirt(hand made!)
and and and and....
later more
loggin off from london
i am the deej

You what? Are the Zs meant to be a comment on the gig or me?

What do you think after reading my review?

You what? Are the Zs meant to be a comment on the gig or me?

What do you think after reading my review?

I think you're clearly mad as a bun

Easily the worst Fall gig I've seen. Granted, the line-up's new and not yet bedded in but there was just such a lack of edge to the whole thing.

The Fall have always been the most uncompromising, fresh and innovative live act in the world. But now we get songs three albums old (Mountain Energie, Sparta FC) while Pacifying Joint and What About Us? are almost as stale. The plodding, tokenism of Wrong Place Right Time was frankly embarrassing and even Blindness, majestic and mesmerising at Hammersmith, sounded almost banal here.

And when you consider that the "new" songs consist of two which barely feature MES at all and a cover version, it doesn't bode well for the future.

The RPTLC songs like Over! Over! Fall Sound and My Door were okay but I'm concerned that the Fall are in danger of turning into the sort of perfunctory, everyday act they've always striven so brilliantly to be the absolute antithesis of.

I dearly hope I'm wrong and will be back on Friday to find out.

are there any support bands for these gigs? ... I'm going tonight and wondering whether it's worth getting in the venue before 9:30

The reviews seem to be pretty negative on the whole. Personally I thought Heads Roll was good but not great and Reformation poor. So if they are playing material mostly from those two albums it's not the greatest material.

I do agree there needs to be a 'group' rather than session men drafted in here and there. I think MES sees things differently, which is our loss.

Very good gig.

Started a bit slow but ended with one of the best Blindness's I will ever hear.

Very enjoyable, and more of the same please.

Clearly many of you above don't get out much. Go back to your night in front of Eastenders.

"and even Blindness, majestic and mesmerising at Hammersmith, sounded almost banal here."

OR

"ended with one of the best Blindness's I will ever hear."

You decide