Manchester Academy 2, Saturday, 28th June 2008

What a gig!, a great laugh too, the guy next to me who kept getting pushed up on stage, lost his trainer and came back for it at the end of the gig, I saw him later walking out with just his socks on.

Mark in great form, but due to the effing student union, the setlist was too small. Who caught the lyric sheets that Mark threw ???? (I'm guessing they were lyric sheets)

One Hour

One introduction by Alan Wise, reading Tommy Shooter lyrics

Playful & relaxed MES

Crowd at the front having lots of fun, with some making it onto the stage a few times.

No Blindness, No Mr Pharmacist; very short Pacifying Joint.

Good gig. Not the best but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Met Hex En Hour who's a throughly decent bloke (by the way mate, your wife's a piece. Hope you don't mind me saying!).

Shame there was no Blindness or Tommy Shooter but both band and MES were on great form.

Very enjoyable gig with our own GLPL. 10-12 songs with the highlight being about 12 mins of Can Can Summer with some Von Sud lines thrown in for good measure. Everyone seemed on good form and everyone around seemed to enjoy it.

Plan on a full reveiw tomorrow

Some photos.... none too brilliant but other people seemed ot be taking better ones. For now...











Set included Wings, 50 Year Old Man, Reformation, Can Can Summer, Latch Key Kid, I've Been Duped (Mark passed Elena a microphone as hers wasn't working) White Lightning and some others. Encore (after the lights had gone on) was a brief mess around.

I was very very sick on the way home, but that's the only bad thing from the night - better out than in anyway. Group were great, though definitely better on the IWS tracks. Glad there was no Blindness, Sparta et al - only White Lightning as an oldie. I thought Can Can Summer was a bit of a stand out - didn't MES say something about the imagination of a rat in the quiet bit?

Do slightly regret being talked out of buying a ludicrously overpriced Fall triple LP compilation that I've already got every track on it multiple times on the grounds that "I don't need it". On the other hand, later on in the week when I have 30 quid but only have Pay Your Rates four times, perhaps I will be glad that I don't have it a fifth time.

Must go to sleep and get better

thanks for the photos

Excellent night. Took 3 people all new to The Fall who had a good time. Best I've seen this line up, just wish it had gone on longer! Can Can Summer was stand out.

Blindness was on set list; but curfew excluded it

Whats the deal with the curfew thing? I don't understand.

It was good.

Really enjoyed white lightning for once. Reformation was fun with a smirking MES ignoring stage diving antics. Pity mix wasn't better, just sounded a bit muddy. Maybe my cloth ears

Strangelove impressario 'explained'.

The Academy's running time lists are always useful, they help you leave the bar in time to see the band, but I didn't expect the lights to come on!

A good gig, a happy band!

Indeed he did, his boss apparently had an imagination of a rat.

Hope you're feeling better pal, and trust me you don't need that £30 potentially crap pressing of something you already have a million times. Why not buy 2G+2 like me so that you have more new Fall product to not listen to in favour of the good stuff

I'm sure thats Ray Parlour (bottom left)

Well thats me bottom right, not my best side

surprised not more has been said of the encore.

with the curfew past, the PA had been turned off, the lights were up and 'can't get enough' playing with perhaps half the crowd had left/were leaving.

the band came out and played exploding chimney (quietly with no PA but with much ferocity) over the top of can't get enough. elena seemed to be running the vocal mic through a guitar pedal in order for mark's vocals to be heard. it was rather fun.


I thought it was a good gig, mes gave a very measured (in a good way) performance.

a slight dip in the middle with a messy i've been duped. however the opening few songs and particularly the run of latch key kid/can can summer/pacifying joint/ and a chaotic reformation (with mes telling the crowd to 'stay as long as you want') was jaw dropping.

I got the impression he was encouraging certain people up onto the stage at times.

I knew a crowd phot would flush a few people out - Mr Hex, I think I know who you are now!!

It wasn't your ears-Academy 2 is a shit venue and the acoustics are terrible. The snare sound was particularly bad.BUT what a great gig and the sound didn't spoil it too much. Good to see Over Over back in the set and no Safi!
The thing that spolit it was the 'encore'.Loads of people left when the house lights came on,and the security wouldn't let themback into the hall when the band came back on. 1 guy pushed hrough and was wrestled to the ground by 3 staff and chucked out. Not that he missed anything.I don't know what song the band was playing as the PA had been turned off,so they gave up and walked off. A poor end to a thoroughly enjoyable night. I've criticised Greenaway on here before, but credit where it's due,he was fine last night.
Great to meet the Telephone Things again,as it always is-hope to see you both at the New York Dolls gig on thursday (shame it's been moved grom Acadeny 3 to 2).
Last night was Mrs Exiledmancs 1st (and last) Fall gig. She hates them but I insisted on taking her as punishment for dragging me to see 'sex and the city' (a truly awful film). She didn't say much afterwards though, so maybe they weren't as bad as she was expecting.

The venue specify a strict time for when the headliners have to be finished. Smith always ignores these and leaves the audience short. He should go on stage earlier so that the set fits the available time, but he doesn't care.

The gig, er well my take. Nice to meet Faust and his Dad and mate, I'm sure Mrs Hex En Hour won't mind the complement, she was feeling a little left out as one of the few lasses not to get a call promising sexual services after my phone was nicked last week end. The Support bands were of a better calibre that of late and both myself and Mrs hex en hour enjoyed the interlude after the 2 hours drive over from just outside Hull. D.I.L.E's ska like sound made a refreshing change from yer man Safi, Bobby Peru I had not seen before, I thought they had a slightly Devo like quality about them although I thought the guitarist could do with losing the scentist's coat. First on Alan Wise with a new take on Tommy Shooter and then............The Fall on with This is New followed by Wings, great version, vocal clear and bright band tight, Wolf kidult Man continued in the same fashion, Mark was on top, and I mean top form, The crowd responed with joyous wild abandon, everyone around me had massive smiles on there faces, The band obviously were have the time of there lives, everyone smiling, Can, Can summer I think was the highlight, Mark even had a little bogie there for a while, I'm not going to do a blow by blow of every number, someone else can have a go. I though Elani looked a little nervious as empty (and not so empty) plastic pint pots were chucked about, not surprised after Sheffield this year. There was a little crowd surfing too, never seen that at a fall gig before, and 3 or 4 blokes getting up on stage, Mark handed the mike to one em, when the roadie turned up to take him off him off stage Mark turned round and told him to Fuck off. No Blindness, due to curfew, we got a mikeless version of Exploding Chimmney only because everyone refused to leave after the set, Top Night!!!! Stopped of for a chip butty on the way home on the M62 and watched 2 Jewish lads spend ages looking for a lost mobile phone battery, we wondered if they had travelled there on a motorbike.
Hanley I hope your boy got this, his vertue remains intact by the way, Top Gig, Wonderful, love them, love them, love them

He's a fifty year old man. He has developed a pot belly. Yes he seemed in pleasant mood & me and the missus thoroughly enjoyed the evening and thanks to her doing the driving i was quite bladdered. The band are tight, time to sack a few of them. Mark looked young from a distance. Towards the end Mark was posturing confidently. It appears to me there's plenty of life in the old dog yet. x

You'll always find me stage right by the stack, creature of habit

Well thank you very much young man, that's very nice of you to say so. I wonder what you would think of our daughter who is a couple of years younger than you!

Excellent gig in my opinion, loved can can summer, and even duped was just about bearable.