The Junction, Cambridge, Tuesday, 31st March 2009

I hope Camden proves to be as good a show for you guys tomorrow as Cambridge Junction was tonight. Bobbie Peru supported. Fall on stage at 10:30 (after a 30 min session of slo-mo laptop video loops featuring Culture Club and Deep Purple - 'mixed' reaction from the audience...)

MES wheelchair-bound due to his recent hip breakage but nevertheless on good form. Set included My Door, Wolf Kidult Man, Fall Sound, I've Been Duped, Latchkey Kid, Reformation! and ended on Blindness.

This was my first visit to the Junction (good venue). My most recent trip to see The Fall was the final night of the Hammersmith Palais, and prior to that, the Cartoon Club in Croydon. So of course this was my first opportunity to see the current lineup play live, and they were excellent.

Sadly I won't be at the Camden gig, but have a good one...

Hey now!
Yet another brilliant performance by the mighty Gruppe! Fantastic version of Reformation (particularly when Mark turned the bass all the way up)! Played 50YOM, Blindness, CBM...the lot. Eleni did some nice ad-libbing for IBD (RTL und auch SAT1... ). Mark was in a wheelchair. Hard as nails. As hard as they come. Eleni was wearing an elegant black top (/w tiny white polka dots on): sehr apart, sehr adrett! Some songs were sung from an adjacent room (and even there, Safi would be filming) that looked a bit like the bog to me.
And everybody was there. Except perhaps forum member kiespijn who I thought was LOCAL. And yes...Mark would get out of his easy chair from time to time.

Back in London, I'm the unseen.

Still looked cool in a bloody wheelchair .... can he do no wrong?

Thought this group sounded better than I've ever heard them. Has Pete got a new guitar? Liked Eleni's new effects box. Mark seemed in good spirits despite the wheelchair. Not much in the way of new material.

No new stuff? Are they slacking off..?

2 or 3 new ones last night

I wasn't expecting much last night, I had a thought this could be one of those short, bad Fall gigs and the venue The Junction is world renowned for fucking up the sound/mix even for those with the most basic demands.
It was so good, so fucking good. The sound was better than I've heard for a long time (well done mixers) Mark could be heard loud and clear through out and even tho he managed some knob twiddles from his chair the live mixing was excellent. Couldn't see if he got his chair tangled up in a mass of mic wires! But I think the fact he couldn't really play with loads of mics helped.
Fall sound, Funnel of Love to add to those already mentioned and 2 new songs I think, maybe 3. Blindness and Reformation - ridiculously good!
Mark managed to stand a few times, tho not for long, but I cheered every time he did, I was choking up..what a top effort. The Cambridge crowd were quite reserved and polite, fucking frustrating really, he is not appreciated.
All in all, a great gig, classic Fall. I'll be first in the queue if this one appears on Dime. Hint, hint. Wish I could go tonight.
Any photos people?

Great gig last night. Reformation! was the highlight for me, especially when Mark knobtwiddled the bass amp to perfection; the only time I've enjoyed the sound of a Warwick. How does he do it?

Also I've never heard Elena sing I've Been Duped with such conviction and authority.

Third fave was probably Chino Splashback or whatever it's called. Definately a grower, that one.

Was this the same drummer that I saw in Hove last November? The guy was on fire yesterday! So looking forward to tonight.

Yep, truly great sound and a memorable performance - what a guy. You have to love him.
Elena's top matched polka dot shoes + a brilliant 2 handbags. She did look good and her smile broke the ice with the slightly reserved crowd - (reserved at least once they got over being rude to video man - btw think it was Kiss? relevant at all?)
No encores but perhaps just as well as long drive home, can't wait for next time.

lets call it a recovery gig.
hard to believe that he can manage a gig while sitting in a wheelchair.
so he directed some major amp twiddling to Safy when he couldn.t do it by himself.
played a bit prudent and shy as many parts of the audience was.

exactly the setlist - except a miss for Bury and White Lightning.

encore was a tape.

I enjoyed it. Loved the incarnation of power during 50year old man
(these times without "And I Like It").

Nice round beforehand in the pretty nice Earl of Derby - greetings do Lindsey and Richard (if they are reading this board!)

I enjoyed this very much. Great to see MES unhampered by his wheelchair, twiddling knobs and sounding great. He even twirled his chair round so his back was to the audience from time to time which was quality. What next, MES on ice? The rest of the group were in fine spirits too.

There were no new songs as such but three unreleased ones ie Hot Cakes, Chino Splashback and the cover version Funnel of Love. Other songs included a blinding Reformation, a less than blinding Blindness (with MES singing from dressing room), Wolf Kidult Man, Fall Sound, 50 Year Old Man, Latch Key Kid, I've Been Duped and Carry Bag Man.

Nice to meet Starsky-Tandoori and The Unseen among the more familiar faces in pub beforehand.

Looking forward to Koko tonight.

I have to admit I thought the gig would be pulled, but great to see Mark there and doing his stuff. He looked quite frail and obviously in pain when he tried to stand with the support of the amps. Still up to knob-fiddling and live-mixing. Mark exited three times during the gig with some confusion amongst the band after the "last one" directive from the wings became the penultimate.

Mark will persist in dragging Safi Sniper around with him. Those seeing him for the first time seemed vaguely amused (at first at least), Fall veterans were not shy in letting him know their thoughts until the end of the set when there was near universal abuse hurled at the stage. Safi seems to accept this abuse as part of the job (he should be used to it by now). As usual after his video durge had completed he persisted in following Mark around with his endoscope.

Pic from the gig below.....

Another pic...

MES enters the stage. On Hanleyvision.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdKwC5bTYcM

'Video is no longer available'

'Video is no longer available'

Oh yes it is!

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=243550

Consortium Cambridge recording now on Dime.

cheers!

Thanks very much. Downloading now. Did you record the following night too?

Thanks HPAF, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE Camb gig?

Tight workmanlike performance, very much like the gigs from last Oct/Nov. With a new album supposedly in the can, this desperate lack of new songs is baffling. I left the venue feeling that I had been entertained, but not thrilled.

Mark has this line up on such a tight leash now, it’s a bit like watching Stepford Wives with guitars.

Saying that, a couple of people I know who’ve not seen The Fall for a while thought they were fantastic. I accidentally recorded a short conversation with Frank Skinner after Cambridge who also loved every minute, and he goes to more shows than me!

The Fall are doing nothing wrong at the moment, but I’d like something fresh to mix it up a bit.

(BTW, The Consortium Koko recording will will up on Dime in the next couple of days).

That is very true. I do however like this line up, bit of a problem that, new topic? who's next for the chop? In the interests of keeping things fresh like.......Er Dave the eagle, do you get it? the change in dynamic, its really base (no pun intended) I feel a shit like, I do like Dave and I get the impression Mark does too, sorry Dave, bugger I do feel a shit now.

The problem for me is and always has been that this lineup has yet to write a worthy piece of music. They can play songs written by past lineups just fine.

The only reason to have any interest in seeing this group or listening to the recordings is MES, whose output remains high in both quality and quantity.

Elena is good too.