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Performing with The Fall

 
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dazman



Joined: 07 Aug 2012
Posts: 42

PostPosted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 11:50 pm    Post subject: Performing with The Fall Reply with quote

Jeff - one of the final dates on the JL&PS UK tour included a show on the same bill as The Fall. You were clearly looking forward to it as you mentioned it in the shows leading upto it. How did it go?

Have you played on the same bill before? Did you get to enjoy a lager (or three) with Mark & the band?
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 4:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, they shifted the festival schedule around a little bit, so I didn't actually end up playing on the same stage before the Fall as was supposed to happen at one point. I played at a space a couple blocks away from the Fall, but at least the timing was such that my set ended and then I had time to go see the Fall because it was the next event that was happening. So it was SORT of like opening up for them in the sense that I played right before them... but not in the same place, so it doesn't really count...
In any case, the Fall's set was actually very good, I didn't expect them to be in good shape at all, and they were in quite good form. The music was tight and rocking, and Mark was totally engaged and present and giving it all the attention and intensity that one would hope for (he even smiled at one point, and had an interaction with a fan in the audience). The set list was not as exciting as it might have been, but it wasn't bad at all. The energetic dancing/singing audience made it good too, everybody joyfully shouting along with fists in the air to "Sparta F.C." and joyfully jumping and moshing to "Reformation" (which sounded great and included Mark singing a just-recognizable snippet from Can's "Father Cannot Yell") and of course going nuts when Eleni sang "I've Been Duped", so there was a good amount of fun and excitement. A couple of the new songs are very good live, I got the Re-Mit album a few days before the show and it was interesting to see which songs are much better live (like that Sir William/Grey song) and others much better on the album (like that Spider/Spine song).

Weirdly, when the Fall set ended it didn't really end - the band left the stage, everybody stomped and shouted for an encore, it didn't happen so the venue started to clear out. For some reason I lingered around instead of leaving with most people... and then the Fall DID come back on for an encore! The remaining 30% of the audience rushed back towards the now much-emptier stage area and got a brief performance of "White Lightning"... and then that was it, the Fall left the stage for good. How strange to leave SUCH a long pause before getting back on stage for an encore, so that most people had left, and then strange to barely even play much of an encore, just one short cover song, shorter than the time they were off stage. A bit of an anti-climax after the excitement of realizing they were indeed coming back on stage... but exciting anyway, in that general out-of-wack illogical Fall way.
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dazman



Joined: 07 Aug 2012
Posts: 42

PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for reply - glad you got to see them. They're a unique band to watch. I recommend everyone see them. You never know what you're going to see - so the gap between main+encore is not unexpected. (Perhaps an offstage argument explained the delay? - a friend of mind saw them fighting on-stage once)

When I last saw them, I was bemused to see Mark switching off the amps, unplugging the cables of his fellow band members (I think he left his wife alone tho) - but it seems this is pretty typical behaivour.

I must see them again sometime...

I'm impressed you recognized the Can song. Monster Movie is a great album, its my favourite of theirs. I'd pick the Mary, Mary song from that album as their best track. I never really got in to their Ege Bamyasi, or Tago Mago albums which seem to be more popular/critically acclaimed.
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think Ege Bamyasi is my favorite Can album over all, but Side 1 of Monster Movie is one of the greatest sides of all time... Side 2 of Monster Movie is a bit boring, so the album is not entirely a masterpiece for me. Tago Mago has a scattered handful of very great tracks but then a lot of not-so-great stuff too, as a double-album it has a lot of filler. Future Days and Soundtracks are Delay 1968 are all very good, with some truly stand out incredible tracks, but the only Can album that really gets me all the way from beginning to end is Ege Bamyasi. It is a bit more mellow than some of the other material, definitely not nearly as rocking as Monster Movie, but consistently satisfying and atmospheric and great. So great and weird and cool!! But yeah, I guess no single track on it is as good as Mary Mary or Outside My Door or Father Cannot Yell... my band covered Outside My Door a few times around 2004, it was such a great song to play, I wish I could remember how to play it, maybe I'll relearn it sometime.
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