Brighton's best...
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The Fall...
review Given that all things 1979-80 are now de rigueur, I had imagined the sell out gig by The Fall - frontman Mark E. Smith being a living fossil from that hallowed era of post punk - was going to be attended by Brighton’s brightest young things, all exuding the cool that fascinates the Argus’ Picture Ed so much that latest shots from Detournement appear almost every day.Imagine my surprise then, when I arrived to find the venue full of 30-40 something year old blokes! Not that I’m being ageist here you understand, it’s simply that being such a bloke myself, I’m used to being the only old bloke at local gigs and thus being able to convince myself (if no one else) that I’m still somehow youthful against the odds and able to ‘hang out’ with ‘the kids’ – in a John Peel, not a Jonathan King way. Finding myself confronted with a venue full of Dorian Gray’s pictures was, therefore, a rather unsettling experience. "Such doors were bricked up for a
reason and opening them again is not a good idea" Anyhow, enough of my midlife crisis, onto to the music. As I was saying many of the best bands today wear their 25-year-old influences on their sleeves - XTC, Gang of Four, Cure, Joy Division and even Comsat Angels get name dropped regularly by the likes of Bloc Party et al. But opening the door lets in some undesirable ghosts as well and I’ve noticed a disturbing amount of bands keen to resurrect that era’s penchant for arty white funk – think (shudder) Shriekback, A Certain Ratio and Rip Rig & Panic – bland muzak, stripped down of all that is joyful and replaced with attempted arch cool that only our gang wannabes find exciting. Such doors were bricked up for a reason and opening them again is not a good idea. Local band 12 Stone Toddler think otherwise however and displayed all the accoutrements that seem to accompany bands like this – ironic lyrics, a keyboard player dressed like a tramp and the rest of the band looking like art school teachers. A few fans did ‘wacky’ dancing at the front, but most of the crowd stared in stupefied boredom. I retreated to the bar. Some beers later a ripple through the crowd announced the arrival of John Cooper Clarke, former friend of Honey Monster and a ‘Punk Poet’ who has been around for as long as The Fall at least – I can recall seeing him support the Buzzcocks and Altered Images back in the day. The ratio of poetry to jokes has tipped in favour of the latter since the last time I saw him live, but who cares when the jokes were as funny as the ones he trotted out for us? I’ve been retelling them all week since then! (eg. “Three good things about Alzheimers, One: You can hide your own Easter eggs, Two: You meet new people every day and, Three: You can hide your own Easter eggs") His set was all too brief but universally enjoyed. "The Fall are the best
that they’ve been for yonks" Shortly after John Cooper Clarke departed the lights went down and tension rose as The Fall trooped onto the stage. Twenty-eight years and countless albums later (The Fall as Britain’s answer to the long running Grateful Dead? Discuss) Mark E. Smith and the latest ever shifting line up of The Fall are the best that they’ve been for yonks. Last year’s John Peel festive 50 topping single “Theme From Sparta FC #1" hinted at a revival in the band’s fortunes and tonight’s gig confirmed it. One of the few truly original bands to have come out of rock music, most bands have shown their influence via Mark E. Smith’s distinctive vocal style (remember Brighton’s own Lo Fi Allstars?). Only Jon Spencer and, at times, The Hives have come close to capturing that Fall sound of guitar riffing over drums that sound like a thousand dustbin lids blowing in the road. I could spew forth much more hyperbole, but I think you can guess by now that I enjoyed them!
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The London Hotel
