Live Review

The Fall – Cardiff, The Point

• 18th Mar 2008

A Fall fan is a dedicated creature – painstakingly following their leader (Mark E Smith) and noting his every idiosyncratic movement. He is a he, aged typically between the ages of 35 and 60 (though there is a younger contingent coming through), possibly balding and partial to a pint of Bitter. Following the Fall offers him the opportunity to explore his wilder side.

Of course I could just be accused of simply not ‘getting it’ but to me the musical genius of Mark E Smith is sadly wasted. I appreciate he has a reputation of being one of the most variant live performers around today – no-one knows what to expect from one performance to the next. But unfortunately the plain rhythmic backing over which he yelped was wasted on me. This was a shame as I had been told about the brilliance of his raw poetic lyrics but I suppose, not unusually for a live band I couldn’t understand them, which just left me with their delivery and the backing band.

The terrified band (Mark’s inconsistency and reputation for firing his bands had rendered this one nervous to say the least) consisted of guitarist, drummer, bassist (who was later joined with the bassist from the support band) and Mark’s misses Eleni. The rhythmic sound they produced was merely a backing to accommodate Mark’s performance, so they had to remain fairly monotonous to allow for the main performer to errrrrrr well perform.

On stage for just under an hour before curfew, though I am reliably informed that Fall gigs are always swift. I have to admit the onstage spectacle maintained my attention throughout.

The fans were satisfied, the Fall forum would surely be alive after this gig but for me the Wonderful and Frightening world of the Fall left me cold.