The Fall

Saw the Fall last night for about the dozenth time. The first two times I saw them were in the Woolwich Coronet - a building I pass twice a day on the way to and from work. It's some sort of whacky church these days, and very run-down. Brix Smith was in the band back then- it was the classic mid 80s line up, and they were magnificent. The Fall these days - and last night they were in very good form - is an altogether different type of thing. Smith has to work hard just to keep upright. He always looks pissed (translation for americans: drunk) and lets face it, he probably was. And you get the feeling that the band have been told exactly what to play and how to play it. Smith does not look like he's about to tolerate any improvisation, or deviation from the script. They kept to new material - no classics played in the Forum last night - but that would only be a problem if the new stuff wasn;t any good - and it is. I just didn;t know it very well. And that's my problem, not the Fall's.

They came on stage over an hour late which meant I missed getting a train back to Lewisham where my bike was chained up, and had to get a night bus. Normally I find night buses dificult due to the drunken state of most of the late night revellers trying to get home. But being quite pissed myself at this point, I didn't really notice. The hangover had started even before I reached my bike. I overshot the stop by one and had to walk nearly half a mile back to Lewisham station. Then the bike ride to Chislehurst was agonising, with a pounding head. After that I remember bugger all. Felt really bad this morning though.

Hey - RocknRoll!