- Arms Control Poseur
- And Therein
- Idiot Joy Showland
- Black Monk Theme
- High Tension Line
- Don’t Take the Pizza
- Mr. Pharmacist
- Bill Is Dead
- Hit the North
- Big New Prinz
- Dead Beat Descendant
- British People in Hot Weather
- Pitzville Direct
- Life Just Bounces
- Zagreb
- White Lightning
- I’m Frank
- Blood Outta Stone
NOTES
81 minutes
An echo laden audience recording with some pretty intrusive commentary from the environs of the recorder. Most instruments are well recorded.
Starts pretty well with a sharp and bright “Arms Control” however for the first minute or so Smith is pretty much inaudible. Good to hear this one live as it comes across as a sort of mutant prog march.
“And Therein” features some mildly inappropriate scraping from Brady (sounds like a demented bluebottle). Has a jerky poppy feel to it mostly due to Craig’s occasional tinny “indie kid” chords. Saved by a snarling demented howl from MES at the end.
“Idiot” starts with a manic keyboard sprawl – odd reading of the song – sounds a bit laboured and four to the floor – Smith sounds a little bored and fights to get the words out; A little anaemic and unstructured. Conversely “Black Monk” has more of a swing to it (albeit again a tad laboured) – the violin sounds oddly grunged and the guitar a muttering troll like sound of dyspeptic incontinence. Smith is great but the thing is somewhat ruined by audience nattering.
“High Tension Line” is a bit karaoke – band sounding like some covers band in the “El Tropicana” bar at Butlin’s in the mid 60s. Structure is all over the places and a bit sloppy.
A rare appearance of “Don’t take the Pizza” which feels like the bastard offspring of “Oh! Brother” and “Lucifer” – a good rendition and the closest the band gets to the core of The Fall Sound on this most peculiar of nights. Rather good in fact with the band driving the autobahns in fifth gear. Subtly perverse and very moreish. Rather ruined by a sloppy “Pharmacist” which follows and is seriously constipated.
Back to form with a great “Bill is Dead” – Simon holding the beat well and the band locking into a good groove. Smith is quiet but it adds to the tension. Sumptuous elegance in fact and full of restrained eroticism. Followed by a wonderfully playful “Hit the North” – band seems to be geting its act together. MES berates and hep’s over powerful rhythm section. Trance like mono-rhythm of “Prinz” is exemplary and full of vigour. A very short “Dead Beat” does not work with violin – I keep thinking of some crusty band doing pseudo folk and it puts me off. Mercifully short.
Brady plays the riff to the “Birdie Song” (geddit British People in Hot Weather!!) and we get a good version of the song where the violin does work. The pressure builds and the tension mounts for a great blues version of “”Pittsville” – does feel a touch slow mind – however Smith carries it with a great drawl.
The epic of the evening is a mammoth 8 minute plus version of “Bounces”. Just about works however some of the torpor of the rest of the evening seems to have infested its bowels. Followed by an Abbaesque take on “Zagreb” – quite expect Mark to start singing “Oh yeah in Waterloo Napolean did surrender” – however he doesn’t and launches into a echo mired prog-tastic semi trance rattle through the murky underbelly of Cardiff.
Odd “pub rock” take on “White Lightning” which forces itself to modulate and gets a bit Glitterbandish in places. Back to normal with a good version of “I’m Frank” and then it finishes with a triumphant “Blood Outta Stone” rather ruined by some inappropriate keyboard squawls and more chat from the audience.
A very odd gig indeed with the group moving from a sleepwalk like state to effervescent excellence in an entirely random fashion – worth it for the rare version of “Pizza” and the bits where the band really shine.
The Track Record 