I haven't been to The Brook since they had extended it. It's not really a venue I visit that often. It tends to have either hoary old blues style Rockers, has-beens (Howard Jones, Midge Ure, China Crisis) or tribute acts! This is a shame really. The Brook as a place to see band is cracking. Reminiscent of The Mean Fiddler when it was in Harlesden, what with it's balcony and all that. Occasionally, and I really mean once in a blue moon, they will put on a really decent act. This month I actually had two gigs I thought might appeal (the other being New Model Army) but due to financial constraints, I had to make a decision and the fact that the punk-poet John Cooper-Clarke was also on The Fall's bill, no-contest was called!

When I walked in, I noticed that The Brook hadn't dramatically changed, really. Where the bar used to be stood the merchandise seller and the bar now took pride of place at the other side of the ground floor. Obviously, there was more space than the last time that I had been there, but it wasn't exactly mind-blowingly bigger! Upstairs, same story. There was now a bigger bar up there as well. While I was noticing all this, a band called Resist were on stage. They seemed like a poor man's Evanescence. My two friends (shall we call them Pricey and Al - mainly 'cos that's their name's!) thought that one of the songs had a fantastic hook line. I had to point out to them that it was a fairly lame cover of Nine Inch Nail's The Hand That Feeds. Still the two keyboard players / singers were very attractive (and yes they were girlies!).

I have to say that it was absolutely boiling in The Brook. If I was being cynical, I'd have said it was an obvious tactic by the management to get us punters to buy more beer. A few beers later and John Cooper-Clarke was on stage. He was very warmly received. I was expecting more heckling (the heckling that did occur was friendly, in the same way that you might take the Michael out of a good friend if you hadn't seen them for a while). I was also expecting more poems. We were treated to about three poems and a load of banter. I must say that I had heard a few of the gags before, but there were some gems in there. For instance, we were informed that Mr Cooper-Clarke didn't do exercise and had a third of a Mars Bar every day. To help him rest, boom, boom!!!

Another round, then suddenly a booming bass sound from the speakers announced The Fall's precense was imminent. Which version of The Fall would we get. The fantastically tight band with plenty of menace and attitude or the shambolic, fighting on stage version (such as the last time I saw them!) with Mark E. Smith possibly not appearing for all the songs.I suppose either way the audience is always going to be a winner as either outcome gives you something to talk about. The band appeared and went straight into the opening bars of Youwanner and suddenly, without fanfare, the leather jacketed Mark E. Smith was on board for the first song. Barking the lyrics as only Mark E. Smith can. I have seen this band several times. The first time was in 1986! For anyone who doesn't know of them, they have been going since 1977. I say that, but MES is the only constant member. There have been around 40 odd different members of the band (including Mark Riley, better known as Lard, the radio DJ Mark Radcliffe's sidekick!).

Next up Sparta FC and then one of the tracks off The Fall's most recent single Clasp Hands. I thought the band were definitely playing well. Sure MES did his usual playing around with the bass players amp which was adjusted back as soon as he wasn't looking but this current incarnation of The Fall was sounding as healthy as I could remember. Eleni Poulou (who I believe is the current Mrs Mark E. Smith) plays keyboards and, typically of a female indie bands keyboard player, remained expressionless throughout the set, despite Mark having a little go on her synth in the manner of any of us who, during our teenage years, couldn't resist the lure of the Casio keyboards in Dixons!!!

The oldest Fall track that was in the set was Wrong Place, Right Time which went into the other track on the the most recent single, a cover of The Move's I Can Hear The Grass Grow. Despite the heat of the venue and the fact that The Fall had now turned up the temperature to at least boiling point, I was having a brilliant time. They then played Touch Sensitive, which is actually a track that I'd be surprised if there was too many people in Britain that have not heard. Any of you that think that I'm barking mad with that statement need to cast their minds back to the Vauxhall Corsa ad where all the cars are playing hide and seek - Touch Sensitive is the soundtrack to that particular advert. Got to say that I love the track. Not least for the quirky lyrics (If You're dying for a pee/ and you go behind a tree). The set was definitely Fall Heads Roll (the new album) heavy but as the album is excellent, why not? The main crux of the set ended on Blindness, also from the latest long player.

The band came back on for an encore. I enjoyed Mark E. Smith return to the stage, where he held his hand out for the moshers to grab. Smith's attitude made him almost look like Royalty (which in a musical sense I suppose he is!). They played two tracks and finished with White Lightning. MES threw a microphone into the crowd during the finale, which resulted in quite a lot of amusing comments being broadcast. And then it was over.

As we ventured into the cold night I reflected on how much I had enjoyed this performance. Despite risking pnuemonia, what with leaving the heat etc.etc. I concluded that The Fall were certainly as good as any time that I had seen them before, and that the new tracks stood up against any of their back catalogue (to be fair there is quite a lot of it and I cannot claim to have heard it all!). I definitely look forward to the next time


Ric Mansell


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