Fanzine
Distractions, The Fall
St John's College Student Union
7th October 1978

Contributors:
Andy Zero, Martin X, Jacqui, Neil
Address: St John's College Student Union, Lower Hardman Str, M/C3

TRANSCRIPTION:

THE FALL…..MANCHESTER POLYTECHNIC
A BENEFIT GIG for THE LEVELLER…. Five bands…. EARLY EVENING , Bands , Cre w , Liggers , Gear …. Wiring, Checking, Pacing …Tense. Five bands to squeeze into not enough time… First band goes on to a minimal audience , good reception though ,then place rapidly filling up. Reaction interesting . RELIEF , Even the support bands are dragging em in before the pubs shut …………………….
THE FALL….ON STAGE ….Total prescence … TOTAL belief …Always admired em , but it took me several gigmonths before I could actually get INTO them Dunno, Maybe they disturb me , Maybe they make me think , MAYBE they SHOCK me into thinking for MYSELF ………. Theyre not like any other band , although obvios similarities , comparisons can be drawn …. Arecording band now . TIGHT , Superbly CONFIDENT . Confident musically , Confident that they did what they had to do without compromise . Fuck knows what toll it took personally , Outward it just makes them fight even harder ……………….
A Rock and Roll Band ….Of course they are ..POLITICIANS…Arent we all LIKE it or not , Dancing into Oblivion , Heads together , unto [POLITICANS typed over something else] s IS Rock and Roll , and its STILL Genocide……….
MARK SMITH….VOCALS….The Supreme Antipose. PERE UBU minimalism , only better . He isnt oblivious to the scene around him , You know , HE just doesnt think very much of SCENES , Thats all…Talk over vocals , becoming a Rythm instrument to the agonised lead guitar The vocals….harmonics somehow contrived to hit the nerve endings like a whole handfull of the little blue buggers . No plastic shit , false romanticism, patronisation…………… ITS ASSOCIATION Hes singing about what he knows . He knows what Hes singing about . He paints what he sees , not what he fondly imagines to BE there ………….
KEYBOARDS………Down onto the Bass , Up into the head . NOT a backing instrument , More a musical strobe . Pulling your brain into the whirlpool ….YVONNE PAULETTE…Quiet , Mysterious . Obviously in sync with the rest of the band , She gives nothing away till She gets on stage and fuses with her keyboards Clinically efficient Minimal input producing maximum effect . So many bands have blown it with keyboards trying to reproduce the ACID ERA ……….HUH………..Perhaps hers are speedboards . Asatisfying success story GUITAR….AGONISED…Is it a personal or general hang up..Is he putting himself on the line…He certainly aint putting anyone on . Not an alien , His face is too friendly . Definitely a human . MARTIN BRAMAH , Minimal …..Not really , ALL the best inventions are basically simple Ask JON THHE POSTMAN how many times were spent all Sunday humming that bloody riff from REPETITION or singing INDUSTRIAL ESTATE…..Blows the myth on pop songs. NO WAY are THE FALL a myth , So this must be the one case where everyone else is slightly out of step. Perfect accord with the vocals , Perfectly contrived discord with thr Pulsebeat…. Chord…Key….Timing changes reflect the work thats gone into the band , Now paying dividends They don’t need to invent a stage presence , They started out purposely without one. Like Topsy , it just growd . But its under CONTROL …..If you know em you can attempt to sus out whats happening ……If you don’t , watch the audience Everyone reacts . Even if theyre not moving, watch the faces …Its still there in the eyes THE FALL disturb people , They destroy complacency…………..
RYTHM SECTION……….Section , THE FALL are a complete entity . Term of reference . thats all. all KARL BURNS , probably one of the best drummers in the country. Drives the band with a rare rare degree of skill.Timing .Spot onBut the guys somehow able to swing out to the ragged edge, so near that its frightening. You think he MUST go out , He must be WELL out of it…… he swings in when hes good and ready. Obviously its deliberate , NOband could play Russian Roulette like that , and get away with it every time…Or is it……….Perhaps THE FALL are on some kind of common brain trip thing. I cant sus it out,They disturb me……………..
Newest recruit Bassist MARC RILEY….. Complete control …Efficient…..Sufficient… Skilled Is he really only sixteen . Plays as though hes been around for years , musically thatis is Attitude still unspoilt commercialism ..success..Status…..Completely in vein with the rest of the band . Again this weird combination of complete mental integration ,coupled with an almost psychotic discord….Love,hate….MusicNoise…….Confidence,Paranoia Consciousness , Oblivion ………………….
A Cult Band…………Only in the same way that everything that spells of freedom of the individual,freedom of expression,selection of ones own lifestyle, becomes a cult………….