A very good capture from the Consortium in the shape of young Toby. Everything is very clear although the drums can be a bit mushy at times. EP seems to be suffering from the omnipresent microphone problems. Unfortunately Toby seems to have missed the opening narration by Mr Alan Wise from this recording.
A tense and joyful "Is this new" leads to a slippery "Wings" followed by a dense and uncontrollable "Wolf" which is joyous in extreme - however beset by microphone feedbackery in parts - Pete plays some great lines across all three tunes. Dave's bass has an odd twangy quality during an excellent reading of "Fall Sound" - this is the Fall at their most joyous, bathing in a sea of cataclysmic surging noise channeling the spirit of Can circa "Tago Mago" and taking to another place entirely. This is followed by a shortish reading of "Fifty Year Old Man". Particularly good on this night is the improv section before a swaggering tumble around inferior product land which features some impressive drumming and vocal extemporisation. Elena gets a bum deal on the microphone on "Duped" which feels slightly more muscular/speedier on this evening.
Commentators have noted the some what tawdry nature of the groups new backdrop - pictured here behind Mr Greenway - suffice to say from my pespective I rather saw it as an ironic statement on the nature of audio-visuals in the musak industry at the moment (cf the over the top pyrotechnics seen at Hyde Park on the weekend of this gig). Put it this way I would guess Mr Smith and co's carbon footprint is somewhat smaller than that of Paul Rogers and what remains of Queen.
This gruppes version of "Over! Over!" still disturb me somewhat - not in a bad way - it just seems so fundamentally different from the Americans version that it feels like a completely new song - highly enjoyable romp on this evening.
Mark says "no drinks on stage" and launches into a motorik/reedy organ truck drive through a pure garage era Fall version of White Lightning. Suprisingly early in the set than usual and featuring a strange semi guitar solo section in the middle.
The tour de force and centre spot of this gig belongs to a lengthy version of "Can Can Summer" which is a masterpiece of loose-tight dynamics and stop-start tension-release. MES is in fine form apart from a slight fluff on the "imagination of a gnat" line. There is some special stuff going on here - as Mark pushes the band into areas hitherto explored.
A simpler and more direct "Latch Key Kid" clears the palate after the heavy meal of the previous. EP's synth and Keiron's snare dominates. A very fast "Pacifying Joint" feels a little throw away in this heady company especially given the wall of sound emerging as "Reformation!" is a surging backdrop over which revelatory narration emerges. MES quotes from IWS and Can as the synth surges and pulses in a teutonic fervour -there are some exceptional textures here as the song is transformed into a mesmeric backdrop over which Mark extemporises freely. Worth the price of admission in its own right.
After a lengthy encore break the band manage to squeeze a PA less monstrous ramble through "Exploding Chimney".
A recording to miss at your peril!
