Copped It
Fortress
Disney’s Dream Debased
Couldn’t Get Ahead
Oh! Brother
The Classical
Hexen Definitive
Lay of the Land
No Bulbs
God Box
Barmy
2 x 4
Marquis Cha-Cha
NOTES
68 minutes
Final performance of Marquis Cha-Cha
An audience recording with the taper standing very close to Brix’s amp therefore she tends to dominate throughout. Vocals are a little muddy but still generally audible. Drums are OK, bass and Scanlon somewhat indistinct unless Brix pares down her volume.
Recording issues aside the March-May tour in 1985 is notable for the absence of Steve Hanley on paternity leave, The muscular core of the Fall is absent and the impact is more than obvious. Rogers is a more than competent musician but he cannot deliver the particular sound that Hanley conjures up. This is particularly notable on “Oh! Brother” which suffers from some seriously inappropriate and slightly out of tune guitar from Brix in places….evidenced by her re-tuning at the end of the song.
An amazing mixture of sounds presages “The Classical” – a girl in the audience narrates the words to “Leave the Capitol” and the band play a short strange ethereal piece – then the detritus hits the air extraction device – the band is playing “The Classical” – not sure what Brix is playing but it is not close to the tune. Things are recovered with a good musical reading of “Hexen” which unfortunately however has an almost inaudible Smith. Vocals move up the mix slightly more with an exquisite version of “Lay of the Land”, people in the audience ask for “Repetition” and “Rowche Rumble” – they get “No Bulbs” which seems to be beset by odd little overtones on the bass and the disappearing Mark E Smith voice. Again Brix appears to have tuning problems and there are some odd discrepancies in the playing.
“God-Box” provides a welcome relief to this oddness with a solid performance, we get a request for “Psycho Mafia” but instead get an excellent version of “Barmy” until the troubled guitar sound of Brix Smith again provides an annoying distraction. When you can hear Craig Scanlon you realise what a superior guitarist he is.
Encores are a great version of “2×4” where Ms Salingers guitar volume and tuning appear at least to have been remedied. The gig is rounded off by a great version of “Marquis Cha Cha” where all of the previously mentioned problems appear to have been completely exorcised. Smith takes the michael out of Paul Weller at one point in the song with a faux southern accent. An odd extended end half of the song with some martial drumming from Burns.
An oddity this one. Enjoyment of the performance is nullified by the dominance of Brix’s guitar. For committed collectors only.