Thursday, 7 May, 1981 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Many thanks to Dan for tracking down the article and doing the translation,

By PETER KOOPS AMSTERDAM, 9 May _ The five-man band The Fall, originating from Manchester – named after Albert Camus’ La Chute – has been ignoring all the rules of the game that apply in pop music for about five years now. With its consistent unruly behavior, the group has been one of the few to remain faithful to the rudiments of punk. In short, this means that The Fall is averse to star-style and other false embellishments. For that reason, the formation also lacks technical skill, because with an attractive packaging the content is usually not served anyway. It rather diverts attention from it, and that would make the art of ideas propagated by The Fall lose its originality and tension. The fact that the group has cultivated its musical amateurism so deliberately and with an open mind initially creates quite a bit of confusion, such as the wry, somewhat cryptic humor and monotony with which Mark E. Smith – the songwriter and uncrowned leader – decodes his messages. The independent record labels Step Forward and Rough Trade have released five LPs so far, the last of which, the very recent Slates, has a different 10 inch format. Due to the unusual changes in line-up at The Fall, the group’s old drummer, Karl Burns, was taken from the stable again. During the gig in the Melkweg, the LP Slates received extensive attention, including the title song, the opening track Leave the Capitol and Fit and working again. The group’s constant rhythmic, highly rhythmic minimalism was strongly reminiscent of The Velvet Underground’s most primitive work. Despite Smith’s weak instrumental finish and sometimes tiring tirades, the direct simplicity of this disjointed rock & roll worked extremely effectively. For example in the songs from the penultimate LP Grotesque The NWRA and the heavy keyboard-dominated New Face in Hell, the older enclosures Your Heart Out and No Xmas for John Quays, and especially in the single Totally Wired. At a time when conformism is rampant, The Fall’s unconventional, almost anarchist attitude is particularly welcome. Not so much because of the undermining activities themselves, but because of the integrity and functionality that the end result radiates.

 

Fall Melkweg