Things weren't quite what I expected at this free festival in Manchester city centre. Went to see two bands from the so called 'punk' era who in many ways are total opposites.
Buzzcocks made their name with love songs whilst anti-frontman of the Fall Mark E.Smith ranted about anything else that came to his mad mind - getting arrested for peeing behind a tree, the murder of a pope, elves and hobgoblins, amphetamine psychosis, flabby wings that facilitate time travel... this list is nigh on infinite.
Buzzcocks stormed the charts whilst the Fall sneered at all 'the groups who hit it big', the ones who 'make the Kane Gang look like an Einstein chip. No surprise perhaps, that Buzzcocks charged through a set of greatest hits, a handful of less well known older songs and a trio of new numbers. The Fall, on the other hand, played only four oldies (three from the last album marshal suite).
And whilst Mark E. Smith embodies the ravages of speed and time, hunched, Dickensian and resembling a character fleeing from an H.P. Lovecraft scenario, Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle have chubbied up on beers and resemble a couple of teddy bears.
These days a new Fall line up seems to assemble for each gig, but this lot looked like MES had broken them out of Strangeways. Just one guitar, one bass and a fucking mean looking mountain of a drummer backed the sneering Smith as he unloaded yet another swipe at r'n'r primal scream. Only one song, with throwaway lyrics about 'It's a book, it's a film' stuck in my mind, as did Smith singing a tuneless refrain of 'We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land' between songs. On the basis of this set a new Fall album has never seemed a less exciting prospect. The massive contibutions that Steven Hanley, Karl Burns and Julia Nagle have made in shaping the Fall sound were never more apparent, as the new Fall group delivered a set of slowed down psychobilly pub rock. These men looked like they'd been chosen for the job on the basis that they could all hammer the shit out of former drummer Karl Burns. Either that or because they all number anti-student violence as a favourite hobby - the ancient 'Hey Student / Fascist' was the only old 'un. At the end some stage hands tried to prevent them coming back for 'Touch Sensitive'. They failed. How could anyone think of fucking with this crew? Things looked like they were going to turn nasty for a bit and these anti-cabaret routines are becoming typical fall stock. MES left the stage mumbling incoherently and dropping the mic on the floor with a massive 'thunk' which reverberated around the Arena - best part of the gig!
Most glaring difference: The Fall looked like they hated the crowd, Buzzcocks looked like they loved them.
Buzzcocks were on an unashamed nostalgia trip and they pulled it all off seamlessly, looking and sounding like they really love the songs they're playing. The bands enthusiasm was infectious and by the time they wheeled out 'Love You More' I was down the front jumping about like I was sixteen again! Diggle windmilled like the Who but Shelley still looked a most unlikely rock guitarist, his peroxide hair seemed glued on. Everything off side one of 'Singles Going Steady' got an airing, except for 'Happy' and 'Promises' and the version of 'Noise Annoys' they played was a vast improvement on the original. 'Autonomy' still sounded well 'ard and even the new songs weren't too bad. It was a shame they didn't do 'Late for the Train', what with the trains passing nearby on the viaduct above left. They left the stage to 'I Believe' whilst bass and drums thundered long and hard and there was no love in this world anymore... as they returned for the inevitable, I hollered for 'Harmony In My Head' and got it! The only way they could top that was to play 'Orgasm Addict' and 'Boredom'. Being the most consumate punkabaret showmen on the planet, they of course obliged.
