Rank rotten live though I’ve heard. Peel used to play them and I enjoyed the singles but the only thing I bought was a greatest hits cd in a flea market a few years ago for a couple of bucks
They were at their best live, and I've seen them countless times.
Over the hundreds, possibly thousands (not me), of concerts over the last four decades they've had issues.
MES would be so drunk some nights the gig would be cancelled or fall apart in disarray.
But that was part of the thrill for the regular The Fall concert-goer.
I saw them once in Ashton-in-Makerfield, north Manchester, we were waiting for the band to come on stage, when the back fire-door burst open, and several roadies came through carrying the body of MES. Clearly very drunk. The guitarist wasn't far behind, only just able to stand. We could see into the dressing room, and MES was a passed-out heap in the far corner. The band came on-stage, playing instrumentals, and some vocals from the drunken guitarist, when eventually MES came out, gave a few grunts, fell over onto the drums, scattered the kit, concert over!
These nights were urban legend among The Fall aficionados, and I'd seen them enough times to take this one on the chin. My friend, who I'd dragged along and who was looking forward to the night, was less impressed.
On record, at concert, they followed John Peel's comments about them:
“They are always different; they are always the same.”