Two months after Mark E. Smith’s health forced the postponement of the first U.S. concerts by The Fall in more than a decade, the irascible frontman brought his long-running band back to the stage in the U.K. last week — strapped into a wheelchair, but still delivering his trademark vocal blast.
Below, you can see video from the band’s performance over the weekend at the Boiler Room in Newcastle shot by YouTube user Chris Trew (and brought to our attention by …Hang the DJ).
Last month, The Fall had been scheduled to headline the Cropped Out Festival in Louisville, Ky., and play a seven-night residency in New York City. The festival date was scrubbed, and the New York run pushed to February as the band’s management revealed Smith was suffering health problems “connected to his throat, mouth/dental and respiratory system… so throwing all the meds together and continuing with the travel/shows would certainly harm any progress that we have made over the past few weeks.”
Based on this video, it appears Smith isn’t back to full fighting form — but he’s not content to stay off the stage, either. (It’s also not the first time Smith has performed in a wheelchair.)
The Fall — which will be see its singles compiled in a new 7-disc box set next month — has four more dates next month in the U.K. and Portugal before the U.S. run in February. See full details below.
The Fall tour dates:
Nov. 4: Oran Mor, Glasgow, UK
Nov. 18: Hard Club, Porto, Portugal
Nov. 29: Fiddler’s Club, Bristol, UK
Nov. 30: Koko, London, UK
Feb. 19: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Feb. 20: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Feb. 21: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Feb. 22: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Feb. 23: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Feb. 24: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Feb. 25: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY, USA
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- The Fall’s 7-disc ‘The Singles 1978-2016’ box set to collect 117 A-sides and B-sides
- The Fall postpones rare U.S. concerts to 2018 due to concerns about Mark E. Smith’s health
- A week of The Fall: Mark E. Smith and Co. extend Brooklyn residency to 7 nights
- The Fall returns to America for 5-night Brooklyn residency, Kentucky festival
- The Fall to release ‘New Facts Emerge’ — band’s 32nd studio album — in July
Wow, as long time Fall fan, I hate to say it, but that was disturbing to watch…
Saw your post all those years later – while looking up one of my favorite bands and want to say:
I agree with you. Really painful to watch
It’s good he found the gumption to get back on stage, but man, he appears to be in pretty bad shape these days. (One would get the same impression from their latest record — he sounds physically awful.) Hopefully he can regain some health and vitality, for his own sake.
He looks fine. It will take more than death to kill Mark E Smith.
Five years today (24th Jan 2023) Saw them dozens of times, loved them since Industrial Estate. Still gutted. Thanks Mark.