Photos from 2012 gig in Hull.

Fall in Hull 2009

It was a cold, dank night on the Costa del Humber. The wind carried a touch of snow and blew in the Fall. Inside the Welly it was hot with anticipation. What a club! The smell of fresh paint and dust of refurbishment has long ceased to bother the noses of the faithful. The dark scarred walls record the vibrations of many a gig but never a night such as this.

From the moment they hit the stage, following a rather bemusing (and much too long) distorted video projection, the band were in top form, hitting powerful rhythms and churning out their driving brand of energy. Mark was imperious as he stalked the stage. The Hull crowd, often accused of being discerning, bounced and raved in one united entity. The small club reverberated to the driving riffs and the band fed off the enthusiasm. Mark roamed and sang, recited his lyrics over the top of the continuous wall of sound, commanded the stage and orchestrated events. He randomly adjusted the sound levels, detuned the guitar as the guitarist resolutely tried to continue playing, distorted the theramin and took over the organ to create discordant noises, seeming to be thoroughly immersed and enjoying himself – a disruptive anarchic force. Amazingly it all worked wonderfully.

From beginning to end they never lost the groove and the encore was, like the set, just too little. We could have done with another hour or two.

Afterwards, with ringing ears and making involuntary exclamations of ‘White Lightnin’, I staggered off home to reflect on one hell of a night. The wind blowing in from the Pacific regions of the North Sea had become unseasonably warm.