Hexen definitive

I was up early and Ade and Pete and I drove into campus, to find the University in the grip of a hostage drama. Gunmen had raided the Barclay's Bank near the Mace and got away with £150,000, leaving a ‘bomb’ strapped to a security man’s chest.

We went down to the Tuesday mini-market and I spent £9 on a couple of jazz albums and an LP by Dome, which I’ve been playing a lot since. Even Barry likes it. I also bought a pair of black fatigues for £4.

In the evening Lee, Lindsey, Liddy, Barry, Pete, Stu and I went to see The Fall at Livingstone’s on the seafront, near the Aquarium. Barry and I met Liddy and Lindsey at The Lord Raglan and Lee, Pete and Stu in the club. Livingstone’s is a small place, along the lines of The Wavezz Club in Easterby with a bar area that separates the building into one large and one small room. The bands played in the former, a low-ceilinged room with chairs and tables around its perimeter & no stage.

The support band was a three-piece all-female band from America and were crap and unoriginal in a monotonous, noisy, unskillful and boring way. Everyone sat down for their set, but as soon as The Fall appeared we all stood up and crushed forward, so that only Mark E.’s lank hair and gaunt face could be spied through the forest of heads. They played “English Scheme” off Grotesque, “Ludd Gang,” “Hexen Definitive,” and a whole lot of other things I’ve never heard before, and they played their new single “Kicker Conspiracy” for an encore. They were pretty good, although not as impressive as at Camden last May, and the people leaping about and pogo-ing right in front of me were annoying.

I think Lee found it a bit tedious and towards the end of the set he disappeared and went and sat down. Liddy felt sick and left early.