The Fall - Live at Brownies, NYC, April 7, 1998 

I love how the whole performance is taped through the bottom of a beer glass. That's some interprative art right there considering!

Steve Hanley's composure is incredible.

I think that went pretty well.

And, all through the madness, it's just one great song after another.

My god I was at this show. It was absolutely bizarre. Mr. Smith was a true trainwreck, but his genius was obvious. R.I.P.

Steve to the crowd member at the end. 'Who's gonna play me in the movie.....Sting'. Haha

Julia Nagle deserves a medal.

Love the bass guitar

thanks for the memories!

I was at this show too. The chaos was amazing. Through it all they still were amazing. I was right next to the guy who grabs the mic when they were fighting. It was really just astonishing to watch it unfold the way it did. That's my nephew doing the Hip Priest vocals at about 17:00. It's a shame there's no footage of the show the night before because it was completely a different vibe.

Was there with some friends. I want my 10 dollars back, excellent footage though.. never in a million years did I think I would have to sit through that again, especially since its remembered all to clearly. We were waiting , audience & band, when Mark emerged, rather late for the show, from a yellow cab, sporting a 'shiner' Seems someone dotted his eye, that person, with the fist remains unknown. At that point we knew were in for a 'treat'. what unfolds here on film is pretty much how I remembered it.

BRILLIANT footage and a true moment in history.

Just finished The Big Mid-Week....this is only the next responsible step

Steve Hanley on top of his game !

Read Steve Hanley's book and remember that no matter how low you're feeling, at least you weren't a member of the Fall. Some seriously depressing moments towards the end of that read.

Whenever I'm feeling down, I watch this. Funny as fuck.

Karl Burns was as I read in and out of the band 9 times. He wouldn't take any crap from Mark E Smith. He was one the few who stood up against him. But at the end of the day it becomes too dysfunctional.

I was at this gig too. I remember that brief excerpts of this footage were originally on an excellent cable television program called "TV Kill." Here's some comments said to me by random shocked people in the audience after this show...First Guy: "Are they always like this?" Me: "No, this was very unusual." First Guy: "Too bad!" / Second Guy: "I've been seeing punk bands for years and I feel like I've finally seen my first REAL punk band!" / Third Guy:"That was so scary, I figured out who I'm going to be for Halloween this year. It's Mark E. Smith!"

That version of 'Pearl City' - what a rhythm section! Shame it all ended ten minutes later.

Julia's at the keyboards thinking to herself "what on earth is going on here?"

I lurve me some Fall. Mark E Smith is forever etched in my mind. He was a fucking genius.

Was always tempting when Mark was in this mood to get up for a bit of Fall Karaoke.

I was there, too. Saw The Fall doing a very professional show at Town & Country Club, London, 1988. Then, after 10 years - this. Anyway, one of the funniest gig I have ever seen, if not The Funniest.

Who's gonna play me in the movie? Sting! What the fuck?

My ambition, all my life, was to never play in the Fall

Just finished BiG Mid Week too...essential Fall read....

I've seen many great FALL shows...Only one pure chaos show in Philly around 95-96 ...but man, went they were ON , THEY WERE ON !!!

Just finished Thw Big Midweek, had to come for the Fracas, what a way to end the experience for all involved, FallForever ForeverFall

probably my favourite film. yes, oh yes.

What is interesting here is that Karl Burns was always one to watch in the earlier Fall videos. He was wonderful in front of the camera and game to play the performer game. As was Brix, and Mark E. These 3 and Marcia seemed to be the show people of the group. I wonder if that same energy leads to Karl not putting up with shit in this case. Appreciated.

Even in the most loving of families there can be upsets. That's just life, isn't it?

"...and the owner of the Brownies club just hoped it made three figures...." Totally worth it for the punchline. Fucking funny.

32:48 You! Are Fucking Fired! - Mark E Smith as usual.

MES always said he'd rather do 10 fantastic gigs and 10 terrible gigs than anything in the middle..this has both

this is great to me.

A truly miserable spectacle this. I saw them shortly before this in Cambridge U.K and there was clearly conflict going on, but it made for quite an exciting and entertaining night out, MES was dismantling the microphones on the drums and turning the amps up and down...till Steve threw his bass on the floor. The music was much tighter than this, almost enhanced by the tension. This N.Y.C Gig is a horrible disaster by comparison. Ugly. R.I.P Mark E Smith.

Legendary

best band ever; bar none

RIP MES

Holy crap! i was at this show!

Think actually unplugs Hanley's bass on behind the counter...😂😂..you couldn't dream it up.. brilliant.👍😂😂

History...............

This is where the phrase "Wow! what a shit-show!!" got first started! XD Music *still* on point - it is The Fall after all.

Best version of behind the counter by the way...👍

This is a great gig on x2 speed

Will always love that guy singing hip priest at 17:52

Fun fact: this was introduced as evidence in court and the jury had to watch this entire set

There’s real Rock and Roll right there…

51.20 breaks my heart, when MES throws Doc Shanley's bass - the end of The Fall, right there.

Someone knows what Roland Keyboard model Julia use there? Sound really good.

Beauty in solid edges, big massive impenetrable edge. And the vocalist is working on his plastic bag, happy to give a mic to the audience. Superior The Fall.

Please.... you Fall heads out there, what's the full set list?

Thanks so much bro! very powerful seeing a band literally break into pieces on stage , Can i ask where the hell you got this from?! . A fall fan

😫🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

When does the fracas happen? I've seen a bunch of verbal sparring, but can't seem to see MES scuffle with Mr. Burns.

Depois desse show a banda acabou

What's the opening track?

Shame, the band sounded great

There is no Fall without Mark E Smith! Farewell.

What are the chances of MES making frenz with Steve Hanley and Karl Burns again? (I can dream, can't I?)

ys there a setlist of this gig

Metallic KO for the nineties

Better than Eastenders

Song name at 38:00?

What is the song at 32:18 anybody please

I read somewhere that Mark was assaulted in a cab on the way to this gig

@ 49:54 _ they are not coming back

Lol

Forget the fight, at 53 minutes Mark says he had a dream that this town of New York was a powder keg that was radioactive. Considering powder keg was about the Manchester bombings before it happened, one could argue that this is MES predicting 9/11

Magnificent even the ruck was enjoyable, I wonder though if Mark became irritated by mistimed drumming (although tbh very minor as Karl Burns is a great drummer) hence why MES messed with the drum kit. All said we've lost a true genius, he is one of a kind totally irreplaceable

Think Julia would have been better in Japan.

Speed comedowns R hard to handle. That's a life sentence ; -)

Great version of hip priest, mind.

Ha, MES at his professional best. Doing his best ever impression of a 'Doors - Jim Morrision' or The Pogues Shane MacGowan act - take your pick. The gig is merely a 57:14 Jam session...the tension between the protagonists ever increasing...ain't nothing like some Shakespeare at a Fall jam session now is there. There's better entertainment in a mental asylum and you don't even have to pay for it. At 25:42 a punter says "This is a remix"...and then at 26:00 a punter yells at the band "Are you The Fall or a you a gimmick? Don't give me the gimmick shit, fu*king play, no gimmick man...get behind the fu*king drums and play ya clown...26:53 'Na fu*k you, shut the fu*k up, shut the fu*k up, everybody shut the fu*k up, shut the fu*k up - wonder boy eh...what we' got 'ere is a Scottish man... a fu*king animal on drums, a fu*king idiot..there's no fu*king singer...where's the fu*king singer? you fu*k... assault in public 'ere...two people...or three people...you've been witness to it yeh...the very thing, I tell ya what...these three...assault fu*ker...pulled the gun out on me...Pakistan or someone...these three were towering in the fu*king dressing room as usual...they're nowhere to be seen...The Fall went A.W.O.L. at this 'gig'. The Fall definitely fell at this one.

27:15 great stuff

I rather enjoyed that. Was expecting an ugly experience.

Skitty doesnt fly peet reels to the med

Nice version of Hip Priest

i dnt undertand him...how did he communicate to musicians to regroup,showed em a wad of cash

no gimmick man get behind the drums and play man no gimmick man. you're country is a gimmick.

Ovaj čovek je neuništiv.

MES the great sabateur. Shoulda gone back to the docks in 1987

He must of drank two bottles of vodka he can barley speak

That drummer is pretty good. Way too good to be playing with that pile of shit.

A legendary moment in rock history. Give me that fracas gig over most of other artists gigs