The riff is unmistakably Brix, the snarl typically Mark. One of The Fall’s mid-period gems, Spoilt Victorian Child, taken from fan favourite This Nation’s Saving Grace from 1985 references colonialism, the Cottingley Fairies hoax, the kids’ book The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and typically entitled behaviour of the rich. I’m still not sure if Smith’s targeting anyone specific, or just poshos in general.
Still, the tongue twisting lyrics and playfulness is still mired in a slight sense of menace. Paul Morley once said they were like “the disruption of pop”, by smashing melody and dissonance together, and he wasn’t kidding. This makes Wet Leg sound like Bananarama. It’s absolutely killer stuff. The clip is from a performance at Manchester’s legendary Hacienda.
Hit The North 