The Fall / Red Stars @ The Arches, 21 November

Mark E Smith's choice of support act – fellow Salford band Red Stars – is execrable tonight. Performing to a backing track, the duo consist of a sub-Smith ranter and a bizarre vision in a red figure skater's leotard, a young girl wailing tunelessly along to an unimaginative din. When you're booking failed tribute acts to your own band as support, that is a sign of fatigue – and sadly, not the only one on show tonight.

Smith himself is rumoured to be recovering from a chest infection, so perhaps the night's lacklustre performance is a blip. Of course, criticising The Fall's frontman for being incoherent and wandering off stage during songs, or for largely exploring the more obscure corners of their vast and unarguably seminal back catalogue is pointless – that is simply how they roll. And yet, watching Smith shamble through tracks, his eyes screwed shut, skin pallid, a tortured expression on his face, one cannot help but feel pity.

His vocals are still iconic, but frequently he trails off, leaving keyboardist and wife Eleni Poulou to fill the gaps. When Smith wanders away, she watches nervously. The band are undeniably tight – one thing that has kept them relevant over the decadess has been the regular influx of new members. But it is Mark E. Smith who we are here to see, and regrettably, it feels like he is only half-present, going through the motions. [Bram E Gieben]