There has never been a group like the Fall. That much is clear from the fact that you are not even allowed to call them a 'band' - Mark E Smith once scolded a writer for using that word, insisting a band was something you'd get in Blackpool. The combustible frontman died in 2018 at age 60, effectively ending the group he had led since 1976. But the legend has only grown, sustained by reissues, spinoff groups, podcasts, and a small library of books. Last week, former manager Ed Blaney announced Post Script, billed as the 'official final album,' due in September. So it was an opportune moment for The Fall: Futures and Pasts, a three-day all-Fall festival held at Manchester's Band on the Wall venue, marking 50 years of the group and drawing devotees from as far as Australia and the US. The event featured cover bands, walking tours, the poet laureate as DJ, and karaoke - where at least one brave soul attempted 'Eat Y'Self Fitter.' Smith would almost certainly have hated the whole thing. That, in a way, is the point.