I saw an early incarnation of The Fall in Liverpool. I reckon it must have been about 1978 as I was certainly underage at the club at which they were playing. They were supporting some Gong spin-off band and entry on the night was free. I remember being totally bewildered by them and then bemused when, at the end of their set, they passed a carrier bag around to try and raise enough money to get back to Manchester.
Echoing Lee, I never became a fan but they certainly appear to have been influential.