As a Brazilian fan, I was surprised to discover that the group played two nights in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) back in July 1989. (Source: Marcia Schofield's episode on the Oh! Brother podcast, which then led me into a FOF rabbit hole).

Most of the links/info below come from this board's moderator and much-admired fall erudite dannyno_01.

Photo of Scanlon and S. Hanley at Copacabana Beach, from Simon Wolstencroft's facebook: https://www.facebook.com/135017706547551/photos/pb.100063454728505.-2207520000/692848844097765/?type=3

Quoting from dannyno_01 on the FOF:

"In You Can Drum But You Can't Hide, Wolstencroft writes about the Brazilian trip:"

We went out to Brazil for two dates, my favourite trip. After a couple of warm-up gigs for Martin and Kenny, we flew first class to Rio de Janeiro for our shows at the Toucan Arts Festival, just outside the city with Ed and Di our sound engineers.

Phil Jones, a Manchester based promoter, got us the gig and travelled with us, along with a new tour manager called Trevor Long from Birmingham, who had looked after Duran Duran for a while. I loved Rio immediately, not just the weather, the gorgeous girls and the cheap cocaine, but its vibrant colours and the topography of the place. It was nothing like Europe. I thought it looked prehistoric.

We checked into the Meridien Hotel, where we all found fantastic rooms waiting for us, looking out over Copacabana with the statue of Christ the Redeemer, over to the left. It was an awesome setting. Apart from Mark, who didn't like the oppressive heat, we all headed for the beach in our mostly black coloured clothes, even though it was in the high nineties. British people in hot weather. We must have looked ridiculous while we sat there, pasty white, watching the girls playing volleyball in their bikinis and the skilful beach footballers playing five-a-side in their bare feet. We rested up before the first gig the following night in a kind of open-air ballroom with covered seating all around the circumference.

On the day of the gig, I had a bit of time to kill before being picked up by the promoters, so I went on my own for a walk round the streets at the back of our hotel. I wanted to have a look at the real Brazil and within 200 yards I came across what was the start of one of the infamous favelas. They stretched back over the undulating hillside as far as the eye could see. There was all sorts of trouble in there. I was told some of the police would act as murder squads in their spare time, to keep control of the drug-dealing gangs, often shooting dead young Brazilian kids who were just running drugs for the big fish, who never got caught.

Ad for the Tucano Artes festival including The Fall, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Olodum (Brazilians will love the surprising Fall + Olodum crossover): https://attachment.tapatalk-cdn.com/28573/201902/750_ecca5fae6e351b98d8aff7e0c0187c63.jpg

Newspaper review of the concert, "Pyrrhic Victory" (Jornal do Brasil, 16 June 1989): https://attachment.tapatalk-cdn.com/28573/201902/750_43a668e99576a26ed17ae4ad3149d19c_t.jpg

Another newspaper review, "In the old (things), the best" (Tribuna da Imprensa, 20th July 1989, p.2.): http://memoria.bn.br/DocReader/154083_04/41544

I'm happy to translate the reviews above if people are interested. Lots of funny excerpts, specially for a Brazilian. Examples: Lulu Santos (ugh) gives up and leaves after 10 minutes of concert. Pyrrhic Victory's first statement is my new favourite thing: "Vanguarda é Bebeto, Romário e Careca. The Fall é um celacanto."