Half Man, Half Biscuit

[Marvin]

BUMP

HMHB have got their normal occasional round of oddly located gigs coming up,

Fri 16th Feb 2007
Academy 1, Manchester

Wed 28th Feb 2007
The Cheese and Grain, Frome, Somerset

Thu  1st Mar 2007
The Point, Cardiff

I'm going to the Manchester gig this Friday, can't wait!

Whilst I'm bumping, here's Dukla Prague Away Kit on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1986, ace:

[Marvin]

The Manchester gig last night was excellent, loved it, despite a few utter wankers in the crowd (what is it with witty lyricists that always attracts skinheads?) the atmosphere was generally brilliant and the band were on top form.

They are a very tight live outfit, musically they're so much better than they get credit for. Ken is a great guitarist despite looking like he'd be more at home at a church féte.

A long and jam-packed set, can't remember the whole thing but it included; Shit Arm, Bad Tattoo, Joy Division Oven Gloves, Fuckin' 'Ell it's Fred Titmus, Deep House Victim's Minibus Appeal, Four Skinny Indie Kids, an extended version of Twenty Four Garage People including a medley of soft-rock shite from the petrol station attendent's iPod Shuffle, Albert Hammond Bootleg, For What is Chatteris?, Look Dad No Tunes, Everything's AOR, 4AD3DCD, Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off, Running Order Squabble Fest (one of the loudest crowd moments of the night was the 'You're going on after Crispy Ambulance!' chant), Bad Review, Them's The Vagaries, The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train), We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune, Corgi Registered Friends, Restless Legs, Bob Wilson - Anchorman, Lark Descending, Vatican Broadside and a cover of The Fall's Container Drivers.

Oh and a brilliantly extended Paintball's Coming Home, Nigel of course forgot the words at times but there were some great new verses: 'they didn't choose their cat, their cat chose them', 'they bought a Ratpack album in the checkout queue... of course they've got their Nectar card' and 'they by soup in cartons, not in tins.... and the worrying thing is that so do I now'.

Lovely dour banter from Nigel in between songs as well as some short and sweet musical refrains, typical response to someone requesting a song, 'yes, that is one of our numbers'/

Anyway, brilliant, they are a national treasure and must be seen live, one of the last remaining true 'punk' bands.

[waste of chops]

they bought a Ratpack album in the checkout queue

???

[Marvin]

Sorry, Rat Pack then.

[waste of chops]

I wasn't being pedantic BTW, I was just tickled at the thought of middle-class Sainsburys shoppers picking up oldskool rave albums during their big shop...

[gloria]

It was a great gig.  Nigel made a joke about voting for Deep Blue as Sports Personality of the Year and I was the only person who laughed!

[zonko]

There's a, as far as I can tell, fairly accurate lyrics site here: http://halfmanhalfbiscuithalfhearted.blogspot.com/

[Egyptian Feast]

There's a, as far as I can tell, fairly accurate lyrics site here: http://halfmanhalfbiscuithalfhearted.blogspot.com/

Sweet! That's exactly what the web needs. Hope this keeps being updated, there's quite a few of their earlier songs I still find tricky to completely decipher. It's a shame there's no lyrics on hmhb.co.uk, it's such a handy reference point in every other respect. Thanks for the link!

[Marvin]

There's no 'official' lyrics for any of their records as Nigel doesn't do them, handy to have a decent transcript site though.

[Xander]

I find the fact there are no official lyrics brilliant and frustrating in equal measure. Sometimes, you really just want to look up what it is he's saying to get the joke, but on the other hand, there's nothing better than listening to a song you've heard a thousand times, and suddenly think "Oooh...he said 'Ofsted plaudits, Envy of the Fens'! Of course, that makes so much sense now" or somesuch thing.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

I thought it was "Ofsted called it 'Henley of the Fens'"?

[Xander]

Ahh,. the mystery deepens! I was just going off what that website said, to be honest. I can't decide myself.

[Egyptian Feast]

Anybody else heading to the Blackpool Tower gig on November 23rd? Just got my ticket this morning. Blackpool is quite a bit of a trek for me, but HMHB are absolutely worth it. I've been listening to the last few albums again recently and it seems to me that they're getting better with each one. Achtung Bono is definitely my favourite album of theirs now; after dozens of plays I'm still not in the least bit sick of it and am still finding new things to make me laugh. Nigel is certainly the most underrated singer and lyricist this country has produced in a long time. Who else could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up while singing a line like "The inside of a Halex 3-star table tennis ball smells much like you'd expect it to"? I really can't wait for this gig.

[Xander]

 I am a bit annoyed that most of the gigs are a complete trek for me. I caught them about 4 years ago when they played The Cluny in Newcastle, and I'd love to be able to be so certain I'd be around and available to allow me to buy tickets to any gig more than 50 miles away. Sadly, until they play Newcastle or the surrounding area again (and I check their website at least once a month), I'm afraid it's no HMHB for me. I'll just have to make do with The Pogues in December.

[Egyptian Feast]

Has anyone seen this yet? I'm not sure if the band had any involvement in this, but it's an excellent parody of Eraserhead, soundtracked by 'Restless Legs' off Achtung Bono.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6gI7CHYRrU[/youtube]

[mwude]

HMHB - Best of?

I'm thinking of going to the Blackpool Tower gig and will hopefully take someone along who's never heard the joyous delights of the Biccies.  I figure cobbling together a quick 'Best of' cd would be a decent way of introducing them into pleasures ahead (or at least warning them what they're up against should they hate it).  So which tracks do you reckon are the ideal introduction for a Half Man Half Biscuit ingenue?

A combination of personal favourites / inevitable staples would include:

The Light at the End of the Tunnel (is the Light of an Oncoming Train)
The Referee's Alphabet
Joy Division Oven Gloves
For What is Chatteris
It's Clichéd To Be Cynical At Christmas
Twenty Four Hour Garage People
Four Skinny Indie Kids
Paintball's Coming Home (old & new versions)
Even Men with Steel Hearts
Tour Jacket with Detachable Sleeves
The Trumpton Riots

But I think that just reflects the fact I've listened to the later albums more than the earlier ones.  Any that I've missed that should clearly get a mention?  Obviously I've not included the likes of Rod Hull, Fred Titmuss or Dickie Davis as yet.

[weekender]

BREAKING NEWS, _{but the version from the John Peel session and not the album version.}

[mwude]

Good one.  And in digging it out it's reminded me that I extraordinarily managed to omit Vatican Broadside (which precedes it on that particular Peel session).  As it's pretty much my all time favourite - so short, so sweet, so perfect - I just assumed I'd already included it.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Not sure how well it's regarded among hmhb fans, but I've got a soft spot for Fretwork Homework, having been to enough Battle Of The Bands nights to last me til supper.

[Xander]

HMHB - Best of? I figure cobbling together a quick 'Best of' cd would be a decent way of introducing them into pleasures ahead (or at least warning them what they're up against should they hate it).  So which tracks do you reckon are the ideal introduction for a Half Man Half Biscuit ingenue?

I'm trying to think of what my ex's brother made me listen to to get me into them. I'd probably stick on "All I Want for Christmas (Is a Dulka Prague Away Kit)", "Running Order Squabble Fest", "Hedley Verityesue" and/or "Turn a Blind Eye". The rest are pretty sound though.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Eno Collaboration and Bad Review, surely?

[phantom_power]

4ad3dcd

[Egyptian Feast]

I've got an iTunes playlist I play when I have friends over that's pretty similiar to your best-of, mwude, but I couldn't live without the following:


Irk The Purists
Uffington Wassail
When The Evening Sun Goes Down
You're Hard
Bottleneck At Capel Curig
Tonight Matthew, I'm Going To Be With Jesus
Bob Wilson - Anchorman

[Geraint]

can't go wrong with all the current recommendations but i'd consider trying to cram in some of the following

A Country Practice
Everything's AOR
Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off
Fear My Wraith
Dead Men Don't Need Season Tickets
Gubba Look-a-Likes
Look Dad No Tunes (there's a great entry on this buried somewhere in the 1000 singles topic iirc)
We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune


i think they're the one band (maybe Pulp too) that i'd be completely incapable of deciding on a 75-minute or less tracklisting.

[zonko]

HMHB will be on BBC Radio Merseyside this Sunday/Monday 23rd/24th Sept
(12am-2am). They recorded for over an hour (so I'm told) for Roger Hill's
P.M.S show's birthday special.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2006/07/14/radiomerseyside_pres_rogerhill_feature.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2006/11/13/pms_playlist_feature.shtml

Station is at 95.8 FM or 1485 AM or DAB.

Listen on the web at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/merseyside.shtml

There's a 'listen again' feature which will have the show available for a
week afterwards.

[Beagle 2]

Just seen that, absolutely brilliant! What a silly time to put them on though, I'll definitely be taping it.

i think they're the one band (maybe Pulp too) that i'd be completely incapable of deciding on a 75-minute or less tracklisting.

It's impossible - I've tried doing a "best of" for friends and it's always seemed crap considering what I've left off.

[Marvin]

If anyone is able to capture that (as I'll be drunk in a field) then I'd love them forever, or at least a week or so.

[Beagle 2]

Cocknobs, I forgot about this - hopefully I'll be able to make a decent recording off the listen again though.

[zonko]

It was a good 'un, a couple of newies the best of which was He's on the 'roids, which is about a steroid abusing doorman and contains the couplet: His paranoia is absurd - "are you thinking about my bird?"

[mitzidog]

I have a Dukla Prague away kit, bought for me for Christmas by my brother about 10 years ago.

I occasionally wear it, and will explain its significance if you ask me, although I'm never "dying for someone to ask" about it.

Sadly won't make the gigs this year, but certainly appreciate the heads up on "Achtung Bono" as I haven't followed the exploits of HMHB for many years.