If you've never heard of Half Man Half Biscuit then track titles like Bad Losers On Yahoo Chess, Lord Hereford's Knob and National Sh**e Day should give you an inkling about their style.
This manic Birkenhead four piece don't take themselves too seriously, writing songs about anything and everything that happens to pop into their heads. The end result is extremely fulfilling, a beautiful concoction of brilliant lyrics and wacky performances that you can't help but enjoy.
I doubt that there is a more likeable band than HMHB; they slap a smile on your face which is difficult to erase and the utter randomness of their stuff makes you wish that you hadn't abandoned your own fledgling music career quite so early.
There was a song my band created about fighting with shoes which was unfortunately axed for being well....too stupid. But HMHB are living proof that we should have stuck at it, as more than twenty years after forming they are still playing to adoring masses at established venues like Nottingham Rock City.
A bizarre motley crew of people from many generations await the band, proof enough of their wide-ranging appeal. Seasoned gig goers mingle with grey haired souls who have probably never been to a place like this before, but one and all are left thoroughly entertained.
HMHB are hardly the world's best musicians, but it doesn't matter as their quintessentially British style produces numerous singalongs and general merriment. Lead singer Nigel Blackwell happily engaged with the crowd and took part in all the banter which was flying about the place. He gets several laughs, meaning that this is not just a gig, but a comedy performance as well.
Highlights include F**kin Hell It’s Fred Titmus, Blue Badge Abuser, S**t Arm, Bad Tattoo, and Twenty-Four Hour Garage People which is probably the best song about a petrol station that I’ve ever heard. Another number which goes down tremendously is Vatican Broadside, a short sharp ditty with the classic lyrics: “The lead singer of Slipknot went to Rome to see The Pope/and The Pope said to his aide/who the f*****g hell are Slipknot?”
Credit is also due for the length of the set, a bumper affair lasting the best part of two hours. Veterans they may be, but this band can still last the distance on stage, an example other acts would do well to follow.
So all hail Half Man Half Biscuit, a wonderfully eccentric band who show that if you spend your money on guitars, you don’t have to write songs about your broken heart. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a music career to resurrect. Just how did that shoe fighting song go……
Review: Dan Palmer
Images: Richard Battye
http://www.ng-magazine.com/Diary/Music/Half_Man_Half_Biscuit:_Live_Review/
