So you’ve seen our Giant Half Man Half Biscuit Set List Chart and shivered in horror at so many numbers in one place. Now it’s time to see what we can make of it all. The chart covers 100+ gigs from November 2000 to July 2015, and ignores cover versions. Occasionally the set lists might not be 100% accurate, but if you think you see anything odd, that’s what the comments section is for (amongst other things).
MOST FREQUENTLY-PERFORMED SONGS
Vatican Broadside featured in 95 out of the 102 gigs, and two of the omissions (BBC Radio Merseyside and Cornbury) are understandable, given the content.
The top 10 are:
Vatican Broadside (95)
The Light at the End of the Tunnel… (91)
Joy Division Oven Gloves (85)
The Trumpton Riots (84)
For What Is Chatteris… (83)
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus (80)
Everything’s AOR (75)
Look Dad No Tunes (74)
Running Order Squabble Fest (73)
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit (71)
Bob Wilson – Anchorman (71)
The observant amongst you will have noticed that some of these songs hadn’t been written, back in 2000. Someone might like to take a look at the songs which have been performed the most often, taking this into account.
LEAST FREQUENTLY-PERFORMED SONGS
Some 48 songs did not get a single live outing in these 102 gigs. One or two are quite surprising omissions, others more understandable. They are (deep breath):
13 Eurogoths Floating In The Dead Sea • Architecture, Morality, Ted And Alice • Arthur’s Farm • Baguette Dilemma for the Booker Prize Guy • Ballad Of Climie Fisher (there have been false starts) • Breaking News • Busy Little Market Town • Carry On Cremating • Children of Apocalyptic Techstep • D’Ye Ken Ted Moult? • David Wainwright’s Feet • Descent of The Stiperstones • Epiphany • Faithlift • False Grit • Fun Day In The Park • Get Kramer • I Was A Teenage Armchair Honved Fan • I, Trog • ITMA • King Of Hi-Vis • Let’s Not • Lord Hereford’s Knob • Mars Ultras, You’ll Never Make The Station • Mr Cave’s a Window Cleaner Now • Multitude • New York Skiffle • Nove On The Sly • On Finding The Studio Banjo • Our Tune • Prag Vec At The Melkweg • Reasons To Be Miserable (Part 10) • Slight Reprise • Soft Verges • Something’s Rotten In The Back Of Iceland • Song For Europe • Song Of Encouragement for the Orme Ascent • Split Single With Happy Lounge Labelmates • Stavanger Töestub • Styx Gig (Seen By My Mates Coming Out Of A) • The Coroner’s Footnote • The Referee’s Alphabet • Tour Jacket With Detachable Sleeves • Upon Westminster Bridge • Visitor For Mr. Edmonds • Whit Week Malarkey • Whiteness Thy Name Is Meltonian • With Goth On Our Side.
PLEASE NOTE that this page is an update on an original first posted in 2011, covering the 71 gigs from 2000 to that time. The original comments made on that page can be found here; those of you wishing to play with the statistics may like to take a look at those comments and see if any of them are worth updating in the new comments section below.
Chris The Siteowner
Stattos: on your marks, get set, go.
A big thanks to Simon P, who writes:
So I broke up for the summer, so what should I do? Paint that ceiling? Fix the garden fence? Work out why the alternator belt on the camper van is squealing? Or update the Giant Setlist chart? Yes, well…
Simon is gets a Silver Biscuit award.
Some random observations from Simon:
“Joy Division Oven Gloves” has now been played 85 times in a row
“For What is Chatteris” has been played in 83 of those, and in the last 55 in a row.
“Joy in Leeuwarden” was played in every position from 1 to 7 in its first 7 shows
“Everything’s AOR” is statistically likely to be last in the set (22.2) whilst “Evening Sun” is likely to be at the beginning (5.73). (Min. 20 plays)
Breaking their duck on the chart, apart from the 90 Bisodol and UFO songs, are “Keeping Two Chevrons Apart”, “Ordinary to Enschede”, and “Little in the Way of Sunshine” (plus new song “A Man In Constant Sorrow”)
Four 90 Bisodol songs and two from UFO have not been played live.
As I mentioned above, you may like to look at the original comments on the Giant Set List thread, most of which are no longer up to date and if you would like to update them here, or add any new observations, off you go…
21 July 2015
Chris The Siteowner
Actually, I’m going to start, with
MOST POPULAR ALBUMS
Achtung Bono* (388 songs played)
Back In The DHSS (360)
EPs, Peel Sessions, etc (327)
Trouble Over Bridgwater (276)
Cammell Laird Social Club* (230)
CSI: Ambleside* (212)
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Road (179)
McIntyre, Treadmore And Davitt (170)
This Leaden Pall (163)
90 Bisodol (Crimond)* (125)
Back Again In The DHSS (69)
Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral (66)
Urge For Offal* (35)
Some Call It Godcore (15)
Albums marked with an asterisk hadn’t been released at the start of the period, so might appear to be at a disadvantage, but on the other hand they do get a boost when a lot of songs get played around release date. The two notable entries are Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral and particularly Some Call It Godcore, which really don’t get much in the way of live outings, do they? Indeed, we’re on a run of 18 gigs without a single Godcore song, and in 2008 to 2012 there was a run of 37 gigs with just 1 Godcore song, “Fretwork” at Durham in 2010.
21 July 2015
EXXO
Great work Simon.
The decline of the ‘talkies’:
’24HGP’ played in the vast majority of gigs till 3 years ago but only played in 2 out of 24 gigs since then. Have Shell threatened legal action, or bought him off?
‘ACP’ only played 3 times in the last 4 years. It’s never been a staple but definitely at a nadir now.
‘Wrong Grave’ only played once in the last 11 gigs.
21 July 2015
SIMON P
Ah, I see you already have. Could one add “NSD” and “RARIFOBW” to the talkies list, though?
21 July 2015
EXXO
Maybe R & R, yeah, probably should include that, but certainly not NSD, cos I guess what I’m chronicling is the recent decline in the songs which are constantly adapted.
21 July 2015
SIMON P
I wonder if it’s partly the fact that those songs tend to be long ones, and with NSD, RAR (and sometimes both) becoming staples in the setlist, Nigel decided to cut them down? I note that 24HGP disappeared only a couple of gigs after RAR became a regular.
21 July 2015
EXXO
Could be, and it’s a democratic decision so it may be that the rest of the band, Carl especially, don’t want as much rest as they used to, mid-set.
I think memory may also be a factor. With some of the more adaptable numbers it’s clear that Nigel is making quite an effort to remember whatever it is he’s decided to put it to freshen it up, and so he’s putting himself under pressure that he maybe doesn’t need at a time when quite a lot of new lyrics have had to be remembered.
I’m trying not to say that I think it’s a pity and I miss them all greatly. The gigs are always such great value whatever is included, so I shouldn’t care. that the only HMHB song I don’t really like is the one played without fail at every single gig also enables me to go to the bar at just the right time, which I certainly never used to get the chance to do.
21 July 2015
EXXO
Oh, that makes it sound like I don’t like JDOG. I love JDOG, it’s the other one that I just don’t get why it’s in every setlist.
21 July 2015
SIMON P
Most and least standard setlists
Most…
Cardiff 25/8/11 – 27 songs with 21 of them coming from the 27 most played, including all of the top 15.
Least…
Oxford 31/5/12 – 27 songs again, but only 14 from the top 27, and 4 of the top 6 not played (VB, Light/Tunnel, Trumpton and Fred). Also, debuts for Enschede and Little in the Way of Sunshine, and rarities CAMRA Man and Sealclubbing.
Leamington 11/4/14 – 26 songs, only 12 of the top 26, and lots of oddities – PRS, Pancake Day, Gubba, Tonight Matthew, Bogus Official, Eno Collaboration and the only outing for Them’s the Vagaries in the last 30 gigs.
21 July 2015
EXXO
Looks like there wasn’t much chance to practise together in summer 2011 before that Cardiff gig, but some of the setlist ‘churn’ percentages are very impressive indeed.
21 July 2015
Chris The Siteowner
I think we need some sort of a “setlist non-standardness rating” system, which we can award to each gig. It would somehow have to take into account new songs not being able to be in the most-played list, by giving them some sort of handicap. I’m sure somebody has a scheme.
21 July 2015
SIMON P
You’d have to have some sort of weighting for how long it’s been since each song was released (easily doable). Oh no, I’m going to do that now, aren’t I?
Having said that, the Leamington gig mentioned below had one new song in it and everything else was by then at least 3 years old, so I reckon it’s a clear winner. Unless you know different…
21 July 2015
Dave N Barbara
I’ve seen HMHB three times since 2011 and had ACP every time. I am the luckiest, as Ben Folds would say.
22 July 2015
nick halfmanhalfbikekit
Excellent work on the updated setlist spreadsheet. I’m 99.9% sure they played My Outstretched Arms at the Apex, Bury St. Edmunds on 12th June, but it doesn’t appear on the list. Can anyone else confirm this and can it be added?
3 August 2015