O2 Academy, Oxford gig – Friday 23 October 2026
Last gig of the year in one of the lightest years ever for live performances from the band – only the COVID years have had as few gigs since the band’s hiatus in the 1980s. Did absence make the heart grow fonder? Over to you…
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(1 hour ago by Johnny Kwango)
twistedkitemike
Quick note with the set-list.
Thy Damnation Slumbereth Not! As Tony said, worth the entrance fee alone.
Lilac HQ
Light Tunnel
McCalliog
When I Look At My Baby
Record Store Day
Leaden Pall
Bell Rings
Thy Damnation
Fred
Song to the Siren….
…Vatican
NSD
MMM
Floreat
Surging
AOR
27 Yards
Trad Arr Tune
Poss Side Effects
Trumpton
OOD
…………………………
Jack
Brimful of Asha
JDOG
Never got home so early!
Mike……………….
23 October 2026
D LIST PAUL ROSS
Any chance NB threw in a “can you hear Tjinder Singh?”?
24 October 2026
dic aberdaron
cheers lods
24 October 2026
Froome-dog
Trying to recall Nigel’s Oxford references during the ’45’ call-and-response section, I think we got
Jericho Tavern
Christ Church Meadow
The old Manor Ground
John(ny?) Aldridge
Not sure I caught the others?
24 October 2026
Andrews
FD I think The Bullingdon next door got a mention.
My first ever HMHB gig around 30 years after a school friend gave me a tape of DHSS he’d copied off of his dad. I loved it and them unreservedly
24 October 2026
Somewhere near stroud
I think the other ones iirc were:
The Blackbird Leys Estate
The Bullingdon Arms
Peter Rhoades-Brown
24 October 2026
Alan
Kevin brock, whose backpass let adrian heath in 42 years ago and arguably kick started everton’s mid 80s revival
24 October 2026
Alan
Sorry. He was in the audience
24 October 2026
Paul F
I think “Blackbird Leys” was the first local reference in that list.
24 October 2026
Gordon burns
Another excellent outing. Nigel looking like he’d just been out rambling – a new look. Crapsons put on brilliant (almost headlining) show with some great and amusing material. When the singer (Mike?) was doing his crowd work, asking if anyone has a dead name (other than Gary), nobody dared call out the obvious “Nigel”. Funny that. Asha as a cover was genius!
24 October 2026
Cream Cheese and Chives
Drove down from Kendal in torrential rain and have arrived home to torrential rain, but worth every minute. It always is. A nice pre gig meet up and the gig was as good as always. As ever, my set list predictions were way out.
I was pleased to not see( or not hear) Dukla Prague Away Kit. I wonder if some sacred cows may start to be sacrificed.
I watched from the back and found the screens very odd; like watching telly.I asked a couple of young lads if they understood the references in the songs. “Some,” they said. They told me they didn’t know much about the band but had heard of them. A strange criterion to apply before deciding to go and see a band.A fair few around me were giving off a Bladderwrack Allowance vibe but it’s always a nice crowd and there was a lot less nattering than there has been at some recent gigs. Hope everyone gets/got home safely.
24 October 2026
Alan
Stood in front of the sound desk last night. The woman in charge came over demanding to know why the walk on music hadn’t started on time. They then realised no one could spell Tchaikovsky.
24 October 2026
Hendrix-tattoo
Like I said to Mike, Damnation and Siren was worth the admission fee alone. It was also nice not to smell someone’s Frey Bentos smelly bums guts….
24 October 2026
Sloppy
Great to hear Floreat and Lilac Harry.
As always, a decent gig. Dare I say the Crapsons are the best of the supports I’ve seen?
Perhaps that’s my Birkenhead bias.
Pizza (s) and Biscuits is always guaranteed to be a good way to start the weekend. Shame I decided to stretch to an extra day in soggy Oxford.
24 October 2026
Josef Vengloš
South Midlands Hit Squad also in that list – got a knowing laugh from the locals
24 October 2026
Reginswindon
Missed the gig as I was in the USA .
Visited the Cleveland Rock n Roll hall of fame museum.( well worth a visit) .
You can tap your email into a computer and suggest new inductees to the hall of fame.
Well I couldn’t resist it.
25 October 2026
Persian rug vendor
Urge for offal or Future doom?
25 October 2026
CARRIE ANNE
Roger’s review, with many thanks to Gez at https://www.hmhb.co.uk/guest/index.htm
O2 Academy, Oxford, Fri 23rd Oct 2026
Roger Green:
I saw an article in the Yorkshire Post, where the band were called “Satirical cult icons”. I’m sure they have been called worse. And that in itself would be a good name for a band.
There was a request on Freak Zone from JC Hanlan in Argyll for A Country Practice. I wondered how long it is going to be before there is a HMHB themed prom following Maconie’s Prog Rock one. It is, after all, the only popular music song to mention the proms. As far as I am aware.
I read somewhere that a musical is being written about the life of Sam Allardyce. I’m sure HMHB could come up with a few songs for that. I also read that Monty Don is leaving Gardeners World. Taking the testimonial silver with him?
I have a gig to report by someone else! This was Kirsten Adamson, the daughter of Stuart, at The Robin Hood in Pontefract. You would have been disappointed if you expected to hear Big Country or Skids. Nevertheless, the pedigree shone through, in a pleasant afternoon of songs written and sung by Kirsten, to the accompaniment of her acoustic guitar.
Other gigs came, er, thick and fast! Indignation Meeting are regulars on our radar. On another occasion, Karen and I saw Scottish jangle-pop duo The Cords (big hitters in Dandelion Radio Festive Fifty) at the Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds. And we went to a local event featuring Charlie Chuck flogging his autobiography. Nice to see under the cover of this unusual comic creation.
Does anyone here watch Stereo Underground on Rewind TV? It’s a programme showing “alternative” music videos. We noticed HMHB got a mention, but the host had no video to show. I think they would be limited to No Regrets or Dickie Davies Eyes. I’m not sure that the Whistle Test appearance would qualify as a “video”, and there might well be copyright issues.
Scientists and fishermen were celebrating the return of tuna to the seas around Britain. We saw an article about an Atlantic blue fin tuna weighting 746lb being caught and brought ashore at Whitby. It reminded me of Nigel’s recollection of when he was younger. He thought they were small and round, about the size of a tin.
HMHB won’t be appearing (as far as I am aware), but you might be interested to know that tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2027 sold out in forty-two minutes. Organisers confirmed last month that weekend tickets were at their highest price ever – £408, including a £5 booking fee – an increase of £29.50 from the last event in 2025. I’m sure it will be as popular as ever, but it’s another example of ordinary folk being priced out of the market.
We took in a repeat showing of the film Twenty-Four Hour Party People. Not Garage. It follows Anthony H Wilson as he builds up Factory Records, The Hacienda, Joy Division/Happy Mondays etc. How might it have gone if he could have got HMHB to put pen to paper, I wonder? Written in blood?
I was a bit peeved about missing the Half Mandolin Half Biscuit show in Edale. To anyone who follows HMHB, it is always worth catching HMandHB’s readings of the songs. Ah well, maybe next time.
As the Oxford gig approached, there was some dismal weather rolling in from the south west. Storm Austen. Trains cancelled meant that folks were struggling to get there and back. And some made the grim decision to stay at home. Nightmare.
We had the good fortune to be stopping at The Crown Hotel on Oxford’s Crown Street, only a couple of hundred yards from the venue. Ahead of the doors opening, we joined the queue with Tony, Andrew, Lorna, Gilly and Daisy. Alex, Lynn and Andy, recently returned from seeing a Dukla match in Prague, were also early birds. It was rather chilly, especially for the daft gits (me) who were only wearing t-shirts.
On the subject of t-shirts, there was an assortment of Crapsons items on display at the merch stall. I understand that Santa might be charged with sourcing one for me. But there was no new HMHB merchandise to report.
Karen noted the cost of water inside the O2 Academy. She bought a round of five 500ml bottles for £19.75. That’s £3.95 each, equivalent to £7.90 a litre. Petrol costs approximately £1.75 a litre. Gulp. Maybe we’ll ask for water from the tap next time.
After I had a brief catch-up with Miles and Pete at the merch stall, Crapsons were prompt on stage at seven o’clock. Things were running slightly earlier than usual. What a fine band to get everyone warmed up. With his screechy, screamy vocal delivery, Markey must get through a few lozenges. Neil on guitar is a recent but mighty addition to the band. Because of the (lack of) spot lighting, Gilbert on drums was in darkness. But he kept bashing away. Top show. I hope they come to Yorkshire some time.
They played these:
Netflix And Kill
Waiting For Armageddon
Checking In To A And E
RIP Gary
Girl On The Side Of The Road
You Don’t Know When You’re Going To Die
Fuck Off
Fuck Off Again
Fuck Off For Good (“The end of the Fuck Off trilogy”)
Kings Of The Council Estate
Thanks to Neil for the set list, which also featured a picture of Joe and Mary, the next door neighbours from The Royle Family.
A man with a stepladder and an Allen key was despatched in the interval to sort out the spotlight issue. Some decent tunes came over the PA. I noted Billy Bragg’s The Milkman Of Human Kindness, The Sultans Of Ping’s Where’s Me Jumper and Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. Joining the throng tonight were Phill, Lindsay, Cath Aubergine, Nick, Sue, Steve A, Lou, Gomez, Ian, Chris, Mike, Brian, John, Elizabeth, Paul, Graham Le Taxi, Wayne and Postman Tony (or was it Tom Selleck?). I also saw Niall, but he was chatting to someone else.
Another decent tune was Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto Number One, which prompted HMHB’s entrance. An early celebrity spotted in the crowd was Kevin Brock. We had to look up who he is. Other notable attendees pointed out during the evening included Pam Ferris (“we’ve got those pallets round the back for you.”). Bettany Hughes was standing by the Fire Exit sign “Did you get your Smart Meter sorted out?” asked Nigel. “You’ll regret that!” and Damian Grammaticus “They want £500, or a pineapple goes through your window. Just passing the message on !”.
At the line in The Light At The End Of The Tunnel, Nigel pointed over his shoulder towards New Mills. “Anyone in from Falkirk?” he asked. Apparently McCalliog And His Hens is “coming to a screen near you, around November or December.” When I Look At My Baby was noted as a true story. At rehearsals, when Nigel stops to make a cup of tea, Karl, Carl and Neil start practicing their Wilson, Kepple and Betty tribute act. Tony shouted “One for the teenagers there.”.
Karl’s green guitar experienced an issue early on, possibly a broken string, so he quickly swapped it for his red one. When discussing the M6 Toll Road and North Canes services, Nigel said “We’re so middle class now.” The Song To The Siren / Vatican Broadside medley was as recorded for a Radio One session (not necessarily Peel) some years back.
Nigel sang the snippet about swimming in a creek, and an eel bites your cheek. “That’s a moray.” His amp was sitting on a crate, and he pondered out loud, what is the correct collective noun for crates. A member of staff walked through the moat handing out towels to the band. I’m not sure if they were required. In stark contrast to last time in Leeds, it was a bit cold up at the front.
There was a request for Chatteris. “That’s one of ours. We might do it later,” was the reply. But they didn’t. Nigel commented that at any point in time he’s got eighteen voices in his head. “The Abbess Of Gloucester. Ron Saunders. Bernie Winters, but not with Schnorbitz.”
Neil was asked to settle an argument. “Who sang Tiger Feet? The Sweet or Mud?” Neil answered “Mud”. Then came the punchline – “That’s right. That’s right. That’s right.” Nigel and Karl took the opportunity to do the Status Quo duelling guitar thing at the beginning of We Built This Village. Nigel said to someone in the crowd, “I can remember your shirt. I’ve got a good memory for things like that. It needs an inside aerial”.
It was noted that Remembrance Day commemorations are approaching. Nigel said that football mascots get it all wrong. When they bow their heads it looks ridiculous. They should at least take their comedy heads off first.
In the encore, before the Cornershop cover, Nigel said “Join in if you want, because potentially we’ll fuck it up.”. At one point, he stood on the drum riser, skilfully managing to avoid falling into Carl’s kit. He’d forgotten to pack his stage shoes, so was wearing his Sherpa hiking boots. I don’t listen with enough intensity to the music. Tonight, for the first time, I noticed Neil playing a riff on the bass from Transmission in the middle of Joy Division Oven Gloves.
There were a few Oxford references placed into Brimful Of Asha, being Blackbird Leys Estate, Jericho Tower, Bullingdon Arms, Peter Rhoades-Brown, Christchurch Meadows, The Old Manor Ground, South Midlands Hit Squad and John(ny) Aldridge.
HMHB played the following songs:
A Lilac Harry Quinn
The Light At The End Of A Tunnel Is A Light Of An Oncoming Train
McCalliog And His Hens
When I Look At My Baby
Record Store Day
This Leaden Pall
Every Time A Bell Rings
Thy Damnation Slumbereth Not
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus
Song To The Siren / Vatican Broadside
National Shite Day
Midnight Mass Murder
Floreat Inertia
Surging Out Of Convalescence
Everything’s AOR
Twenty-Seven Yards Of Dental Floss
We Built This Village On A Trad Arr Tune
Possible Side Effects
The Trumpton Riots
Oblong Of Dreams
And then in the encore:
Jack’s Been To The National
Brimful Of Asha
Joy Division Oven Gloves
Many thanks as ever to Karl for handing over the set list. And that was it. Weatherwise or otherwise. Not just for tonight, but for the year. On the Saturday morning we saw Niall at Oxford station, at the beginning of his journey back to Ireland. He was consoling himself with the silver medal for distance travelled, as Lorna had once again checked in from New Hampshire, thereby nicking the gold. There was some pretty dodgy weather round and about. We were hoping that all international Biscuiteers got home safely.
Thanks to the band for being the band, and everyone for making this such a grand community. In particular Andrew and Tony for the in-depth knowledge, and Karen for keeping everything on track. See you all in 2027. Let’s do it all again in Nottingham, London, Edinburgh and Holmfirth, and wherever else they might play.
25 October 2026
Johnny Kwango
Whilst travelling home approaching Birmingham on our potential podium spot for longest distance travelled, a friendly elderly lady tapped Mrs Kwango on the shoulder – having seen her Road Sign hoodie – and said, in a lilting Liverpudlian accent (or a variant thereof) “my son drinks with him, Nigel, every Thursday” … small world.
25 October 2026
THE SHED CHECKER
Back home in Liverpool after a cracking few days. On the Friday afternoon we booked a walking tour around Oxford, I allowed myself a wry smile as our guide pointed out Blackwell’s, a huge book shop with, presumably, a generous reference section. Onto the evening, great crowd, great sound, the missus & myself thoroughly entertained. Lovely to meet Fiona, Jen & Steve pre-gig, also Aiden & anyone else we spoke to post-gig in The Library. Dave & Ali (Wallasey), great to meet you in there, we owe you both a pint. We hope to see you all, and much much more, in Nottingham.
26 October 2026
Robert hoffmann
My first HMHB gig; won’t be my last. Great to meet Dave and Lynne. Rarely have I sat on my own in a pub before a gig and been more confident of meeting like-minded, friendly people. Oblong of Dreams & Possible Side Effects personal highlights. Also thought Everything’s AOR sounded incredibly fresh.
A life-affirming evening. Even if I did chicken out of wearing my 1978 Peru shirt.
26 October 2026
ALEX
I can be added to those who consider The Crapsons to be the best support act. Had actually planned on wearing my ‘Half-Time Executions’ t-shirt until the weather demanded the ‘Achtung Bono’ hoodie. They’re great fun, Markie has plenty of personality and ‘Girl At the Side Of The Road’ is an absolute banger.
No need to comment on HMHB: We know we’re getting a top quality performance.
Wasn’t impressed by the O2 priority advantages (I was with them in their various guises from 1997 to early this year but struggled for a signal at work or abroad). Giving them 2 days’ start, in venue phone charging, and free water is fine, allowing them to queue jump the regulars, who have been there half an hour, and pinch their spec, is crossing a line for me.
26 October 2026
malcolm of arimathea
My memory was that MMM immediately followed Vatican Broadside, but wasn’t taking notes. Thoroughly enjoyed Crapsons, even though the drummer was all but invisible until taking his bow. RIP Gary was fun, noticed they included Colin in the coda – we wanted our son’s name not to be too common, and I think we got our wish there. Spotted Neil out and about during their set, but everyone seemed either too polite to bother him, or too focused on Crapsons to notice. As for HMHB, always great to see them in my local and I think all the Oxford references have already been noted. The new songs sounded great (particularly PSE), Brimful of Asha was inspired, and it feels like OOD will now always be in there towards the end, as it should be.
27 October 2026
EXXO
Great to see Neil C. has finally joined Crapsons, which seems like a natural progression from being their de facto PR man all these years. There’s a lot to love on the LP, especially when you can make out the lyrics. For my first few listens I thought it was “nobody interviews Gary any more.”
My current favourite verse that I can make out is from ‘We’re not Allowed Nice Things,’ just because I used to drink in the Shrew in Oxton, a lifetime ago:
Back in my day,
There’d be a knock on the door:
“Are you coming out to play?
We’re going on a Wirral tour!”
Now we’ve got WhatsApp groups
To plan a pint in the Shrew
And if you don’t get back[?] by half past six
I’m cancelling on you.
Part of the indecipherability is Mikey’s screeching. personally I’d prefer it if he saved the extremes of screech for like about 10% of his strongest hate/dissing/jokey violence, rather than 80% of every song. The best punk front men have a good variety of tone, and save the extremes for the choruses, though I agree Mikey is far from the only one to fall into this trap, and I also know that there are plenty of the punk audiences who like a non-stop extreme noise vocalist.
27 October 2026
Johnny kwango
@Alex #22
The two support sets by Crapsons in recent years have both been excellent but I can’t go as far as saying they were the absolute best as there have been others I have enjoyed equally as much, specifically The Hitchers at the Wulfrun Hall and, with a quite different vibe, Vincent Whyte at The Boiler Room. My memory isn’t good enough to recall who the support act was many moons ago, but I am sure there will be folk on here who have their own DRS containing the names of support bands, dates and even stage times.
29 October 2026
dr DEsperate
JD Meatyard, anyone?
29 October 2026
Persian rug vendor
Great gig, after it’s outing in Wolverhampton, I was hoping for Bane of constance but that’s a minor thing,Crapsons were terrific, nice chatting to the guy in the Creme Brulee T-shirt. Off to Walthamstow on Sunday for the Friday night fever thing and collect My signed book.
29 October 2026
johnny kwango
@DrD #21
First time I saw him supporting I wasn’t sure. There was one song that seemed to go on forever which isn’t ideal the first time you see someone live and you are hoping to get a feel for their stuff in general, but the second time it was a much more enjoyable set and will be happy to see him again in April.
30 October 2026