The “second city” gets Half Man Half Biscuit gigs almost as infrequently as Liverpool, surprisingly. Did they make up for their absence in style? Over to you for the reviews.
The “second city” gets Half Man Half Biscuit gigs almost as infrequently as Liverpool, surprisingly. Did they make up for their absence in style? Over to you for the reviews.
SIMON P
Splendid set tonight. Well impressed to get Totnes, Vitas, 23 years in short order! No cover in the encore.. Nice to meet folks off here too. Cheers!
18 October 2013
twistedkitemike
For those of you remotely interested, the set-list was as follows: –
Lilac HQ
Evening Sun
Fred
Floreat
Bob W
DPAK
Bad Review
Lark
Leeuwarden
Deep House
Wrong Grave
Light Tunnel
Footprints
Totnes
Vitas G
Vatican
NSD
Asparagus
Time Flies By
Fix It
Bob Todd
Encs
Chatteris
Left Lyrics
JDOG
No cover this evening.
Mike……………………………….
18 October 2013
mac
Ken’s handwritten set list would seem to suggest that the 11pm curfew meant that Capel Curig and Bad Wools were due to be played but dropped.
18 October 2013
DeaCON IN MISGUIDED TROUSERS
We missed out on Bad Wools? That’s a bit crap, it’s one of my favourites. Disappointed not to get We Built This Village… either, that’s one of my favourites. Not moaning though it was a great gig. Leeuwarden in particular was a highlight.
18 October 2013
Richard Lovell
A great set in a poor venue. Disappointed not to get CC and Bad Wools at the end too, as they would have finished it off rather nicely.
And with many favourites not played it reminded me of what a strong catalogue they now have.
18 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
Agreed, The venue was absolute crap but the band very good. Roll on Norfhamtun
18 October 2013
EXXO
Anyone else quietly relieved, after Simon P’s rumour last night, that the new material remains veiled up? Was proper jealous ‘ere when I though I was missing out. Save it for the Roadmender lads.
18 October 2013
pointless
Was a great night and we were treated to a rendition of the pointless theme tune by Nigel. Were else can you see several hundred people charnting the name of fred titmus and a ode to oven gloves under one roof. Priceless.
18 October 2013
Nice Dress
Enjoyed the tale of NB’s ‘Bakewell Tart’ nickname at primary school … when in fact Blackwell is a village not far from Bakewell. 9 year olds, eh?
18 October 2013
Bev Bevan
Anybody notice Nigel constantly turning over his set list in between songs? It’s almost as if the running order is on alternate sides of his piece of paper.
Liked Ken not knowing what the last song of the encore was – frantically looking at his set list and asking Karl, and coming in late once Nigel had started singing.
18 October 2013
SIMON P
Apologies for last night’s comment that may have inadvertantly suggested that new material was being played – there was meant to be a question mark on the end of the sentence!
18 October 2013
Chigley Skin
Echoing what others have said, great night despite the venue being shite. Nigel on good form; enjoyed his “sponsoring the moshpits” dig at the O2’s poncy advertising monitors!
18 October 2013
MAc
On studying the set list, it appears that “Bob Todd” was not originally planned.
Capel Curig would have been played after Vitas and Bad Wools as 2nd song in the Encore.
There is an interesting “?” in the order between Bad Wools and Left Lyrics presumably for the cover that also never got played?
Or was it to describe what Nigel played for 1 min. I didn’t catch a word; anybody else think Nigel’s mike went crap during Light at the End of the Tunnel, and was poor for the rest of the gig?
18 October 2013
MAc
Oh and Bad Review should have been played before DPAK
18 October 2013
BOB HATTON
@Bev.
The reverse traditionally sometimes holds a few aides-mémoire in case the audience don’t come up with any interesting input. For example which local 1970s football heroes are in the audience expecting a mention, where the band stopped with their flasks, great achievements of Ken’s ancestors, punting tips for long-distance cycling events etc.
18 October 2013
warden hodges
Awesome gig. Good to see a few faces there too, highlight for me was the Ken/Neil switch for ‘Footprints’. Nigel describing Wirral Liverpool and Everton fans as ‘Tunnel Rats’. No Pringles or Riots but still superb. Roja top support too.
18 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
Mac, Spot on, I had a job to hear him as well. I woke at 7.00 this morning only to find a big West Indian security man asking me if I had the correct wristband to be in here!!
18 October 2013
Liam
I think the soundman started his pack up during Tunnel, could explain things?
18 October 2013
More like ken barlow
YESSSSSSSSS….They did Lark Descending last night. Been waiting for that for ages. Was masquerading as #9 McIntyre last night and had a quick chat to #11 Davitt at the end. So here’s a challenge, ask Father Christmas for some BUFC shirts and lets see if we can get the full 11 out at Illminster.
How do HMHB get better every time I see them?
18 October 2013
BRUMBISCUIT
Nigel was wearing a shirt with a Barnstoneworth Utd logo on it too.
Strange how a venue can affect things. It was undoubtedly a brilliant outing by the band last night, but it never really got going atmosphere-wise, for me at least.
There was a Leicester gig two years ago in a real fleapit. Maybe it was because it was the night before a certain wedding, and NSD went down a storm, but despite the venue, it was a blinder of a gig all round. The Robin2 also generates a great atmosphere. I wish that je ne sais quoi could be bottled and flogged to the O2 Academies of this world, but at a ridiculous price per pint to reflect their bar prices. Twunts.
18 October 2013
BRUMBISCUIT
Oh, and. I was #11 Davitt!
18 October 2013
BRUMBISCUIT
And another thing…
What the feck were the morris dancers all about?
And the (i have to be careful here, noting my own vintage) older couple right at the front? He was having a whale of a time, but she, sat on a stool no less, looked rather bemused.
18 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
The Auditorium in Leicester, Shut down after a very late (4am start) blow fest and John Holt gig about 6 months after the Biscuits appeared there, It was a hovel with very interesting carpets though.
And them Morris Men were parading up and down the street when we got there, and another thing, did you see the mountains of plastic glasses all over the gaff in Academy 1??
18 October 2013
warden hodges
Rudimental was the other group on. Big queue around 7pm for them. Yeah the woman at the front, trashed Jody’s Bar in Liverpool in 1985 after a show! She used to be a wild one y’know!
18 October 2013
deacon in misguided trousers
@Brumbiscuit, I think I stood behind you. I was the bloke in glasses and a 90 Bisodol shirt- and I’m the guy who sold you your ticket for the Bilston gig back in May!
18 October 2013
Iguana Andy
Agree with all that, another top outing venue shortcomings aside, – mind you, I did receive a few odd looks and a smirk or two when I (surely a far too old and uncool dad type to know such things?) informed a group of young Rudimentalists that not only could I direct them to the O2 Academy but, better still, I too was destined for said venue and may very well see them later… Also invested in a fridge magnet and took the opportunity to congratulate Geoff on his persistence with the cassette tapes which are, apparently, enjoying a revival. This produced a wry smile as we wondered who the hell would have retained a tape deck (actually, me for one). Apparently seven tracks or so completed for the new album but no release date as yet.
18 October 2013
Toerag
Brumbiscuit: the morris side were Beorma from Kings Heath many of whom are long time biscuits fans. We promised the band if they ever came to Birmingham we would dance outside – and so it came to pass. The Rudimental queue were totally confused. Had good feedback from punters and two bands when I got to Brighton,
Just thought it might add something and a small thanks to a hard working band and a great set of fans. Hope you were not too discombobulated!
p.s if anyone is reading this – why not play The Institute in Digbeth next time – a much more “Biscuit friendly” venue. See you in Northampton.
19 October 2013
Dr Desperate
Just got back from a weekend in that London after Brum on Thursday (National Shite Day on my birthday!). Can’t disagree with the great set, crap venue comments above. Good to meet up with Brumbiscuit and mates in the P O Vaults beforehand, though sorry we missed Beorma’s performance.
Nigel started proceedings by saying, “It’s not getting any colder yet, is it?”
‘ALHQ’ was introduced as a song about Jesus appearing in Dorothy Perkins, ‘Totnes’ as about a misspelling and ‘Bob Wilson’ as about a wrong from long ago. Someone in the crowd shouted “Also Adrian Chiles” and Nigel replied “Moreso Adrian Chiles”.
Someone else asked if they’d stopped off anywhere, and he mentioned Stafford service station, for Ken to have a wee. They’d never had to stop off there before – not southbound anyway – but bought a coffee and a shortbread biscuit, so as to add to their collection of receipts from every service station in the country. He also recalled popping into the museum (or was it the Town Hall?) on a previous visit, to see the Staffordshire Hoard. ‘Fred Titmus’, it was revealed, wasn’t written there.
Various BCFC players were spotted in the crowd, plus Chico Hamilton (“for balance”). Also Bev Bevan, after which Nigel admitted he’d liked ELO up until ‘Xanadu’, but they weren’t as good as The Move. This brought a cheer from me, aknowledged from the stage. There was some banter about Chas ‘n’ Dave appearing on Jools Holland earlier in the week, performing an old country blues which nobody present could remember the name of ( it was Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s ‘Railroad Bill’, as covered by Bob Dylan). There was a bit about the annoying people at the zoo who do the joke about giving the penguins half an hour, which I missed (anyone?)
The theme from ‘Pointless’ made a couple of appearances, as did the first verse of ‘Bird On The Wire’ (Len, you’re the dog’s) and the riff from ‘Paranoid’ (whoh-oh Black Sabbath, bam-a-lam). In guitar news, Ken and Neil traded axes for ‘Footprints’ and Nigel played one of the encores with a capo (upbraiding himself, “You’ve changed!”) No Airstream.
It was Monica Lewinsky all along again in ‘Vitas Gerulaitis’; no Lou Reed album title substitution in DPAK. In ‘Footprints’ the Lord took umbrage at being accused of leaving the man during the most troublesome times of his life, and told him he’d be sucked down into Purgatory, where there were many rooms all containing Adrian Chiles.
I hung around at the end for a setlist, which the security staff refused to look for as Nigel had said he kept it all in his head, then to take a photo of the morris side: their leader said,”You don’t think we dress up like this not to have our f****in’ pictures taken, do you?”
20 October 2013
Dr Desperate
Oh, and apologies to Freya if she’s here, whose birthday it also was on Thursday, and to whom I gave the precious gift of a spare AAA laminate with O2 Birmingham and HMHB logos on one side, Wimbledon, WOMAD, Ryder Cup and V on the other. She probably knows by now that it was bogus (though if she used it and it worked, that would be even better).
20 October 2013
Dave Cooper
” So here’s a challenge, ask Father Christmas for some BUFC shirts and lets see if we can get the full 11 out at Illminster.”
Who’s volunteering to be #8 Crapper?
21 October 2013
Mac
What do they give the penguins for lunch? half an hour.
21 October 2013
Mac
oh and isn’t ‘Stafford’ services Keele?
21 October 2013
mr noisy
Probably the worst venue I have seen HMHB at (22 gigs and counting). A money making machine, I feared the worst of the Academy when a few weeks ago when I went to the box office to buy my tickets the spotty faced youth attempted to charge me £1.50 per ticket to use a debit card. He tried to justify this with the old company policy crap and that it was the promoters cut – this despite the fact I had gone out of my way to buy the ticket from the venue during the four hours the box office is actually open. Even with two people working on the sound boards the sound was still appalling, mainly due to the far too large speakers for the small venue. Some very amusing interjections from Nigel but my enjoyment was spoilt by the sound and the lack of atmosphere – the mosh pits were decidedly quiet.
21 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
Mr Noisy, Spot On.
22 October 2013
More LIKE KEN BARLOW
I think my brother has bagsied #8 Crapper. He wanted to go with Haggerty F until I pointed out that a roll neck, woolen sweater and flat cap would have probably been the order of the day in 1922. (and I know that numbers wern’t used until about 1928 and God knows when names came in but there you go…)
BTW does anyone know the first names of the BUFC team? I have Frank Haggerty and Neville Davitt but can’t find my Ripping Yarns DVD to check for others.
22 October 2013
Chris The Siteowner
Well, the surnames are of course (altogether now): “Yorkshire Premier League 1922: Hagerty F., Hagerty R., Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, MacIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt.”
1 min 20 sec in, here.
I too will have to get the DVD out to see how many of the team also get first names.
22 October 2013
No Legs Best
Finding myself at a loose end this afternoon I’ve watched it again and aside from Frank Haggerty and Neville Davitt, the only others named are Kenny Carrick and Harry Treadmore.
22 October 2013
SIMON P
Yes, unfortunately the O2s sound was equally as shocking as it was when I saw Therapy? there a short while back, a gig in which Andy Cairns might as well have not bothered singing ( the crowd did it anyway). It was a lot more tolerable front middle though. Let’s hope the same thing doesn’t occur at the Roadmender – last one I saw there (New Model Army) also had most of the useful vocals provided by the crowd.
22 October 2013
mac
@Dave Cooper
I bagsie #9 MacIntyre for obvious reasons.
23 October 2013
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
(It’s just your usual van bundler, N.R.G., posting thus just so Roger’s review can rightly claim to have been ‘Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson’.)
O2 Academy 2, Birmingham, Thu 17th October 2013
by Roger Green
I’ve seen the band at various points around Birmingham, but this is the first time I’ve caught them in the city itself. As Nigel pointed out during the gig, when he was looking at one of the screens displayed around the side of the hall, the moshpits are now sponsored. O2’s name is everywhere.
My first observation of Midlands culture concerned the regional TV news programme, Midlands Today. Nick Ross presents the show on his own. This is admirable compared to Yorkshire’s Look North, where Harry Gration tends to require assistance. No doubt Ross is on a right wedge. There was a brief mention in the listings section of The Birmingham Mail, along with Rudimental who were appearing in the larger hall at the same place. Also in the listings was the intriguing sounding Bootleg Shadows who were on somewhere in Solihull.
An added bonus to the evening was an appearance by Beorma Morris, featuring the HMHB fan also known as Tony. I’m not a particular expert on this practice, so I am not totally sure why they appear “blacked up”, rather than in the more usual white outfits. You would have to ask Tony that. But it bemused the folk in the Rudimental queue. And the touts. (The touts were there for Rudimental, by the way.) I assume Beorma are available for the usual, weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs etc. I definitely want to see them if they ever play a bar mitzvah. As above, see Tony for details. It would have been rude to not ask for a set list.
British Grenadiers
Ragged Crow
Three Jolly Sheepskins
Lollipop Man
Pershore Stick Dance
Once inside, and having established that there was absolutely nothing new whatsoever at the Probe Plus stall, I took in the surroundings. It struck me as a slightly bleak venue, just a standard square box. I don’t think I have seen so much dry ice since The Sisters Of Mercy played at Leeds Uni in 1984. Bad light would have definitely stopped play, unless you could have got the slow bowlers on. I was intrigued by a sign at the side of the stage. “Crowd Surfing And Throwing Objects Will Get You Thrown Out.” That took some dissecting. Presumably you could Crowd Surf as a distinct action on its own. Then later on you could throw an object. As long as these things are done at different times, it appears that you are OK. You are only likely to be in bother if you do them at the same time. But in any case I would have thought that your aim would be affected if you were bobbing along on top of all the other punters. Maybe that is something to be discussed some other time.
Yet again, Roja were the support band. They have an album to flog, you know. You rarely get crowd surfing when they are on stage. Sandals are the footwear of choice. I ought to know all their songs by now. Although I suppose I know the songs, it’s just the titles that do not spring to mind. They started with the whistly one, and they did the one about silence. They finished off with The Evil Stands High. Their CD, “Promises I Should Have Kept” is in the shops very soon. Maybe you should just get in touch with Geoff for a copy.
After that, it was over to HMHB. Nigel’s first comment was “Still not getting colder, is it?”. I would have said it was “colder” than in, say, July. So I wasn’t totally sure what he meant. Statistical evidence required? I noticed all four of the group were wearing wristbands. Obviously a requirement (a health and safety issue?) at these venues. A Lilac Harry Quinn is about an occasion when Christ appeared in a Dorothy Perkins shop. After Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus, Nigel said that the next song also started with an F. I checked. He was right. It was Floreat Inertia. He pointed out another hazard of these multi-stage venues. “One of the sinks is blocked backstage. It was probably Rudimental.” He had a go at playing the theme from Pointless. “This is about a wrongness from a long time ago,” he said before Bob Wilson Anchorman. After which, someone shouted out “See also: Adrian Chiles!” This in turn prompted a discussion about said presenter. “He’s shit scared of Roy Keane,” suggested Nigel, to general agreement. There was a bit of chat about the previous week’s World Cup qualifier between England and Poland. More specifically it related to the famous match at Wembley, as part of the qualification for the 1974 World Cup. Apparently Nigel had heard Radio Wales say that Poland knocked England out at that time. He contacted them to put them right. Poland had got an away draw in a league format. Technically, that did not mean that knocked England out. It seems that he is still waiting for a reply. There was a snippet of “We’ve Got Tonight”(sorry, can’t remember who sang the original) with Nigel’s follow up line “who needs next Wednesday?” There was a bit of chat about Chas And Dave’s appearance on “Later”. HMHB had stopped off at Stafford Services on their way to Birmingham. It seems that this was a first for the band. Apparently Ken couldn’t hang on until Hilton Park. There was some celebrity spotting. Bev Bevan! Nigel said that ELO were OK, until they did Xanadu. Their early stuff was great, but they were generally not as good as The Move. The meadow of consolation bit in Tending The Wrong Grave prompted Nigel to think of The Clangers. They were a bit overrated, but he thought it was a good idea to have dustbin lids on the moon. There is a village near Bakewell called Blackwell. During Footprints we were told that the Lord had become so incensed that he sentenced our man to a life of purgatory in a house containing “Adrian Chiles and Adrian Chiles and Adrian Chiles.” During the drumming intro to Totnes Bickering Fair, Nigel said “Are you ready, Steve?” a la Ballroom Blitz. He referred back to a time when he had visited Birmingham Town Hall, on his way to a Tranmere game at Walsall, when he had called in to see the Staffordshire Horde. “I wrote this at Flushing Meadow,” he announced before the start of Vitas Geralitis. There was some chat about zoos. A particular annoyance is when someone next to you cracks the old joke about What Do Penguins Have For Their Lunch? Half an hour, like everyone else. But the worst thing about zoos is when they put a “g” at the end of Orang-Utan. Asparagus Next Left is “a public information song”. There was a short burst of Leonard Cohen’s Bird On A Wire before Chatteris in the encore.
Here’s how it all went:
Really it all began with the ATV theme
A Lilac Harry Quinn
When The Evening Sun Goes Down
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus
Floreat Inertia
Bob Wilson Anchorman
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
Bad Review
Lark Descending
Joy In Leeuwarden
Deep House Minibus Appeal
Tending The Wrong Grave
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Footprints
Totnes Bickering Fair
Outbreak Of Vitas Gerulaitis
Vatican Broadside
National Shite Day
Asparagus Next Left
Time Flies By When You’re The Driver Of A Train
Fix It So She Thinks Of Me
99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd
And three songs in the encore
For What Is Chatteris
Left Lyrics In The Practice Room
Joy Division Oven Gloves
Howie reported a reserved night in the moshpit, mainly due to the presence of a lady at the front sitting on a bar stool. After the gig, I joined the members of Beorma Morris who went round to the artistes door, hoping for a group photo with HMHB. It wasn’t to be. Perhaps there was a band meeting behind locked doors, to discuss the absence of a cover version. Also, there may or may not be new songs just round the corner. It can’t be long before they get an airing.
23 October 2013
BrumBiscuit
All excellent stuff, except for Nick Owen. Fortunately, we don’t have to put up with the smarmy git on his own most evenings; he is supported by the able Mary, the shockingly ginger Joanne and the pneumatic weather girl, Shefali. Bring back Tom Coyne, I say!
And we used to have David Davies as sports presenter.
23 October 2013
BrumBiscuit
Oh, and the sedate mosh pit wasn’t really down to the stool-bound lady. She was stage left, whilst the pit that did sort-of get going was stage right. One over-enthusiastic punter did barge into the older couple, but was dispatched with such firm authority by the rather large gentleman that he didn’t have it in him to protest and danced away.
23 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
We (In West Leicestershire) were always tuned in to the Sutton Coldfield transmitter, we had no choice unless the aerial was re-aligned to the Waltham transmitter that was for Leics/Notts, I can remember Alan Towers falling on his sword in spectacular fashion live on air.
23 October 2013
Brumbiscuit
“This is my last programme for the BBC after 25 years. When I first joined the corporation, it was led by giants. Now it is being led by pygmies in grey suits wearing blindfolds”
Blimey, RIP and chapeau, Alan. Very prescient words.
24 October 2013
Cynical Uncle Charlie
Ref #41 Brumbiscuit
My favourite midlands TV weather girl is the fantastically named Sarah Blizzard! Always makes me chuckle
24 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
She’s East Mids
24 October 2013
BrumBiscuit
They switch round. We get Sarah too & the anorexic Mel Coles. What has happened to Katie Rowlett, I want to know!
24 October 2013
Bobby SVARC
Oh right, Didn’t know that BB,
Did you have that Des fella who was sacked for gross misconduct ?
Isn’t Katie Rowlett now down the West Country with the sadly missed Kylie Pentelow?, We are now left with the god awful Anne Davies at East Mids Today
24 October 2013