Fact: HMHB played a Cambridge May Ball once upon a time. Blood on the Quad, and all that. Not sure if the band ever did the same at Oxford; I think this is the first visit to the city since June 1999. Anyone wanting to make a tour of the area can take in Wantage, Brize Norton and Uffington. But what we want to know about is the gig…
SIMON P
“You won’t be laughing when I turn you into a yacht”. £2.84!? Immense NSD. “Little in the Way of Sunshine”. Marvellous as ever.
1 June 2012
Rubber Faced Irritant
I thought they were £2.86 but happy to be corrected. I do recall they were Texas BBQ. And Nigel was outraged as they are only £2.49 in Sainsbury’s. NB57 also claimed to be a 9th Dan in origami. Hence threat to turn those who sniggered at this into a yacht. Top tip for the Derby this weekend: Filthy Carpet. Never beaten.
To my eternal shame I didn’t get the cover. Chorus repeated Caroline or Carolyn. And no it wasn’t Status Quo.
1 June 2012
Third Rate Les
..nor the Beach Boys. I don’t know what it was either.
A brilliant gig with a big bouncy atmosphere. Great to meet “Steve Kean Is Alive Why?” who I’ve been unknowingly moshing alongside for years but last remember seeing in 1987, and well done to Greggz for making such an effort (remarked on by Nigel) and for being a generally top bloke. He looks like Frank Black, you know.
1 June 2012
Littlegrafter
Never mind the price of Pringles (sacrilege I know), after reading on the news about Tory stealth taxes on motorists I was faced with £3.40 for a pint of lime and soda! It would appear that the O2 Academies are in cahoots with the government on this one.
Cover wise I spent the first minute or so thinking it was Charlene’s Never Been To Me, which I was horrified by (especially after expecting some Ride or Slowdive). Once the vocals started I realised it was Oh Caroline by Gorkys (which I always thought sounded like NBTM), originally it was by Robert Wyatt I think but I’ve never heard that one.
1 June 2012
Littlegrafter
Pringles wise, I’m in the £2.84 camp
1 June 2012
twistedkitemike
For those that might be interested, or even more interested with two cherry-poppers, here is the order of play from last eve: –
Sealclubbing
Squabblefest
Evening Sun
Leeuwarden
Left Lyrics
CAMRA
DPAK
Tommy Walsh
Dean Friedman
Excavating Rita
Restless
NSD
Bob Wilson
Mountain Bikes
JDOG
Look Dad
Chatteris
Shit Arm
24 Hour
Little in the Way of Sunshine
Bad Wools
ORDINARY TO ENSCHEDE
Bob Todd
Encores:
Fix It
O Caroline (Matching Mole?)
Trad Arr
AOR
Still about stunned they played Ordinary. More drivel to follow; Inevitably.
Mike………………………………………………….
1 June 2012
Chris The Siteowner
Wow, I wonder when was the last time they played “Ordinary To Enschede”? Certainly not in the last 12 years, as we know.
1 June 2012
littlegrafter
Yes Ordinary To Enschede was certainly a highlight and coming after my first hearing of Bad Wools in a live environment it was the start to a great end of gig. On the way home with the biscuits on shuffle, the peel session version came on complete with a bit of John Peel discussing the pronunciation and highlighting “you’re so exclusive you dont exist!, brilliant.
And whilst this was a rare enough occaision on its own, when was the last time the played TWO songs with Dutch towns in their name at the one gig? I’m guessing probably never!
1 June 2012
Nige not that one
pity they didn’t do “emerging from gorse” to complete the set
it would’ve got a local reference cheer too! (wantage)
1 June 2012
Jeff Dreadnought
Last night was a belter. Unlike the head of the rambling society, I won’t go on, suffice it to say that it’s been a while since I’ve experienced such mosh pit euphoria. It was a storming set: highlights too numerous to mention, but Fix It was a thing of beauty, still think Shite Day should be our national anthem, and Lost Oliver was a welcome addition to the cast of characters in 24-hour Garage People. Great to see familiar faces before and during the gig, including Steve K, who turns out to be a mate of that bloke in the Burberry fez. And massive chapeau to Gregg Z of course. Charmed to meet ya (eat yself fitter!), Gregg.
1 June 2012
DESMON
At the O2 entrance: bloke in faded Hi-Vis Showsec jacket!
Best of the four gigs I’ve been to so far – for me it was the best venue, lighting, sound, (despite fearsome intermittent feedback) setlist, and performance.
Roll on Komedia in Bath, September 20th 🙂
1 June 2012
DESMON
Hmm. Where was Vatican Broadside!?
1 June 2012
Mark Halliwell
Brilliant gig, made incredible by my namecheck, which proves the guys read the Facebook site and saw my plea for help over transport to and from the gig, which meant I got there!!
1 June 2012
Jitsu_g
Looking forward to Leeds next week, anyone know if the Bath gig has usurped the seemingly I’ll fated buckley gig ?
1 June 2012
Skalpel
Was I the only one who was disappointed with the sound?
Having said that, great gig, great night. Effin’ loved it. And yet again, I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly the punters were.
3 June 2012
GREGG Z
I finally made it to a gig! I still can’t believe it.
Massive thanks to all the punters in Oxford, particularly Exxo, Jeff Dreadnought and Third Rate Les, and anyone else I met with an actual name. Great meeting all of you. Thanks for making me feel most welcome.
In hindsight, not sure I should’ve gone with the blue flannel-like shirt, as the physical similarities to Black Francis/Frank Black were made mention of, quite a few times. Not a bad person to be compared to in some ways, I suppose.
Cheers to all!
Gregg Z (a/k/a “Beige Francis”)
4 June 2012
Steve Kean is Alive,Why?
Think that was my favourite HMHB concert to date – great moshing and top setlist – highlights for me were Enschede & Sealclubbing as neither had been tried in a live environment in my presence before.
Third Rate Les – good to catch up after all those years – where did all the time go? Maybe see you again in Bath in September if you are venturing westward again? Or even at Ashton Gate to see how the mighty have fallen?
Good also to meet Jeff Dreadnought – now I know what you look like so do feel free to come near Stroud (well Bath isn’t that far away) – bis bald.
Thanks also to Gregg Z for the pint – no need to tip the barman over here! Think you may have been a bit bemused by the waves of mutilation caused by certain moshers but you seemed to be having a good time all the same – hope the trip was worthwhile and to see you again at a future show.
4 June 2012
Charles Exford
Just back from Attila’s 3-day event on an idyllic farm in Sussex. The downside of seeing the lads on Thursday night before a festival is that all the rest of the weekend’s entertainment couldn’t anywhere near live up to their standards, but the upside I suppose is that it felt like I’d seen the band on the first night of a bloody awesome 4-night festival. I genuinely don’t know how I would have got through this batch of national shite days without such fantastical diversions, so massive thank yous to all the performers involved, And I’ll tell you this for nothing, I’ll tell you this for free, the highlight of the night and the whole long weekend of course was the flawless diamond of a live debut for Little in the Way of Sunshine. Well worth the wait.
Massive respect once again to our man Gregg Z for his pilgrimage. Never again will a chilly couple of hours killing time in the middle of the night at Digbeth or Piccadilly on the way back from a gig seem like such an epic act of devotion.
4 June 2012
Ragged Claws
Hope you don’t mind some cheeky self-promotion, any even more apologises if you don’t rate the cover. But we both saw HMHB at the Ritz last December and wanted to hear it, then realised they’d only played it live a couple of times, so we checked with Nigel and went and did it ourselves.
4 June 2012
twistedkitemike
HMHB – Oxford, Thursday 31st May 2012
I am still in a state of mild shock after hearing “Ordinary to Enschede”. I can’t guarantee it is the first time that I’ve heard it live, but I was only an occasional gigger in the 1990s, so can’t really recall a lot of detail. It certainly hasn’t been rolled out this century. There was, in retrospect, a surreal moment when it started; partly because those that recognized it were probably like me; a tad disbelieving. Many may not have recognized it, by dint of it not making a commercial release of any description, although that could be just my imagination. I knew it was something special, because Mrs. C. gave me one of those looks. I think it related to the fact that initially I wasn’t singing backing vocals (which if she can hear them is a shame for her; I tend to stand on the side of her deaf ear for her own protection) and she couldn’t work out the reason for this rather odd behaviour.
It was a good night for Mrs. C. She got to come along for a change and join me for the quintessential Biscuit-gig experience. The food was slightly more up-market than usual; mainly because we sat down to eat. She did ask if she has the right of rebuttal; apparently my previous review neglected to mention the gardening fairy; who is in close cahoots with the dishwasher-stacking fairy, the putting-things-away fairy and the dusting fairy. It was slightly disappointing that having planned to arrive extremely promptly in Oxford, wander around the historic centre and enjoy a meal at a bijou specialist restaurant in Jericho, work rather got in the way and we arrived in time to eat in the very typically student-ish Cowley Road and pitch up for a 9:00 p.m. prompt start.
No dreaming spires, just a taxi-like snake around the back roads of Headington and Southfields (I like to cut down New High Street and drive past the “Shark” which I find stunningly amusing) to get parked just off the Cowley Road, ready for a swift exit. We then decide, after some deliberation, to eat at The Atomic Burger. It was a passable eatery and majored on Sci-Fi and cartoon legends, including a long video loop of the likes of Star Trek, Skippy, Wonder Woman and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The latter resonated strongly later, which was a nice link. Don’t suppose Nigel popped in earlier and was suitably inspired? I was quite disgruntled that I couldn’t find a Stretch Armstrong hanging around the rim of the ceiling. Ho hum.
So; to events within the Academy. I suppose it is sensible to inaugurate the music review with the set-list: –
Sealclubbing, Squabblefest, Evening Sun, Leeuwarden, Left Lyrics, CAMRA, DPAK, Tommy Walsh, Dean Friedman, Excavating Rita, Restless Legs, NSD, Bob Wilson, Mountain Bikes, JDOG, Look Dad, Chatteris, Shit Arm, 24 Hour Garage People, Little in the Way of Sunshine, Bad Wools, Ordinary to Enschede, Bob Todd. Encores: Fix It So She Dreams of Me, O Caroline (Matching Mole?), Trad. Arr. Tune, AOR.
In a break with tradition, I’ll try a few words about the actual music. The sound was very good, demonstrated by the fact that Nigel’s lyrics were very clear. Even Mrs. C. caught it all. She was (as one who only hears it very occasionally) distinctly impressed with 24 Hour Garage People, all 27 hours of it. Apparently, an inside source tells me that Ken had a new amp, which could have made all the difference! After a rather leisurely opening, with a mellow (but rather good) version of Sealclubbing, a brave kick-off strategy to my mind; we then motored along picking up speed and enjoying more and more of Nigel’s repartee with the gathered band of zealous worshippers.
Let’s start with a few snippets; some jovial one-liners. Norman Collier was due to appear at the Leveson tomorrow. I once played golf with him. He’s a better comedian than he is a golfer. “Joy in Leeuwarden” was introduced as being written by Nigel on horseback. Ken was the first man in Wallasey to get screw-in studs. “We’ve brought some weather with us; we go out, the sun goes in”. They had arrived via the Granary Museum of Bygones, which was near a village called Chesterton; “I remember that, because it went through my mind on the way past, ‘Oh, G. K. Chesterton, boom, boom, boom’. Nice place, but take a flask. Finally, Malcolm Shotton was in the audience and got a good shout. It was a shame that Jim Magilton wasn’t there. His fame was garnered with the Tractor Boys (I still remember fondly the seminal hat-trick against the Trotters in the 2000 play-offs), but he completed a solid stint at The Manor Ground.
Poor old Roger (Green) was once again in the firing line. I say poor, but it is definitely a compliment. “We’ll be seeing you next year after your relegation (Roger, I’m sure, is a Donny Rovers sympathizer). I’ll be standing there watching the match and you’ll be down by the boards writing notes; ‘at 3:25 he infiltrated the home end’.” There was also a gentleman in the congregation that made a number of shouts for “27 Yards of Dental Floss”. Unfortunately, impassioned pleas and possibly beer eventually combined to lead to a shout for “27 Hours of Dental Floss”. Nigel leapt upon it immediately; “27 hours is it now? 27 hours of dental yardage. We’ll do it next time. You’re gonna have sleepless nights worrying about that one.” Sir; I am with you. Haven’t heard for ages and would love it if it were rolled out at Leeds next week. We can do but hope.
There were a number of interjections from the audience that seemed to feed the Blackwell ad-libbing. Someone mentioned his book shops, which he got round to realizing after initially wondering where it was going; “Yeah, yeah, yeah; it’s the same as my Uncle Chris at Island Records. You should see the suit me and him (points at Neil) make.” Very Savile Row, I am sure. Riding the Oxford theme, there was a shout for “Blood on the Quad”. “More of a Cambridge gig one really that. They don’t punt on the Backs here, do they? Unless it’s some euphemism or something. You have to watch what you say here.”
The Derby was mentioned and Nigel had a tip for us; “Dirty Carpet – it’s never been beaten.” Also; “I backed a horse at ten-to-one and it came in at five-past-three.” The revolving spotlight created much merriment; despite Nigel’s wish, it was not there to deliver dry ice, just light. He was amused that it had just knocked Neil’s water over. There was a shout from the crowd in relation to it, which I didn’t quite catch, but was along the lines of it moving in time to the Hancock Acolytes? Nigel countered with an; “Open the pod bay doors, HAL.” It took me back to the Atomic Burger a couple of hours previously.
‘Homes Under the Hammer’ was brought up and Nigel admitted that he was only speaking to 2% of the audience. I guess that I am one of the 98%. He’s worked out what’s wrong with it; “Martin Roberts – has he got his hands glued together? Watch it tomorrow; well, you don’t have to.” There was a tribute to the Olympic Torch coming to Birkenhead tomorrow. “Who’d have thought that? May the Lord have mercy upon us.” The last line of ‘Mountain Bikes’ was; “….that’s when I was saying that the torch would be abused.”
As ever, the rambling and predictably constructed MC review ultimately meanders to 24 Hour GP. Or, as Nigel introduced it in deference to Sir Third Rate Les; “27 Hour Garage People”. Leadbelly has Talk Sport on, bless him. The Pringles were Texas BBQ Sauce flavour. Once again, our narrator teased us with what we thought was an industry-related technical FACT, but in the unfolding descriptive, turned out to be a jape; “The tray service device into which he flings the Pringles is called a ‘Roscoe’ in the trade. After Roscoe Tanner; because he’s a good server.” Anyway, the Pringles were a staggering £2.84, as opposed to £2.49 in Sainsbury’s. “I know this because I’ve been there today. That’s how I also know that there is Texas BBQ Sauce flavor. Also available in Sea Salt.”
A queue is now forming and he’s noticed that a Minibus is turning up. “But I’ve noticed it’s the local Rambler’s Association. They’re a happy-go-lucky lot and I actually know the Treasurer. He’s a lovely man, but he goes on a bit.” Ever mindful of the needs of the dedicated fan, Nigel pauses; “In your own time, Roger.” It’s not easy getting all this stuff down to satiate the thirst of the desert-dwelling punters that can’t get here; I can vouch!
“Look yonder, it’s town character, Lost Oliver. He thinks I’m a nuisance, wait ‘till he meets him! No-one knows why he’s called Lost Oliver, which is why when the UK Town Character Top Trumps is issued, which it should have been years ago, Lost Oliver will be a powerful character to play; because HE actually knows where he is at any given moment. The driver of the minibus is staying put, so if no-one wants fuel, they’ll all want food and Lost Oliver will undoubtedly be asking for a can of Nitromors Boost and a street map of Peterhead.”
Leadbelly is getting serious now; the Giant Bumper Puzzle Book goes down. “Dot-to-dot of classic Bristish motorcycles. He likes to think of himself as a BSA man – Big Sweaty Armpits. Must be the leathers.” A fellow in the Ramblers says not to upset him too much, because he’s got a 9th Dan is something or other. “It wasn’t Customer Relations.” A parishioner suggests it might be origami? “You say origami, that’s alright; I’ve got a black belt in origami myself. You won’t be laughing later (they were, as you can picture) when I turn you into a yacht.” Leadbelly is now redder than a crimson thing. (Yes, that’s what he said). “He puts down the mini-portable DVD, which he’s been watching with one eye whilst serving me. He finally puts it down and I can hear what he’s been listening to; ‘Open the pod bay doors, HAL. HAL, open the pod bay doors.’ ‘I can’t do that, Dave. Oh, and Dave; what sandwiches have you got…..’.”
So, another fine evening and the bonus of a short journey home for your interlocutor. Also, double bonus of another gig the following week. These short-gap double headers are great, with just enough time to slip a review in and focus at work to get some stuff ‘in the bank’, as it were. There is no better focus than pending time-off to clear the back-logs. Sail north to Leeds, fair ship. Hope to see you there.
Mike…………………………………………….
5 June 2012
Charles Exford
Great stuff, Mike. Brought it all back, even though it hadn’t even gone yet, and saves me the bother too. Bargain at twice the price.
It was “you should see the SOUP me and him make” (i.e. Cross(ley) and Blackwell). And the voice that hollered from the mob about the one-eyed, sound-activated rotating light thing (Mrs. Exford reckoned that’s what it was) in an accent not dissimilar to my own, shouted something like “it’s rolling its eye at the Hancock acolytes”. The person responsible for this then quickly hid behind Mrs. E, cringeing as ever at his own cringeworthiness. Enough alcohol to shout shite, not enough to admit to it, whether at the match or at the gig.
About the torch relay in Birkenhead I thought he said something like ‘god help it’, the torch, rather than ‘us’, but I might be wrong.
By the way we were really grateful for your belated Epistle to the Bilstonians as well Mike, as it helped us to understand the ongoing Roger Green/stenographer-as-Stalinist-stooge discussion. For ‘Roger Green’, I think we can read the pseudonyms any of us obsessive gig regurgitators, ‘cos after all to be fair to Roger he doesn’t spend half as much time repeating and quibbling over the exact wording of the banter as the rest of us do, so there but for the grace, etc…
For Leeds on Thursday, it would be rude not to have a pint in the HEDLEY VERITY beforehand. More of that in the pre-gig thread.
5 June 2012
Charles Exford
@ Ragged Claws – enjoyed your video for the spectacle of Carl and Ken out front watching an HMHB song get an interesting treatment. Couldn’t work out how they could have been watching the end of the support band’s set when we saw them at exactly 7.35 heading up out of Cowley Road towards Magdalene Bridge (perhaps to jump off it, who knows?), but then ahaa, I’ve just read Roger’s review which explains there were two support acts and that you’d finished by then.
5 June 2012
Third Rate Les
It’s “Magdalen”, Exxo. There’s no “e” in the Oxford one. While being similarly elitistly pedantic, while Nigel is right in saying that “the Backs” are in Cambridge, if it were an entirely Cambridge-related song it should be called “Blood on the Court”.
5 June 2012
Charles Exford
Force of habit there Les. Once did a stretch at the other place meself, hence post number 9 (February ’09) in the ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m Going To Be With Jesus’ thread. 😉
5 June 2012
SIMON P
So anyway, after picking up aforesaid HMHB virgin S in Coventry, a delay caused by an upside down car meant we didn’t actually get to Oxford until about 7.15. After dumping the car in a side street off the Cowley Road (said road also contained a Ford Anglia for a minor PBR reference), we sauntered towards the venue and piled into the first available hostelry, the City Arms.
There was only one barman on duty but there was only one person at the bar before me, however in true Oxford tradition said floppy haired punter insisted on buying four jugs of Pimms and paying with a credit card. Luckily, S’s favourite tipple Jack Daniels was available as a double for an extra 50p so by the time we finally arrived at the venue at 8.30 she was telling the Showsec HiVis man who inspected her handbag that she loved him and he was her best mate.
The O2 was reasonably busy but not packed so in deference to S’s lack of stature we found a decent spot near the front although off to the right, so our view of Neil was somewhat limited. Within 15 mins or so we were off, and within two songs it was immediately apparent that (a) the sound was very clear, and (b) this was leading to me repeatedly turning round to find S in gales of laughter.
I did think that the set took a while to completely take off, but by the time of “Dean Friedman” we were up and running and then, as I mentioned before, we were into a brutal NSD. S then went hugely up in my estimation by knowing who Bob Wilson was, before the first big mosh of the night as JDOG got an airing. Some more bad dancing got us to a point where I thought I might try videoing something, and I came up trumps (closeness to the front means iffy sound, but ….)
Back on for the encore, and S finally gets her wish (she’d been shouting (slurring) for “that one about Gok Wan” all night) and no, I had no idea what the cover was. “Village” and “AOR” are excellent set closers and that was a cracking gig, frankly.
Stumbling back home via Cherwell Valley services (a place that definitely needs a namecheck) I drop S off and get home at 1am to see she’s updated her Facebook status with “TWO SCOTCH EGGS AND A JAR OF MARMITE PMSL BEDTIME”. Well, quite.
5 June 2012
Jeff Dreadnought
Enjoyed your review enormously, Mike. Another one for the minutiae fans was the slight alteration to the Bad Wool lyrics, with “where it says three minutes seventeen it’s twenty-two” (five second discrepancy – worth pointing out) replaced by a way more pedantic “where it says three minutes twenty one it’s twenty-two” (one second discrepancy – bordering on the obsessive).
5 June 2012
twistedkitemike
Thanks, Jeff and Exxo. I think that alteration in “Bad Wools” is similar to the hymn number in “Petty” – Nigel just forgets and goes with a number that is close to the actual one. I can’t be sure, but that is the theory that I run with.
Soup is much more logical. I take back all I said about the sound being clear! However, it gives me a lovely image of Messrs. Blackwell and Crossley as employees of Grace Brothers.
I don’t know if Roger reads any of this stuff, but regardless of it, he deserves a lot of credit for his dedication to the cause over the years.
As I said to Mrs. C. earlier; one (just one) of the beautiful things about Nigel’s lyrics and musings is the ability for us punters to analyse them infinitely and ultimately realise that he is probably still laughing at us!
Mike………………………………………………
5 June 2012
twistedkitemike
Oh, btw; if Charles and you other boys hollering out stuff from the floor could clearly enunciate, it would help us poor old reviewers immensely!!
Hopefully, our correspondent from Rotherham will pop up the M1 to Leeds and give us a few choruses of “What Did God Give Us?” I miss that.
Mike…………………………………………..
5 June 2012
Third Rate Les
Also, the biography in CAMRA man was Jack Dee. There, I think we’re done.
6 June 2012
Pop-tart Mark
Haha, I notice that the Torch Relay, Sporty Spice Chris Boardman and all, went right past Nigel’s Friday football pitch with all kinds of events set to kick off in the park at the lads’ exact usual weekly KO time – now that would be ironic if the Olympic Fun Day in the Park had caused a postponement of the longest-running Friday afternoon kickaround anywhere in North-West England:
Waves Radio, Wirral Youth Theatre, Belly Dancing, Rappers, Taiko Drumming Group, Over 55’s Tea Dancers, Zumba, Cheerleaders/Street Dance, First Aid & Lost Children doing Pre-school Gymnastics, Adult Disability Sports, Birkenhead Trampoline Club, Komyokan Aikido, UKTA Taekwondo, Momentum Gymnastics Academy,Birkenhead Boy’s Gymnastics, Giant Zumba (Age 18+), Youth & Play Leaders, Adult/ Junior Boccia, Morris Dancing, Bowls,Volleyball, Bouldering,Cross-sports, Tri-Golf & Cycling, Line Dancing, Hooked on Fishing with Birkenhead Junior Angling Club, Softball demonstration at Birkenhead Park Cricket Club, Buggy Park Fitness session and much much more ….
….but you lads with the football over there F*CK OFF OUT OF THE PARK.
6 June 2012
BrumBiscuit
Didn’t make the gig, but read that The Great Western pub in Wolvo was mentioned in despatches. Anything interesting? It’s a great boozer…
6 June 2012
Rubber Faced Irritant
In he spirit of minutiae completeness, during NSD Nigel muddled up the line where Stringy Bob’s skull is discovered. He repeated the correct line before adding “either way it was a sticky ending”.
6 June 2012
Weekend Quaver
6 June 2012
Dave Wiggins
Ragged Claws; we know who your dad is, so don’t ever come near Old Hall Street! Cryptic, moi?
6 June 2012
Charles Exford
Cryptic for now but only a matter of time before someone posts the link to today’s article, Dave.
Blimey, who needs self-promotion, eh?
6 June 2012
Weekend Quaver
6 June 2012
Charles Exford
@ me (and Dave), oh well then if I have to…
7 June 2012
Rubber Faced Irritant
@weekend quaver. Thanks for link. Clearly visible is a Fellaini lookalike in front row stood directly in front of NB57. I was on his right nursing a torn knee ligament. . At 6ft 4inch he never moved a muscle. Never sang a lyric. Never blinked an eye.
Fantastic to hear Sunshine. Am I the only person surprised by lack of CSI material in set list? Don’t get me wrong, a great gig and they can’t play everything. But 5 from Bisodol and 5 from Achtung. Whilst just 2 from CSI suggests they are already over it. Particularly surprising is dropping of Yahoo Chess which seemed set to be a live staple.
7 June 2012
Skalpel
Looking at the above, I must’ve been the only one to be disappointed with the sound. I was fairly near the back but it was hard to hear him and had to suffice with memory alone, which wasn’t too bad TBF.
Maybe I need to wax my ears out.
8 June 2012
Dave Wiggins
Exxo, my life’s ambition is to one day surprise you! Cap doffed, Sir, as ever.
9 June 2012
Charles Exford
Mrs. Exford, it seems, joined the gig Youtube ranks quite literally behind my back in Oxford, and has waxed a bit creative with National Shite Day, including some hot punting action and a mop amongst her props.
Look what they’ve done to my song, ma’am.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doyCq0zty6A
10 June 2012
Matlock Bath
Really memorable gig and thanks Twistedkitemike for the track listing, which I would nevertheless have forgotten. I thought the sound was pretty good actually, a lot better than at Shepherd’s Bush last year, my last HMHB gig, when most of the lyrics were just a mush. The only disappointment was that a Dutch friend I’d asked along couldn’t make it and missed Joy in Leeuwarden. Also, no Something’s Rotten In the Back of Iceland, which was a surprise to me at least. But great gig, band all on form and good atmosphere.
Btw did anyone notice the massive Holland flag with Leeuwarden emblazoned across the middle among the Dutch fans at Euro 2012? Though I don’t think Uncle Rudi has a smile upon his face just now. Too much intrigue in the pool games.
20 June 2012
EXXO
The link from comment 41 above (also linked on the NSD lyrics page) no longer works and so, to help whet the appetite for next year’s gig at the same venue I’ve just re-uploaded Mrs Exford’s video at
https://youtu.be/lQQZBpaEcsg
5 October 2016
EXXO
Wow, Gregg Z. Great to see you back on here mate… where did those few years go ??
11 June 2019