It’s hard to say ‘Worthing’ without thinking of two words: ‘rock’ and ‘roll’. Who am I kidding? Did the band wake up the south coast? Do the residents, when weekends are good, walk the South Downs as a family?
It’s hard to say ‘Worthing’ without thinking of two words: ‘rock’ and ‘roll’. Who am I kidding? Did the band wake up the south coast? Do the residents, when weekends are good, walk the South Downs as a family?
hanleyfender
I’m going. This is the venue where The Fall played their worst ever gig in 1996. Rubbish venue. Huge box. I’ll record it as well.
17 March 2017
John anderson
Bored with the FOF, Mark?
17 March 2017
gary dowdeswell
Well it’s taken me 33 years to see them live but it was worth the wait, I used to go into Probe back in the day and every record shop in Birkenhead. I’m glad to see that oldish men and women can still enjoy bloody good songs and musicians with a social and pointed edge.
I can from experience empathise with the dumbing down of music and life, I once owned a large modern semi in Spital and escaped thank goodness
Brill night
Gary
17 March 2017
SteVE
Not the best venue. More like a big hall with a band at one end. The shiny floor clearly more used to the dancing shoes of jiving oldies than spilled beer. A small-ish crowd (for the room size) contained many locals, out for the night – not a lot of DPAKs on display, not even that many Achtung Bono shirts. Locals tutted as Nigel mispronounced Arundel and some of the local trivia fell a bit flat. But the merch stand was heaving after the gig, so I guess the Sussex noobs appreciated the show.
A highlight was an unplanned outing for “Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite”, one might even say it was improvised.
Oh my, is that the time? Must get my stuff together for Oxford…
18 March 2017
TOASTKID
I agree, the venue was lacking in atmosphere. I’m proud to say, though, that after calling for Mimeshow at every gig, Nigel finally answered my call for it last night – a personal highlight. I wish I could remember what he said before starting it…
18 March 2017
Idiots and pigeons
It’s quite sad when the perfect gig goes downhill because the wonderful Exxo has had too much too drink, and decides to wade through the crowd to be menacing (AGAIN).. It’s a shame that the catalyst for this was the whispering of “please be mindful of the females at the front they’re only small” into an over enthusiastic gentlemans ear.
Cue the wonderful Charles Exford wading over to throw his weight around screaming in my face and putting his hand round my throat.
Thankfully, his ludicrous behaviour won’t put us off attending in future, we come for the music after all..
18 March 2017
Nigel,no not that one (nx3to)
Walked on to Sibelius’ Cornelius suite, I think.
Cover was “Take the skinheads bowling”.
The in between I will leave to those with a better memory than me, but Bob Wilson kicked off and Trumpton ended.
I embraced the margins of the mosh pit so have nothing to add regarding behaviour therein.
It was a local gig (it took me longer for me to find a parking space when I arrived back in Brighton than it did to drive from Worthing), so that in itself was enough to make me cheerful.
18 March 2017
Hanleyfender
Hmhb not my thing really but as they were on my doorstep I thought I’d go and I got a free ticket so rude not to. I apologise for the venue. Should have Played St Paul’s close by but I guess we all had masses of space. I’ve recorded the show and will up in Dimadozen later.
18 March 2017
Dave Wiggins
@Idiots and Pigeons. I was awaiting a punchline, but am starting to fear that there isn’t one. Guys, what’s happening to us? I assume the alleged perp will exercise his right of reply?
18 March 2017
bobbysvarc
Tonight’s walk on…..”Somebody’s gonna get their head kicked in tonite” The Rezillos version, of course…………”Hello, Oxford”.
18 March 2017
0902FRIENDs
Toastkid – I think he said “Mimeshow, is that it? All right, you get it” or something like that. Haven’t seen the setlist yet but I couldn’t but feel they bumped Chatteris out for Mimeshow. I’m not complaining. Or maybe I am 😉
18 March 2017
hendrix-tattoo
What is the common denominator then?
18 March 2017
OLLIE THE SQUID’S LONG-SUFFERING GUITAR TECH
Never been there before, but I liked the Assembly Rooms and the sound quality was awesome with the angst switch fully deployed on Look Dad No Tunes. Joy of Sex video updated to DVD and it filled Nigel with joy to see both moshers out jogging and joggers out moshing. Though I live in Surrey, I can personally corroborate Nigel’s assertion that the bins in Liverpool are purple as I have one in my back garden which I liberated from the yard of a house in Sefton where, for many residents, it’s black bags only on rubbish day.
18 March 2017
Idiots and pigeons
Are you familiar with Howard Becker’s “Labelling Theory”?
Here’s a link to the last incident, last nights was virtually identical albeit on the occasion linked here he took offence to me removing his inbred associate from the vicinity of my partner after he spent the first half of the gig groping her… why on earth is he wading through a crowd to scream in somebody’s face? (Note the man trying to pull him back?) That’s not the action of a saint now is it…
https://youtu.be/8CF2kzXy-rI
18 March 2017
bobbysvarc
Kin ada, Not again.
18 March 2017
hanleyfender
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=586965
Sounds great!!
18 March 2017
Thedonkeycentrehalf
Sounds was good last night and crowd size wasn’t too bad. The merchandise stand seemed to do a good trade.
I stood towards the back and there was some absolute tw@t who spent most of the evening moaning about the crowd but when told to go down the front and liven things up decided to stay where he was.
Glad to hear that Anchored went down well.
18 March 2017
hendrix-tattoo
Great sound.
Great band.
Great people old and new.
Great cider in the anchored.
Great roll up Roy.
Great to see Ron-seal again.
Gutted I am not in oxford now.
‘Last night there were skinheads on my lawn’
18 March 2017
Twistedkitemike
What, no set-list yet? Well, here you go: –
Bob Wilson
Evening Sun
Petty
Fred T
Korfball
Shit Arm
Mountain Bikes
Old Age
Light Tunnel
Bad Wools
Hi Vis
Bane
Paintball
Look Dad
DPAK
NSD
Improv Workshop
JDOG
Dean Friedman
AOR
………………………..
Trad Arr Tune
Cover – Take the Skinheads Bowling (Camper Van Beethoven)
Trumpton
Cheers
Mike…………………..
19 March 2017
PT
First gig I’ve seen by them, just wonderful!
The almost Minor Threat cover version moment was the odd one – it was In My Eyes wasn’t it?
19 March 2017
Jammy carter
First gig I’ve seen by ’em, wonderful.
Aborted Minor Threat song was In My Eyes – the very last thing I expected.
19 March 2017
CARRIE ANNE
Lovely Roger Green has been at it again. Review taken from Gez’s website http://cobweb.businesscollaborator.com/hmhb/guest/index.htm
Assembly, Worthing, Fri 17th March 2017
Roger Green:
Howie sent out a note, making a comment about different levels of fandom. “Lancaster 10am. So I’m wearing my new HMHB tshirt. So far, the fella serving breakfast in Wetherspoons has bellowed at the tshirt saying he saw HMHB years ago in Newcastle, and a guy getting off the Barrow train also remarked on the tshirt which only confirms the cult following of the band. Maybe there are millions of fans out there who don’t realise they are still playing ‘secret gigs’!” We also had a tshirt related incident ourselves. Karen and I were in The Tap pub at Sheffield train station with our mate Ashley. Karen was wearing her Stony Ground tshirt. Across at one of the other tables was a guy wearing one of the HMHB motorway shirts. Much nodding and thumbs up. And there was an incident in Leeds when I was wearing the Urge For Offal number. A bloke stopped me and said “Great tshirt.” Did he mean great tshirt, or great band? Or both? I’ll never know, because he appeared to be in a rush. It’s quite a secret society that we have here.
The continued HMHB media assault marched on in the Liz Kershaw 6 Music show when, during a vegetable related feature, she played Asparagus Next Left. I think it’s the first time I have ever heard that on the radio. She spoilt it a bit though, by talking over Carl’s drum bit at the end of the song. Special mention also to Simon Kaines of Runcorn. When Saturday Comes had a series of correspondence regarding football references in music. It was inevitable that someone would write in with regard to HMHB. Simon’s particular focus was on This One’s For Now, namechecking Gerry Gow, Standard Liege, the TNS/Blob incident and Josef Venglos’s shopping excursion in his letter.
Karen and I have some exemplary behaviour to report, from a bus driver in York. We were on the Number 7 into the city and noticed that he was allowing passengers to sit down before he pulled away from stops. But not only that. He was also warning people who were already on the bus to “Hold on tight” as he set off. Much more of that kind of thing, and there would have been no need for HMHB to record Breaking News.
Going back to the band appearing on New Musical Express’s C86 compilation, Karen has been a fan of The Chesterfields. She was dead chuffed to finally be able to see them when we headed to Manchester in the middle of February. They were top of the bill at Gullivers bar. Marvellous time had by all. We came away hoping that they decide to keep it going. There was another t-shirt incident when the guy on the door pointed at Karen’s Stony Ground shirt and said “Merseyside legends!”
We broke up the journey to Worthing by staying in Brighton the night before. Sorry to report that we didn’t see Attila The Stockbroker (to tell him that Arguments Yard is the best autobiography I’ve read), Caroline Lucas (to tell her that Green is a great name for a party) or Nick Cave (out cleaning windows?). We didn’t spot any of them on our little circuit around the Royal Pavillion. But we did see the price board at the Museum And Art Gallery. I am pleased to note that The Regency restaurant continue to serve a fine plate of fish and chips. After going there we walked past Brighton Centre which was hosting X Factor Live. Tempted? Maybe another time.
Karen did some basic enquiries on Wikipedia. She found out that Peter Bonetti grew up in Worthing. Just as vital was the information about Simon Mayo working for the council as a paddling pool attendant. Just look at him now! Publicity for the show was kept to a minimum. We could see absolutely no posters whatsoever in the vicinity of the venue during our mid-afternoon reconnaissance. The Worthing Herald was also keeping quiet, although there was a plug for Calum Best opening a tanning salon in the town the day after this gig. We didn’t bother hanging around for that.
Doors opened at 7 o’clock, and the slightly earlier than usual running order seemed to catch a few people out. But by the time we were let in, a crowd was developing. We got talking to Nick who was at his first ever HMHB show, along with his daughter (Ellie?). And there was the poor guy who had bought tickets, but his wife was ill, so he was picking them up from the box office in the hope of selling them on. Tony was there as well. He had brought along his mate Dick, another one in attendance for the first time. Just where have these people of a certain age been? Well, in Nick’s case he had been abroad for ten years, so he has a bit of an excuse. Jordan and Sally were other early arrivals.
In Geoff’s absence, Zinny was staffing the merch stall. As well as letting me know that Sonnenberg’s new album is out imminently, he confirmed HMHB’s stage time as 8.30. I also managed to grab a couple of minutes with John from JD Meatyard who was making his way for a 7.40 start. He now has Michael from The Flux Capacitors on guitar, as well as Gary still beating the drums. I think this was the most, shall we say, meaty sound that I’ve ever heard from the band.
Most of the set appeared to be from a new album that they are working on. I managed to scribble down the titles from Gary’s set list which was upside down to me, but I did my best.
Green Flags
We Got Today
Caspar’s Ballroom
Blood Simple
Love That Girl
Olive Tree
Ubu At Eric’s
Sweet Jane
Medical John came over to say Hello and to point out that one of the Marshall amps was actually now a arshall amp, and other letters looked they were not far away from falling off. Postman Tony and Pete also appeared while JD Meatyard were playing. We exchanged nods, as you do during a gig. I also spotted a cameo appearance from Neil during the set. He sneaked on at the back of the stage, to turn his amp on. I also caught up with Nigel/Charles who told me about the trip to Ireland to see Half Arsed Half Biscuit. It all sounded very interesting, although I got the impression that there was not a fantastic turn out. We’ll catch them one day, on one side or other of the Irish Sea.
Thanks to Tony (not for the first time) for identifying the HMHB walk-on music. After much deliberation he said it was from the Karelia Suite by Sibelius. Nigel said “Staying with the Sibelius theme…” before the band started with Bob Wilson Anchor Man. “Dead posh” was Nigel’s assessment of the venue. “It’s not Little Theatre, Birkenhead. That’s for sure.” Nigel mentioned that the band had called at the Wildfowl and Wetland Centre at Arundel (“take a flask”). He mentioned Harald Schumacher, a West Germany goalkeeper from way back when. We didn’t get the joke until the following morning. Schumacher committed a Wild Foul in the 1982 World Cup semi final on a France player, Patick Battiston.
There was a shout for Vitas Gerulaitis. Nigel replied “We’ve got a song about that.” There was talk about the beach at Worthing. “It frightens me,” he said, “it’s like Abersoch.” This led to talk about Ellesmere Port and how Storm Doris had devastated the place. “It caused twenty-two pounds worth of damage,” Nigel added. He said it is the most inappropriately named place in Europe. They don’t bury the dead there. They just stand them up in bus shelters.”
Daz, Howie and Gomez turned up fashionably late, after five songs. Their loss, not mine. But these real ale fans will just squeeze in one last jar. The line at the end of Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes was “That’s when I was saying that Brighton would go up.”
The band had already played the song in question when there was a shout of “Do Korfball again!” Nigel replied with “That’s an unusual request. A bit like in the music halls.” Nigel noticed the stewards at the back of the hall (in their hi vis jackets) were directly in his eye line. He dedicated Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride to them, and later on pointed to them during King Of Hi Vis.
Jordan asked Nigel if the story behind The Light At The End Of The Tunnel was true. He replied that none of the stories are true, unless they are about Ken. “A woman in Daventry writes them all.” Nigel sat down for a rest while Ken and Neil swapped instruments. They did so for King Of Hi Vis and Bane Of Constance.
Nigel had picked up the last copy of The Worthing Herald. He noticed an advert for the psychic Stephen Holbrook. He noted that these adverts are always in the local paper on The Wirral. This inspired a line in Paintball’s Coming Home… “They booked to see Stephen Holbrook at The Norfolk Arms / But it got cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.”
There was a shout for Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite. This was followed by an improv version of the song. “I surprised myself there,” said Nigel afterwards. Ken was the first man in Wallasey to own a continental quilt. There was a fine version of the Camper Van Beethoven song in the encore.
After all the excitement I headed to The Goose pub on the seafront, with Karen, Paul, Nigel/Charles, Postman Tony, Andrew, John, Elizabeth and others, to discuss the situation at the top of The National League and many of life’s interesting topics.
Here is what the band played:
Bob Wilson Anchor Man
When The Evening Sun Goes Down
Petty Sessions
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus
Joy In Leeuwarden
Shit Arm Bad Tattoo
Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes
Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train
Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Full Of Bad Wools
King Of Hi Vis
The Bane Of Constance
Paintball’s Coming Home
Look Dad No Tunes All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
National Shite Day
Vatican Broadside
Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite
Joy Division Oven Gloves
The Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman
Everything’s AOR
And in the encore…
We Built This Village On A Trad Arr Tune
Take The Skinheads Bowling
The Trumpton Riots
One of the shorter gigs. HMHB were on stage at 8.30 and left at 10.05. No matter. We look for quality not quantity. Neil handed me a set list on his way off stage. As well as the addition of “Gobshite”, the only other amendment was the exclusion of For What Is Chatteris. That had been scheduled to come between National Shite Day and Vatican Broadside.
Not long to the next gig at Oxford.
19 March 2017
0902FriendS
Since you lot seemed to enjoyed my long, droning blog post for Bilston, here you go for Worthing & Oxford…
https://0902friends2017ontheroad.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/the-double-gigs/
Thank you everyone for such an amazing experience 🙂
19 March 2017
DAVE N BarBARA
Fought our way down on rush hour Southern Trains: our first choice of conveyance being cancelled, we ended up changing at East Croydon. Eventually got a seat next to a fellow fan. It was my wife’s first HMHB gig (and our first gig together since we got married in December) and she was a bit spooked by the number of attendees who resembled me (44, Merseysider, bald, overweight), not to mention all the DPAKs. On a side note, this must be the first gig I’ve ever attended where I didn’t have to show anyone my ticket. Just walked in past the least goon-like hi-viz wearers in history. Agree with comments that there seemed to be a large south-coast punk/crusty throwback contingent – the Levellers definitely the second best represented band by T-shirt, and NMA just after that.
Bit of a halting start to the gig as NB seemed a bit uncomfortable on stage, possibly something to do with the odd lighting. Twitchy, like, and a couple of lyric mess-ups, of the sort he doesn’t usually do.
We were a bit narky too, having failed to move an inch from our original position three deep at the bar in nearly 15 minutes pre-gig, and having to abandon that idea and enter unrefreshed and with no crisps to prevent us getting hangry. The other half, whose knowledge of the HMHB oeuvre is still developing, nipped out early on to find the queue much diminished, and returned in time for the ‘Hawaiian’ line in Petty Sessions – one she’s always liked (I haven’t got the heart to tell her what it’s done to the FB group).
It got better from there, as Nigel warmed to his task and we were partially sated with Burts’ Sweet Chilli flavour.
Shame about no Chatteris (we had it as our register signing music) though the set list suggests it was jibbed for Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite, which is always nice to hear, even if it sounded a bit quickly agreed-to and well rehearsed to be totally spontaneous. Neil didn’t bat an eyelid. Does Neil bat eyelids?
Anyway, a good gig in the end – excellent JDOG, Joy, Mountain Bikes, Trumpton Riots. All followed by a pint and a white Russian on the seafront, and a noodle-based takeaway back in the Premier Inn (reasonable rates).
20 March 2017
hendrix-tattoo
Brilliant review(s) as always.
Thank you Roger….
20 March 2017
Chris The Siteowner
Made the Chichester Observer. Which is nice.
21 March 2017
dr desperate
Worthing, then. As Dr Johnson said of the Giant’s Causeway, “Worth seeing, yes; but not worth going to see”. We’d spent a couple of days in Arundel beforehand, and were no more impressed by the Wildfowl Centre than was Nigel, giving the (6am, guide-led, booking essential, wrap up warm) Dawn Chorus Walk a miss in favour of going on any-time-we-like walks. Tuesday, 2am, bollock-o.
The train to Worthing took the Brighton line, though this is immaterial.
The travelling army mustered at The Anchored, which had hops hanging in the window and an advert for Biscuit Beer on the wall. Canadian Alice arrived with Ron Seal, as did Biscuiteers too numerous to mention, or to fit into a micropub.
Quick march to the venue, a big hello to the barrier people and here’s Uncle John Meatyard, having the shittest week of his life but somehow managing to transmute grief into pure rock ‘n’ roll. The new song ‘Ubu @ Eric’s’ is tremendous, and the closing segue of ‘Sweet Jane’ into ‘Pablo Picasso’ was stunning.
The band’s walk-on ‘Karelia Suite’ by Sibelius would have been familiar to anyone who used to watch ITV’s ‘This Week’, which used its Intermezzo as signature tune. Nigel announced that the opening song was on the same theme, though I don’t recall the boy Primrose ever appearing as its anchorman.
The crowd seemed subdued until dropkicked into life by the improv ‘Gobshite’, which Nigel surprised himself by getting through unrehearsed. He did ask us not to request ‘Architecture and Morality, Ted and Alice’ next time, and a call for ‘WH!-ML’ was rejected on the grounds that Neil couldn’t sing it, to the annoyance of the bloke who’d brought his son all the way from WH! to hear it. He was later heard telling him to “Watch and learn”, which is how a younger generation of fans will come into being.
Setlist as above, with Nigel at one point asking Neil which song was next so he wouldn’t have to walk back to read it. He once again cocked up the lyrics to ‘Joy in Leeuwarden’, facepalming himself in frustration, but this time remembered that Bette Midler had a puma rather than a tumour.
Banter also as above, with cries of “Seagu-ulls!” leading to discussion of both Brighton & Hove Albion and the family Laridae. On the former, a bet on Anthony Knockaert to score first was considered a good investment, while the latter in Worthing were almost as big as those in Rhyl. Nigel’s family holidays were in a resort “near Abersoch but not as posh”, where the sandy beaches were less frightening than the local pebbles.
Ken was the first man in Wallasey to own a contintental quilt, Elizabeth’s query of “What tog rating?” unfortunately going unheard.
For me the highlight of the show (apart from a second official outing of ‘KoH-V’, natch) was the cover of CVB’s ‘Take The Skinheads Bowling’. Covered by the Manics, it has one of the best opening verses in all recorded music, not spoilt in the slightest by Nigel’s substitution of ‘plebs’ for ‘clocks’.
‘Trumpton Riots’ completed the entertainment for the evening, after which after-match lagers were taken in The Goose. Last to arrive (as he had been for the gig, missing both his signature songs) was Ultimate Tattoo Tim, proudly bearing Carl’s setlist embellished with signatures of the band, including “From Your Showbiz Pal, Nigel Blackwell”.
On to Oxford!
21 March 2017
Mark
Following since 88. Can’t remember seeing them any better. His vocals really came through which I think is really important, band really on form. what struck me here is how ‘underrated’ the band actually are- tight as fuck. I thought it was a Great venue. Enjoyed the support too especially the one with the killer line about Eric’s 1981 – on the new lp out soon apparently. Few dickheads there like. Went to M&S after.
22 March 2017
TRANSIT FULL OF KEITH
Worthing Assembly Hall on entry felt a bit municipal, slightly redolent of choral societies, town hall brass bands, and amateur productions of cricketing farces, etc. I could not say the light show was excellent. However, the impression was soon dispelled, and the sound – from a position front left – was excellent.
We had parked the children, driven down from Cambridge, wandered round town and onto a circuit of the pier, grimacing for photos in the icy blast next to the stained glass panel saying Sunny Worthing. A howling wind, a snotgreen sea and a steep, rubbly beach, inferior to the spotless sands of North Wales alluded to by Nigel later. On a pedestrianised street between our hotel and the Wetherspoons where we somehow ended up for pre-gig fish and chips, it was good to note a sandwich board with a poster bearing a collage of album covers and “Satisfying The Bloodlust of the Masses at Peacetime”. Arrived in time to catch the last 20 minutes of the excellent JD Meatyard – new to me.
I’m pretty new to all of this by the way. I must’ve known the name of the band since the early 90s, but somehow missed actually hearing them, until an encounter with JDOG on 6 Music stopped me in my tracks, some time in 2015, I think. Why had I not heard *this* before? (Years teaching English abroad probably). This took me to Youtube and Running Order Squabble Fest, Chatteris and the like. Then National Shite Day, which brought the realisation that this was something extraordinary … bought Urge for Offal and Achtung Bono … A couple of months after The Discovery, a gig at Kentish Town Forum. My wife is also a convert, having previously resisted my attempt to convert her to the Fall (two shit gigs, to the second of which she tooks earplugs). HMHB Gigs at Cambridge (home ground), Lincoln, and now Worthing, have followed since then, in the unshakeable conviction that this is the most life-enhancing band on the planet. Helped by a good few hours spent chasing references on this site – so thanks to Chris and the various contributors.
In the interim I’ve managed to acquire most of the back catalogue, but I’m still in the happy position of occasionally discovering songs for the first time live. So having not yet acquired the hard-to-get Leaden Pall, “Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite” in Worthing was unknown to me, but an instant favourite.
Other highlights of Worthing for me were Shite Day (always is), Bane of Constance, AOR, Trad. Arr. tune, Dean Friedman, Skinheads Bowling, and most of the others.
After edging ever closer to the area at my previous three gigs, prodded by beer and my wife, who offered to hold my specs, I finally sent my skinny frame careering into the moshpit for Dean Friedman and AOR. I have not done this for about 20 years, so belated apologies to the lady at the back whose foot I bounced on. I think it was at the end of AOR I then found myself caught up in the middle of an embarrassing scene of pointing and shouting, on the verge of descending into pushing and shoving. Hasty exit left. Presumably this was part of the incident mentioned further up the thread, but not seeing how it started, I will refrain from speculation. Anyway, a 21 man-brawl was averted by the appearance of a good-natured wall of several people jumping up and down between the parties, making further engagement impossible.
The only slight disappointment about the gig for me (apart from the lighting) was that I’d like to hear a few more off Urge for Offal and Bisodol. Not massively keen on the fixture of Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride, but would love to hear Gwatkin, Westward Ho, Mileage Chart, or Adam Boyle, for example.
Obtained the Godcore CD and also, for a quid (£1!), the sleeve of the Dickie Davies Eyes 12”, containing the “Lets Not” EP (*that* old trick).
On the way back to the hotel, the sandwich board was on its side – we briefly considered trying to extract the poster, but since that would have involved breaking a lock or a perspex sheet, thought better of it.
Does anyone know from past form if the long-ish gap between this and the next gig augurs well for recordings, perhaps a new, song-based album? Hope so. Do they generally like to try out new material in a live environment first? (“Bat Walks”, which I heard in Cambridge & Lincoln, was developing nicely, but seems to have dropped off the set). Whether or not, we’ll probably make the trip to Holmfirth or Bath …
23 March 2017
bobbysvarc
June 9th – Clitheroe
23 March 2017
nigeyb
Second time I’d seen HMHB, but the first for my 13 year old son, who is almost as big a fan as his old man, and frequently drops lyrics into every day conversation. A source of great pride as you can probably imagine. He was a bit taken aback by some kind of altercation amongst a couple of moshers, missed by me. Most of it seemed good natured enough but a minority always seem to get a bit too carried away. Tiresome but there we are.
All in all though I thought they were on great form and Nigel demonstrating extraordinary levels of knowledge about Brighton and Hove Albion FC’s strikers in response to a man shouting “Seagulls” between songs is still a source of amazement. His concluding comment, “…but then of course, you being a fan, you’d know that” was classic Blackwell. Bravo Sir.
23 March 2017
Gregg z.
Sad, but I can’t believe that it’s been years since I’ve seen HMHB (in Oxford, almost 5 years to the day). Will have to do with Sleaford Mods in Brooklyn this week. Not bad.
27 March 2017
Chris The Siteowner
First comment for nearly three years! We’ve missed you round these parts, Gregg!
27 March 2017
Gregg z.
Cheers, Chris. Will remember to check in now and again. Hoping to get back to the UK sometime. Spending a lot of time now, trying to help extricate the orange-headed monster from the White House. Will keep you posted on that.
27 March 2017
Mark
I went and a fine time was had by all – had Judie Tzuke to take us up to the news as an earworm since. An innocent question – why Worthing? I sometimes think they are playing one huge game on us all which we are only half way to discovering and this site is leading us further down teh path of enlightenment than anywhere else (thank you) – do they only play places they mention in songs? Did I hear a reference to Worthing somewhere … and by the way (from pedants corner) there is no such thing as a seagull – they are gulls of various persuasions. I suspect the Herring Gull was spotted – and as they can eat kipper sized fish they have to be quite big.
30 March 2017
bobbysvarc
Is Exxo still in Worthing?
31 March 2017
hendrix-tattoo
Has Exxo’s body yet been found in the English Channel.?
6 April 2017
Bobby svarc
More like a he’s done a Reggie Perrin. Lots of big games for Liverpool and Tranmere coming up so there’s every chance of a sighting.
7 April 2017
dirk hofman
.. should the A-Z have a Mosh Pit entry ?
7 April 2017
EXXO
@Dave (comment 8) and others…
Yes, I’ll belatedly and reluctantly have my right of reply. I saw Jordan’s first lies (above) in March after the gig, and didn’t know how to reply, so being very busy finding out where things were in B&Q etc, I have compartmentalised this and left it there, not coming to this site which I love so much since then.
I didn’t want to reply with some sort of tit-for-tat thing that would drag things down. But I can’t actually see any alternative, and now that I do want to go to another gig this week, I need to set things straight.
He’s lying. At Worthing, when Jordan (Idiots & Pigeons) started showing aggression towards someone in front of me, I had a quiet word with him not to spoil the mosh again, as he did in Leeds for a few of us. I called him the ‘c***’ word, as I did in Leeds, and he went ballistic, threatening to “bite my face off you dirty northern bastard.”
I backed off. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t do violence.
I have had 3 contacts with Jordan & Sally in my life.
(i) At Lincoln I intervened, calmly, to calm down and restrain the bloke who had grabbed the drumstick(s) after the gig that Carl tried to give to Sally.
(ii) In Leeds Jordan seemed to be spoiling the gig by pointing out someone to security who didn’t seem to have done much else wrong other than drunkenly hug a few people – someone I know from gigs and football but not a particular mate. Security then piled right through me and others to try to chuck out said person, and thankfully they failed and he continued to enjoy his son’s birthday festivities. He was with a mixed group that evening, including partners and children, and trust me he isn’t a ‘groper’. When I regained my footing after being barged by security, I went up to Jordan and angrily called him a “c***” for causing that to happen (and because several people thought he had been stirring up trouble and exaggerating things generally at recent gigs). I do anger but don’t do violence. I very rarely use the c-word but it does express angere nicely when you don’t use it much. Verbally it’s like going nuclear I suppose. Jordan immediately gouged my eyes with both his thumbs. When I was then temporarily ejected from the gig, security acknowledged that they had made a mistake (I think they reviewed CCTV and saw the eye-gouging and saw I had done nowt). I have witnesses, 2-3 reliable people off here, that the only violence that occurred was Jordan gouging my eyes. They will also attest that I asked them not to mention the eye-gouging incident on here, because (unlike him) I do not want to “drag down” the reputation of these brilliant gigs by exaggerating relatively trivial playground type incidents.
(iii) In Worthing when Jordan started showing the early signs of aggression towards someone in front of me rather gently starting some ‘moshing’, I just whispered in his ear “Jordan, don’t be a c*** again”. I had been given the impression by Tony (postie) that Jordan had expressed some contrition (to Tony) for his behaviour in Leeds (at another gig in the meantime maybe? I don’t remember – Tony will though) and so I hoped he (Jordan) would think “oh yeah, I am being a c*** again, let’s just let the mosh mosh and not make any trouble”.
Instead he started pushing me back and threatening to “bite your face off you dirty northern bastard”. A large number of people in the crowd will have seen Jordan going forward and me going backward. No blows, no eye-gouging this time.
Sally turned round and had words with me at one point, but she had not seen what went on. I just said I’d talk to Jordan calmly at the end, because we can’t have incidents dragging the good reputation of these gigs down I thought, and we need to stop this silliness.
When we did talk after the gig (when any witnesses may have noticed me adopting the side-on, ear nearest to my interlocutor sort of pose which is as unaggressive as you can get, and helps me hear above the noise of the gig), Jordan said he had not done/said anything aggressive to the chap in the mosh, I said it did look as if he was starting up his anti-mosh trouble again (as he had in Leeds), and we only got that far before Jordan once again said “I’ll bite your face off you dirty northern bastard” I walked away.
Jordan shouted that he wanted to show me that video clip from Leeds, as if it showed that I had been the aggressor (and I think went to get his phone). He seemed surprised that I had walked away, as if he considers it normal to threaten to bite someone’s face off as part of a conversation he hopes to continue. But that is speculation, and that is what I have been trying not to do since that night.
1 August 2017
EXXO
I suppose I should have specified for the record that Jordan’s lies following Worthing were specifically the ‘hand around the throat’ (there was no contact other than Jordan pushing me back away from the stage) the ‘screaming’ (it was a generally quiet conversation), and the ‘throwing his weight around’ (anyone who’s moshed with me knows I’m the gentle one who’s always trying to cushion non-moshers from moshers, etc, and who always moans about ‘arms-up’ style moshers).
1 August 2017
dr desperate
Fuck*ng he*l, we thought you was dead. First pint at the Tap is on me.
1 August 2017
EXXO
Alright John. Really looking forward to it. All this upset has coincided with me actually having proper full-on all-consuming work that actually suits me for 7 months, and doing up me house and all kinds of familial soap opera stuff, so it has been all-too-easy to compartmentalise and avoid this silliness.
But it is time to come back. I have great friends on here, old and new, with whom I look forward to sharing a pint tomorrow and on many future occasions (HAHB Belfast, anyone?). I had hoped that one or two or three would speak up for me a bit more after the lies, because several people have hit the nail on the head (IN PRIVATE but not really in public) about what the common denominator is here. But you can’t have everything.
Needless to say I will be avoiding any sort of contact like the plague on Thursday and henceforth. I’ll keep my distance and not assume that I can get anyone to change their ways, though Mrs Exford is talking about making her first moshpit appearance for 2 years, after the previous decade as a regular. It will be interesting to see how safe she feels.
DNB.
1 August 2017
Brighton white in exile
Somewhat after the event, but after photographing a theatre advert for Stockard Channing in that London today (said she was “superb”, could have put “held sway”) I remembered a small but noteworthy (I think) point about this gig.
If you study the back of the CD jacket for Trouble Over Bridgwater (and who doesn’t), you’ll notice in the text a reference to “the Chapel of Ease at Worthing”. The building is still standing; it’s now St Paul’s – once a church and now a community-run arts venue – and is right across the road from the Assembly Rooms. Erm, that’s all…
Great gig, yes, enjoyed the reference to (home-town) Ellesmere Port – and the early finish saw us back in Brighton before the last bus home. Perfect.
4 November 2017