What a gig. Some stuff for the stattos to chew over…
25 March 2022
Woodnoggin
Fantastic stuff!
As I recall it… This Leaden Pall Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus Token Covid Song Renfield’s Afoot Terminus Sealclubbing Bob Wilson – Anchorman Sponsoring the Moshpits Running Order Squabble Fest Hedley Verityesque Look Dad No Tunes What Made Colombia Famous Awkward Sean Yipps (My Baby Got The) Ode to Joyce All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit For What Is Chatteris… Vatican Broadside I Hate Nerys Hughes (From the Heart) When I Look At My Baby We Built This Village on a Trad. Arr. Tune National Shite Day Joy Division Oven Gloves The Trumpton Riots Everything’s AOR Midnight Mass Murder
Oblong of Dreams My Perfect Cousin (The Undertones) Every Time a Bell Rings
25 March 2022
NO Legs Best
Looks good to me Woodnoggin.
My first gig since 2009. Midnight Mass Murder was every bit as epic as I’d hoped.
25 March 2022
Exxo
Yees that smell of hot east coast main line asbestos can only mean my cunning plan to beat the LNER booking system has worked.
I would not argue with anyone who said that gig was right up there with the best ever.
25 March 2022
harrison adams
It felt like quite the hush descended when Oblong of Dreams started. The previously bouncy moshpit, of which I was a happy member, took it deadly seriously.
A wonderful gig; my first for nearly two and a half years. This Leaden Pall was a great opener, and I thought that we got a particularly fun Bob Wilson tonight.
25 March 2022
Ferencváros fan
A few quick early comments. Cracking gig. Highlights for me were the Dukla Prague, Chatteris (correctly predicted by a member of the audience in the front row), Vatican Broadside sequence; AOR and MMM before the encore; then OOD plus My Perfect Cousin (so 2 x subbuteo references at the same gig) in the encore. My Fantasy biscuitball was by and large a crock of sh1t, tried to be too clever, ignored the open MMM goal plus LDL which was probably a penalty kick.
Crapsons were also fcukin brilliant.
26 March 2022
Woodnoggin
Oblong of Dreams was as good live as I had hoped. And Ode to Joyce got a proper mosh going. That was fun to see. 🙂
For their first gig after a new album, most bands would play loads of songs from it. Not HMHB. Instead, they dug into the back catalogue for some oldies, with even a song from Godcore.
26 March 2022
TRANSIT FULL OF keith
What, no “Suffolk Ditch”? Of all the new ones I thought they might play, that was my banker. Shows what I know.
26 March 2022
dic aberdaron
bang the druuuum!
26 March 2022
John Anderson
Superb night at the Rock City Notts. A very interesting and varied set-list and great to hear outings for Pall, Verity, Joyce, Moshpits, Sealclubbing and Nerys. Would have liked a couple more from TVY esp Suffolk Ditch but OOD was majestic and MMM predictably well received. I said to @CtSO before the gig that I reckoned Ian Storey-Moore might be spotted in the crowd and, lo and behold, he cropped up in the spoof of Weezer’s Buddy Holly. Also great to hear a shout out for Watford’s Forest loanee Philip Zinkernagel. A final thought; with his long hair and beard, drummer Carl has a bright future as a Kevin Godley impersonator.
26 March 2022
dr desperate
After my success with the walk-on music I was hoping Carl’s look was a portent that they were going to play ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be (with) Jesus’, with its ‘Rock City Notts’ reference. I had it as my banker – how foolish I was.
26 March 2022
Bad loser
I got closest to the pin with the percentage change in setlist at Sheffield. A similar guess this time sees me stuck in the rough. A large number of changes, bringing in some unexpected ones, while retaining most of the favourites.
Not much banter tonight but amused looks in Karl’s direction when he started playing his guitar behind his head during Hedley Verityesque. A false start to (I think) JDOG when they weren’t in sync: a rarity indeed.
Sadly Neil was struggling a bit tonight. Looked ‘A bit below par’ from the start, was coughing a bit and didn’t attempt to sing for a few songs and had to ditch it when he did. Fortunately, bass playing wasn’t affected by these things.
26 March 2022
Mr Ed
Loved that. A great mix of old and new tunes. I was the one who shouted ‘Is Chatteris one if yours?’ at just the right time. The new songs really sound great live, a giod crowd and a fantastic night out. I hope it isn’t so long before they are back in Nottingham.
26 March 2022
Hendrix-tattoo
Not a lot to add to the above comments apart from they are the best band in the fuckin’ world and Sealclubbing, Nerys Hughes, MMM and OoD were worth the ticket price alone…
26 March 2022
Chris The Siteowner
Standing in the centre, about a third of the way back, it was very loud and the vocal mix was awful. Fine for those of us who (like to think we) know the words, but incomprehensible for those who didn’t. Even the between-song chat was hard to follow. Intriguing set list though, including quite a few very low scorers in Parsfan’s Song Ladder.
26 March 2022
Awkward Sean
Watched from the balcony and thought the boys smashed it. A relentless set with a mix of old and new and a couple I’d never heard live before. Voltarol is clearly up there with best of breed. Well worth the two year wait.
26 March 2022
Bad loser
Seeing as two former England bowlers made the setlist, does anyone else think the drummer in The Crapsons looks like Steve Harmison in his pomp?
26 March 2022
Dagenham dave
Possibly the best Biscuit’s gig I’ve been to. First time at Rock City, what a great venue.
26 March 2022
Cream CHEESE AND chives
First post Covid attendance. Excellent as always. Arrived 10 mins late so missed start but like settling into an old pair of slippers/JDOG/ clothing item of choice. Looking to rework engagements to make more gigs sooner than Blackpool. Glad CtSO raised sound issue. I took a mate to only his second HMHB gig and the sound for vocals and chat were crap at best. Mate therefore missed out on much of the majesty. We must have been quite close to CtSO. A grand evening all the same.
26 March 2022
sTUART
It was not just an old man fest, but it was fantastic to see about thirty men between 55 and 75 moshing away at the front. The youth left them too it. Old punks never die. Voltarol will be needed in the morning.
As someone said above the sound mixing was not good and my ears are still ringing. There were some nasty frequencies coming out at times. And it would help to hear the words of the UKs best active lyricist.
The band really gave their all; real passion. Karl Benson is a good addition and attacks the riffs. Neil Crossley one of the finest of post punk bassists channelling his inner Hookie. Carl Henry got to do a bit of theatricals. Nigel Blackwell’s stagecraft and interaction with the audience as good as ever.
Rock City has not changed at all over the last 40 years and neither have Half man half biscuit, which in this day and age is somehow reassuring.
26 March 2022
clown in a yaris
Cracking comment when someone shouted out ‘play one the drummer knows’ after a rare false start. Brilliant gig. Moshpits a highlight for me.
26 March 2022
dr desperate
Well that was a splendid night, and no mistake. Things kicked off pre-gig at the Six Barrel Drafthouse, where award-nearly-winning sports writer Steve Hill interviewed me, CtSO and a few others for an upcoming piece about Biscuiteers, commissioned by the Guardian. A photographer (who thought he looked like John Peel, but bore more resemblance to John ‘Barry Wom’ Halsey) took pictures of us inexplicably leaping in the air as though we’d just passed our A-levels, then it was round the corner for Friday Night Pizzas, with the option of a frankfurter and chips topping accepted by one.
Big hellos all round at the venue, just in time for the delayed arrival of The Crapsons, who were tremendous. I regretted having left my bucket hat at home when they introduced ‘Ian Brown is the Resurrection’, and noted with pleasure the bassist’s Cardiacs shirt and the guitarist’s Frank Sidebottom Timperley Big Shorts ditto. (Hat-tip here also to Scotch Andy for his ‘Got Turmeric?’ tee.) The between-acts music was provided by Steely Dan, making CtSO’s night even before the main act came on, and the walk-on was the theme from ‘Zulu’, with an unexpected segue into Richard Burton’s voiceover when Nigel needed extra help plugging his guitar in. Even more unexpected was his addition of the ‘Washing machines live longer with Calgon’ jingle, before diving into ‘This Leaden Pall’.
I’ll leave details of the rest of the setlist to wiser heads, but suffice to say it was incredibly varied and exciting, though occasionally less than fully audible, even for those at the front. I hope the gentleman standing next to me at the barrier, at his first ever Biscuits gig, appreciated his amazing good fortune in being present at the jaw-dropping debut outing of ‘Oblong of Dreams’ (his home oblong). Nigel recognised him before the encores as some sort of celebrity, possibly from local TV – unfortunately I didn’t, but gave him a bogus triple-A laminate as compensation. As expected, ‘Midnight Mass Murder’ was an instant crowd-pleaser (except perhaps for those who hadn’t picked it in Biscuitball), and ‘Awkward Sean’ and ‘Token Covid Song’ were joyously received.
We got the chameleon/tartan rug gag again, and some back-chat about the relative strengths of Nottingham’s and Birkenhead’s buses vis-à-vis colour and reliability. (“Swings and roundabouts.” “Yeah, we haven’t got any of them either.”) I got a shout-out for my exaggerated reaction to Frazer Hines being spotted in the crowd (“Nice turn-around, Doc”), and Martin’s psychic call of ‘Chatteris’ drew an offer from NB to let him choose that week’s lottery numbers if he could guess the next song as well, but no luck. I didn’t catch who the other spottee was – something to do with a cement-related murder: a soap opera character, perhaps? She still had NB’s secateurs.
The evening’s entertainment ended at the stroke of midnight in The Bell, where husband-and wife team Isy Suttie and Elis James, having been at the show, were seen enjoying after-match lagers.
On to Durham!
26 March 2022
Ferencváros fan
Further thoughts…
Big thanks to Paul and Clare (sp?) for leading me astray in the afternoon. Wonderfully well met at Beerheadz, before meandering to Vat & Fiddle.
Embarrassed at gatecrashing the Grauniad photoshoot. I recognised the faces, thought it was a bit of a Biscuit team photo, but when I realised that the photographer was nonplussed by the mention of Awkward Sean, it clicked that I might have fcuked up.
Woke up hoarse this morning. I blame the Crapsons. They were so unbelievably good that I felt I had to shout my appreciation. I think they may have even got the message.
Acoustics were not brilliant, as has been said, but that is no excuse for me having to make 2 attempts to ask NB what was wrong with Awkward Sean’s roof. Surely gotta be the parents’ fault..?Anyway, if I need to redeem myself in any way for last night, I guess I just need to get myself bollocked by a steward at a future gig at the age of 62 for jumping onto the stage to make sure the ‘get your hedge cut’ chant reaches a crescendo. Hang on a minute….
26 March 2022
Ferencváros fan
Oh yes and my best achievement of the evening was to remain on good terms with the staff in the Italian restaurant (I think), despite telling them that they were lucky they hadn’t had to play the whole of Macedonia on the previous evening.
26 March 2022
eric t’viking
@Ferencvaros Fan – surely it wouldn’t be fair to have the whole of Macedonia on the pitch, would it…?
26 March 2022
dr desperate
@FF – so were you the one that Nigel had to ask to start his question again? (Come to think of it, I had the same problem when I asked if he’d watched ‘Hidden’* yet. He said he hadn’t, but he was going to.)
*Other partly-Welsh BBC murder mysteries containing an awkward rooftop-worker called Siôn are not available.
27 March 2022
EXXO
I have to thank you personally John (@Dr. Desperate) for my attendance at this gig, as it might never have occurred to me otherwise that it was an early finish and therefore I could get back to Leeds by means of a jog to the station and another plod across Newark. If I had realised later, the trains would have cost me more, so I do in fact owe you that pint – the one you briefly thought I’d bought you during the Crapsons’ support set. I would have been gutted if I’d missed the live debuts of Midnight Mass Murder and Oblong in particular. It was a joyous gig with great sound where I was standing, so as ever it’s gutting to hear that others may have not been so lucky with the vagaries of the venue’s sound balance. When I entered the venue, the Crapsons sound was painfully loud and distorted in most of the standing area, but good near the front. I notice the venue are currently advertising for hourly-paid sound technicians at £10-£12 an hour.
Because I would have just 14 minutes to get from venue to station after the gig, with a dodgy knee, I wanted to know time long the walk would take me as soon as I arrived at the station after 6pm, and this had the result that I then confined myself to alehouses near Rock City, which although I looked in about twenty different pubs and bars, were all uniformly dreadful in terms of ale. In desperation even briefly entered one of Tim ****ing Martin’s godawful ****houses, and even that was serving only utter diabolical piss.
All this had the effect of actually enabling me to see the excellent Crapsons. I don’t usually bother with support bands at Biscuit gigs, although I’ve often tried to make an exception for the Crapsons, the trusty JD Meatyard and a few years ago for the excellent Lovecraft. I was very fond of some of Geoff’s other selections musically, but not as supports for HMHB, and their excitement-reducing effects usually meant they were not worth the venue beer prices. Whereas the Crapsons are, even at an eye-watering £5.50 a pint.
Like I say though, not as eye-watering as the awful sound quality for their excellent tunes, the stand-outs including Clotheslined by a Nun and The Final Echo, the latter with one of the best lines an HMHB support has ever screeched: “he’s got one eye in Huyton and the other in New Brighton.” The screeching and the wonderfully-controlled feedback solos contrasted starkly with the extended new-additions-to-our-families announcements (which were longer than most of the songs), but it was tremendous stuff, and a pity Probe Plus isn’t still going strong to sign them up and get them a session on Marc Riley’s show, Top of the Pops, Reading festival, play the Albert Hall forever etc, like wot they deserve. Incidentally, I hear that Geoff isn’t in great health at the moment, so I send him my best like all of us I’m sure.
HMHB were just imperious. That’s the word I used about Nigel Blackwell’s stage presence in Holmfirth, after a hiatus which of course had made him extra nervous about remembering his lines, and it’s the word I’m using especially about Neil Crossley’s bass now. The confidence of the way Neil’s bass dictates and leads so many changes in mood through the set mirrors the confidence that the band now feel that Karl can do anything with his guitar – even playing it behind his head during Hedleyverityesque (what a tune that is). Karl has been doing these virtuoso stunts for years with his other bands but now realises we deserve to see them at HMHB gigs too. It was a gig of personal Crossley bassline favourites for me, including This Leaden Pall,Sponsoring the Moshpits and of course the errm, dreamy Oblong of Dreams. Karl’s guitar work was spectacular on every song too, a stand-out for me being his work on I Hate Nerys Hughes …I thought I’d noted one of two others where Karl did stuff of especial noteworthiness but I just can’t read my own writing now. Nor can I read or remember who (between songs) was spotted at the back “next to Anthony Power” in the same spot where Awkward Sean had previously been pointed out. Doubtless Roger will clear such matters up and remind us who it was (after Bob Wilson Anchorman) Nigel notices in minor roles on the Talking Pictures channel on an almost daily basis.
I cannot end this without mentioning Karl Henry on the drums. Sometimes it’s worth just switching your focus to the drummer’s efforts, e.g. during the stamina-sapping climax to National Shite Day when it was clear just how much effort and concentration was going into every second of the stickman’s performance. Similar words for the moshpit who also rose to the occasion with the stamina the band deserve – the lad in the red t-shirt was again crucial to the establishment of the critical mass (as he had been in Sheffield, not that he was wearing a red t-shirt then) and was IMHO man of the match.
Rock City, Nottingham, Fri 25th Mar 2022 Roger Green:
You forget how it goes with the impending arrival of new product. I’m Getting Buried In The Morning and When I Look At My Baby appeared in Andy Kershaw’s kitchen in the distant days of 2021. And Awkward Sean was given a live outing. But what about the CD itself? The Voltarol Years appeared on doormats around the end of February. So, what to make of it? The general feeling is that this is more reflective, rather than being filled with jocularity. I can live with that. Sometimes it can be a decade or more before you are hit by the subtleties of these songs. But I was immediately struck by Midnight Mass Murder. A live favourite if ever there was one, complete with chanting and pointing. In Beneath This Broken Headstone there is reference to Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy’s Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life. A favourite of my parents. And what of Oblong Of Dreams? There were tears in the passenger seat when we played that (others on Chris’s site said they were “emotional” and “nearly lost it” during this song). That’s how music can get you. I suspect that that one would have been a big hitter in John Peel’s Festive Fifty, if the great man was still around.
It was 1979 when I took my English Literature O Level. At the time I was more bothered with the wordy offerings from the likes of Paul Weller and Joe Strummer. If only Oblong Of Dreams had been on the syllabus, instead of The Power And The Glory and Grey’s Elegy.. well, who knows? Maybe I would have ended up with a doctorate of literature instead of being a dozy office boy writing this gubbins. It’s a bit of a shame that Frequent Electric Trains couldn’t make it onto the album. But maybe the recording of that was slightly outside regular HMHB business.
I doubt he’ll be reading this, but thanks to my mate Legal Tony for letting me see an article from The Cricketer magazine. This was an interview with Nigel, going through his interest in the game and career highlights, bowling left-handed, batting right-handed, and a spot of wicket-keeping. You might not be surprised by this, particularly if you bring to mind the line in Them’s The Vagaries, but Nigel comes across as a bit of a traditionalist. “It’s only really Test cricket I like. Even then, I’m not a fan of anything new. I can’t be bothered at all with one-day internationals, coloured shirts and balls, and the slogfest which is The Hundred. I don’t even like the players having their names on their shirts.”
The day after February’s show in Sheffield, there was a gig by Half Mandolin Half Biscuit, at which we won some Half Can Half Biscuit in the raffle. We saw this off one cold Saturday night. It’s a grand drop, although at 6.8% ABV you might want to know your limits. But we’ll certainly be entering the raffle again next time if that’s what is on offer. “Lovingly crafted in Yorkshire.” So was I. The beer comes from Nightjar Brew Company, based in Mytholmroyd if you want to get in touch with them. You will not be disappointed.
I spotted an article on the BBC website concerning Ernie Shackleton’s Endurance. “The Endurance 22 expedition, which includes the BBC’s Dan Snow, is using underwater robots, helicopters and other state-of-the-art technology in a bid to be the first to locate and survey the wreck.” Bad losers, take note.
Nigel was the guest on one of the Freak Zone programmes on 6 Music. Stuart Maconie had come along to the show at The Leadmill in Sheffield. The interview had been recorded there, in a chilly upstairs room. I can’t claim to be a regular listener to Freak Zone. Parts of the playlist are particular dancefloor clearers, but each to their own. Derek Bailey and Tony Coe? Weren’t they Hunslet’s half-backs in the 1960s? I will have to re-visit their output some other time. I’ll be sticking to Stuart’s mighty teamwork with Mark Radcliffe. Nevertheless, Left Lyrics In Practice Room, Rogation Sunday and Awkward Sean were played. The conversation referred to the title of the CD. “I’m more of a Deep Heat kind of guy,” confessed Nigel, as they discussed different pain treatments. They moved on to life during lockdown, as well as pre-gig rituals. “We all go out for a lasagne separately.” Nigel made reference to Quest For Lasagne, being a side project. And he wondered aloud about wearing Joy Division Oven Gloves while out jogging? An interesting concept.
Early in March, the news came through that the wreck of Shackleton’s boat had been found. Looks like they are leaving it at the bottom of the ocean, at least for the time being. I’ve recommended this book previously, but South is a fine read, detailing his journey.
Issue 90 of Vive Le Rock carried a quarter-of-page advert for HMHB’s gigs between now and January 2023. An audit of the listing concluded that it was a true and fair view. Yes, they’re at Nottingham, Durham, Cardiff, Leeds, Castleton, Birmingham, Blackpool, Norwich, Hull and London. The ad also helpfully stated that The Voltarol Years was “Out Feb Now”. It made sense to me.
One cosy Sunday evening, Karen and I were wandering around the TV channels. We dropped on Leeds TV. Mike Read was presenting something called The Heritage Chart. Apparently, this appears on all the local channels on the Freeview system. (No, we don’t have Sky.) The Members, Tears For Fears and, yes, Dean Friedman all featured. The chart seems to focus on acts from back in the day who are still making music nowadays. So HMHB would appear to qualify, although I’m not sure that too much material from The Voltarol Years will be appearing any time soon. Midnight Mass Murder on a programme presented by a man who had such a problem with Relax? Family show. It ain’t going to happen.
We did some reconnaissance work, making sure we could remember the location of Rock City. The Sunday before this show, we had been to see The Chats there. All good stuff, although the sound was cranked up a couple of notches too high. We left there, hoping for something a little more customer-friendly for HMHB.
Musical discovery of the year so far has been The Beer Snobs, thanks to Facebook. “The best band in Leeds.” You’ve got to be able to back up a claim like that. Their song The Duchess concerns the city-centre venue where HMHB played several times during the 1990s. HMHB get a mention in the song, along with the promoter John Keenan and other acts who played there – Nirvana, Oasis, Muse, Radiohead and Bikini Kill.
The night before we hit Nottingham, we were in Leeds, at The Brudenell Social Club. Steve Ignorant was playing a selection of favourites from his days with Crass. Do They Owe Us A Living? Punk Is Dead. Big A Little A. I’m sure any of them would fit as HMHB cover versions.
On Gig Day, we were on the train in the morning. The National Justice Museum was suggested as a place to visit. Instead, we opted for looking at the pictures on their website and an afternoon’s ligging. This provided an opportunity to find mention of the gig in the press. The Nottingham Post carried a review of a Stranglers gig at Rock City. And there was an advert for a show by Billy Ocean at The Royal Concert Hall. Chvrches, Corinne Bailey Rae, Killing Joke and Everything Everything were all mentioned in Metro. But there wasn’t a peep anywhere about HMHB. Nothing unusual there. Also, we noted that both the Rock City and the Durham Gala websites describe the band as a “synth-infused trio from Usk”.
Karen and I met with Tony at the pre-agreed place at the pre-agreed time. From there, it was a short walk through the city centre to the venue. On the way, we saw Miles and later caught up with Crapsons, getting a formal introduction to Pete, their new guitarist. Queuing up outside, we saw Karl trying and failing to get let in. Wrong wristband, you see. (Katharine and Karl reported seeing Neil having a similar problem. He was escorted to the Artists’ Entrance.) And we caught up with Nigel and Denise, who had been out for a pop star pre-gig lasagne. So, true to form from the Maconie interview, that had been a successful quest. Steve, Postman Tony and Phil were also there, and Andrew who had spotted Stewart Lee in the locality. (That’s the same Stewart Lee that I had seen in Wakefield a couple of weeks previously. Make sure you see his film about The Nightingales.) Other arrivals were Graham and Sarah, and Brian. Phil informed us that Midge Ure was playing this same night at Southampton Engine Rooms. It was a bit late to go there and heckle.
Inside the venue, I got talking to George, who was telling me about his pre-teen fandom of East European football. So that fits in nicely with HMHB. But the first job was to see Miles at the merch desk to buy Voltarol Years t-shirts for me and Karen. Graham Le Taxi had broken away from duties to be at the gig. Also got chatting with Mike, Andy and Nigel and Jo. The bar was selling water in cans. Only ever seen plastic bottles before. Better for the environment? Discuss.
It was one of those evenings when the venue opens up for Club Night immediately after the bands have finished. So Crapsons were on stage sharpish. Pete is one for using the space of the whole stage, prowling around. There was a little disagreement over the football shirt that he was wearing. The badge was a picture of Frank Sidebottom. I thought maybe it was Altrincham, being the team that Frank supported, but as Karen pointed out, it was of course Timperley Big Shorts. As ever, Crapsons put on a fine show. Marky’s vocal delivery and Gilbert’s drumming always hit the spot for me. Pete now adds to it all. Their new album, Songs To Make A Brew To, was part of my shopping list when I saw Miles. Should be on your shopping list too. Karl from HMHB is obviously a fan as well. He performed later on wearing a Crapsons t-shirt.
Their walk-on music was Pennsylvania 65000. Their set matched their typed out list as follows.
Who’ll Babysit The Goths? Petrol Park People Clotheslined By A Nun That Bit Between Christmas And New Year Ian Brown In The Resurrection Kings Of The Council Estate You Don’t Know When You’re Going To Die Final Echo
Clotheslined By A Nun is a true story, written about an incident where Marky was walking past the chapel at the hospital. And he was, would you believe, clotheslined by a nun! Marky said that this was the second Crapsons gig in Nottingham. “There were ten people at our first gig here. We brought nine of them.” There was a nice little tribute in the introduction to the “Resurrection” song… “His songs are great but he’s a bit of a twat.” And there is a grand line in Final Echo… “He’s got one eye in Huyton / And the other in New Brighton.”
In the interval, Howie showed up with Daz, who is unfortunately having to cut down on the gigs this year. Always grand to see you, Daz! Brian made a prediction for the first song – I’m Getting Buried In The Morning. And Andrew and I discussed the possibility of tonight’s cover version. Originally recorded by local talent? We were thinking Paper Lace. Billy Don’t Be A Hero of course. Or perhaps The Night Chicago Died. As it turned out, we weren’t even close.
Another Andrew turned up, being Karen’s work colleague and HMHB first-timer. Accompanied by two others, Laia and Pau, both from Catalonia, showing the international reach of the band. It turns out that Fred Titmus and Bob Wilson are not well-known figures round that way. Yet.
John Barry’s Main Theme To “Zulu” announced HMHB’s appearance on stage. It was followed by some narrative from the film. (“I don’t even like Richard Burton in that bit,” said Nigel.). “We were supposed to have started before the talking bit,” he added. “Reach into pocket and get set list.” he noted to himself. “Take swig of water. Say something that is pleasing only to oneself.” And then a burst of “Washing machines live longer with Calgon.”
Nigel and Karl dipped out of the second chorus of “Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus”. Just testing, to see if we were paying attention? Or was it, perhaps, a cock-up? “Anyone in from Bridport?” asked Nigel. “And anybody from Kelso?” No, there wasn’t, so Nigel turned to Karl and said, “You’ll be all right then.” In Renfield’s Afoot, once again he emphasised that police flashlights should NOT be brought, as they would frighten the bats. Nigel asked “Anyone in from St Ann’s?” He said his aunt lives there, at Beacon Hill Rise. We are invited to pop round for tea and perhaps an apricot madelaine. She had a chameleon which died of exhaustion after walking across a tartan rug.
Maybe it was just me, but tonight’s rendition of Sealclubbing seemed particularly easygoing. I think it could be referred to as a “Lounge” version. Karl was doing the bulk of the backing vocals tonight, as it became apparent Neil might’ve had a throat issue. If that is the case, get well soon.
Nigel explained their route to the gig…… They had stopped off at Woollaton Hall, Tesco meal deal, Edwardian frippery etc.
Martin shouted for “Chatteris” just before it was played. Nigel said that if Martin predicted the following one right as well, he would be asking him for the next set of lottery numbers.
There was an administrative bungle where Nigel opened a bottle of water when he already had one open. Easy mistake to make though. Frazer Hines was spotted in the crowd. We saw some excellent showmanship from Karl, playing the guitar behind his head during Hedley Verityesque. Afterwards, Nigel said to Karl, “I nearly went for the defibrillator there.”
George shouted to Nigel but got his words muddled. He was invited to start his heckle again. It was a question about Awkward Sean’s neighbour pointing at the roof. What was he pointing at? Nigel said he didn’t know.
Praise was given for the colour of the buses in Nottingham. There was a shout that they don’t run on time though. Nigel responded by saying that “Ours run on time, but they are very dull. It’s swings and roundabouts.” It was either during or just after What Made Colombia Famous that Nigel took a snort of Vicks Sinex (or some other nasal inhaler product).
There was a shout of “Get your fuckin’ hedge cut” just as Nigel had a gob full of crisps. Maybe a request for the song. Maybe just an instruction to Nigel. Carol Klein was spotted in the crowd. “Did you get that concrete?” Nigel asked her. “He’s not going to drown himself. You’ve still got my secateurs, by the way”
Nigel sang the opening line of Song To The Siren before going in to Vatican Broadside. There was a change to the line in I Hate Nerys Hughes. On the recorded version it goes: “They all went down the social and they claimed their Supplementary.” But on this occasion, that last word was definitely changed. It might have been “Documentary”.
Mentions were made of Forest. Ian Storey-Moore and Philip Zinkernagel. And for balance “I see County have got a big game tomorrow,” Nigel observed, referring to the match between Notts County and Chesterfield in the National League (big police presence at the train station when we were back there on the Saturday morning). He added that he was aware that Sheffield are the oldest club, but stated that County are the oldest league club. Cue much debate in the pub after the gig.
When the band came back for the encore, there was talk about Mr Udagawa and Paul Robinson out of Neighbours. Mr Udagawa had “a shit TV career”, only appearing in eleven episodes. The caravan guitar appeared for Every Time A Bell Rings. The show went like this:
This Leaden Pall Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus Token Covid Song Renfield’s Afoot Terminus Sealclubbing Bob Wilson Anchorman Sponsoring The Moshpits Running Order Squabble Fest Hedley Verityesque Look Dad No Tunes Black Night / What Made Colombia Famous Awkward Sean / My Baby Got The Yipps Ode To Joyce (“That’s for you, Joyce”) All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit For What Is Chatteris? Vatican Broadside I Hate Nerys Hughes (From The Heart) When I Look At My Baby We Built This Village On A Trad Arr Tune National Shite Day Joy Division Oven Gloves The Trumpton Riots Everything’s AOR Midnight Mass Murder
And in the encore: Oblong Of Dreams My Perfect Cousin Every Time A Bell Rings
Thanks to Karl for the set list. An audit showed that Vatican Broadside was a late addition. No other discrepancies to report. A mention also to Carl. Grand drumming as always. When venues have moats like this, it feels like he is miles away, even from us in the front row.
Afterwards, a few of us crammed into the bar at The Bell, which claims to be the oldest inn in Nottingham, not to be confused with Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, which claims to be the oldest inn in England. Not sure how that works. They can sort it out between themselves. No matter. Postman Tony, Andrew, Phil, me, Karen, Tony, Graham, Sarah, Lou, Chris, Chris’s mate, Brian, John, Steve and Martin all fitted in to the bar somehow.
Later, Andrew (from Karen’s work) shared a link with us from See Tickets – “If you like HMHB, you may also like these.” It listed The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Elton John, Lady Ga Ga, Phil Collins and Queen featuring Adam Lambert. Yeah, right, we’ll be giving all of them a go. But not until after we hit Durham in April. Ta to Kaz as ever, for helping out here.
27 March 2022
EXXO
Ah Ok, thanks Roger & Karen – it was Carol Klein at the back, next to Anthony Power. Upon googling her name, she’s one of those where I vaguely know the name and definitely know the face, but would not be able to put them together on the Pointless photo board.
Impressive reportage as ever. Really envying your copious gig-going. Half considered the Steve Ignorant gig meself, by the way, but thought it might have been a bit of an old git fest. And it sounds like the Chats sound was a bit like the Crapsons sound was further back in the auditorium. Keep on keeping on.
27 March 2022
Hammerfist Deceiver
As for Nigel’s comment about Notts County being the oldest league club: surely Notts county aren’t a league club any more? That makes Nottingham Forest (1865) the oldest league club. That must stick in the craw of any of the wheelbarrow menders.
27 March 2022
B Soares
#31: Stoke City formed in 1863.
27 March 2022
Cream CHEESE AND chives
Been in St Ann’s today. Didn’t have time to call in on Nigel’s aunt .
Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask but I’ve been compiling a list of gigs that I’ve been to over the years. I definitely saw HMHB in Chester in early 1986 but don’t have an exact date and I can’t find it on any list of HMHB gigs. It was a venue called (then) “The Opry” it was a back room of a bar/club called “Rendezvous” on Northgate Street near the corner with Eastgate Street.
Does any remember this place and when this gig might have been exactly?
27 March 2022
Neil
@nigel king – Very boring.They’re all of Nigel.
28 March 2022
Nigel King
Sorry about that Neil. That was the best I could do from where I was standing. Had I been in the photo pit it would have been different. But as a Nigel myself it always good to photograph another Nigel.
28 March 2022
Neil
I fully understand. Hope you don’t mind I have downloaded the pictures of Nigel and Karl.
Those really are ace, John. Let’s face it there are some proper characters amongst us lot. But in post-gig photos and clips I always notice for the first time that there was a light show. The exception was The cave gig, where I noticed when I went back to the bar. Is this a shared phenomenon, or just something to do with my eyesight?
28 March 2022
Flintlock
I noticed the light show was excellent during Nerys Hughes – I was on the balcony, maybe it was more obvious from there.
28 March 2022
professor Abelazar woozle
Erm, that comment immediately made me think of “Them’s the Vagaries”…
28 March 2022
Flintlock
Yes, that’s right sir
28 March 2022
Hammerfist Deceiver
@ #32: This from Wikipedia (so debatable)
“Whilst Stoke City officially claim to have been formed in 1863, the year used on the club crest, research has demonstrated that the club was actually more likely formed in 1868, five years later than previously thought.”
Looks like it’s still Forest.
31 March 2022
floreat ultonia
Thanks all for the reviews. Would love to have joined you but clashed with a weekend of Norn Iron footie and boggie nostalgia (Luxembourg away then SLF at the London Roundhouse). NIce to see the tribute to Feargal Sharkey 😉
2 April 2022
clown in a yaris
Did i miss the Guardian article or is it yet to be published ?
17 April 2022
dr Desperate
Steve Hill, who’s writing it, said he’d let me know when it was going to be published and he hasn’t yet.
17 April 2022
Nigel King
I’ve found in the British Newspaper Archive of the Chester Chronicle, that the HMHB gig I went to was on 13th May 1986.
It was organised by “Academy Promotions” which was someone called Dave Taylor, from the Wirral, who was 24 at the time.
Chris The Siteowner
What a gig. Some stuff for the stattos to chew over…
25 March 2022
Woodnoggin
Fantastic stuff!
As I recall it…
This Leaden Pall
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus
Token Covid Song
Renfield’s Afoot
Terminus
Sealclubbing
Bob Wilson – Anchorman
Sponsoring the Moshpits
Running Order Squabble Fest
Hedley Verityesque
Look Dad No Tunes
What Made Colombia Famous
Awkward Sean
Yipps (My Baby Got The)
Ode to Joyce
All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit
For What Is Chatteris…
Vatican Broadside
I Hate Nerys Hughes (From the Heart)
When I Look At My Baby
We Built This Village on a Trad. Arr. Tune
National Shite Day
Joy Division Oven Gloves
The Trumpton Riots
Everything’s AOR
Midnight Mass Murder
Oblong of Dreams
My Perfect Cousin (The Undertones)
Every Time a Bell Rings
25 March 2022
NO Legs Best
Looks good to me Woodnoggin.
My first gig since 2009. Midnight Mass Murder was every bit as epic as I’d hoped.
25 March 2022
Exxo
Yees that smell of hot east coast main line asbestos can only mean my cunning plan to beat the LNER booking system has worked.
I would not argue with anyone who said that gig was right up there with the best ever.
25 March 2022
harrison adams
It felt like quite the hush descended when Oblong of Dreams started. The previously bouncy moshpit, of which I was a happy member, took it deadly seriously.
A wonderful gig; my first for nearly two and a half years. This Leaden Pall was a great opener, and I thought that we got a particularly fun Bob Wilson tonight.
25 March 2022
Ferencváros fan
A few quick early comments. Cracking gig. Highlights for me were the Dukla Prague, Chatteris (correctly predicted by a member of the audience in the front row), Vatican Broadside sequence; AOR and MMM before the encore; then OOD plus My Perfect Cousin (so 2 x subbuteo references at the same gig) in the encore. My Fantasy biscuitball was by and large a crock of sh1t, tried to be too clever, ignored the open MMM goal plus LDL which was probably a penalty kick.
Crapsons were also fcukin brilliant.
26 March 2022
Woodnoggin
Oblong of Dreams was as good live as I had hoped. And Ode to Joyce got a proper mosh going. That was fun to see. 🙂
For their first gig after a new album, most bands would play loads of songs from it. Not HMHB. Instead, they dug into the back catalogue for some oldies, with even a song from Godcore.
26 March 2022
TRANSIT FULL OF keith
What, no “Suffolk Ditch”? Of all the new ones I thought they might play, that was my banker. Shows what I know.
26 March 2022
dic aberdaron
bang the druuuum!
26 March 2022
John Anderson
Superb night at the Rock City Notts. A very interesting and varied set-list and great to hear outings for Pall, Verity, Joyce, Moshpits, Sealclubbing and Nerys. Would have liked a couple more from TVY esp Suffolk Ditch but OOD was majestic and MMM predictably well received. I said to @CtSO before the gig that I reckoned Ian Storey-Moore might be spotted in the crowd and, lo and behold, he cropped up in the spoof of Weezer’s Buddy Holly. Also great to hear a shout out for Watford’s Forest loanee Philip Zinkernagel. A final thought; with his long hair and beard, drummer Carl has a bright future as a Kevin Godley impersonator.
26 March 2022
dr desperate
After my success with the walk-on music I was hoping Carl’s look was a portent that they were going to play ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be (with) Jesus’, with its ‘Rock City Notts’ reference. I had it as my banker – how foolish I was.
26 March 2022
Bad loser
I got closest to the pin with the percentage change in setlist at Sheffield. A similar guess this time sees me stuck in the rough. A large number of changes, bringing in some unexpected ones, while retaining most of the favourites.
Not much banter tonight but amused looks in Karl’s direction when he started playing his guitar behind his head during Hedley Verityesque. A false start to (I think) JDOG when they weren’t in sync: a rarity indeed.
Sadly Neil was struggling a bit tonight. Looked ‘A bit below par’ from the start, was coughing a bit and didn’t attempt to sing for a few songs and had to ditch it when he did. Fortunately, bass playing wasn’t affected by these things.
26 March 2022
Mr Ed
Loved that. A great mix of old and new tunes. I was the one who shouted ‘Is Chatteris one if yours?’ at just the right time. The new songs really sound great live, a giod crowd and a fantastic night out. I hope it isn’t so long before they are back in Nottingham.
26 March 2022
Hendrix-tattoo
Not a lot to add to the above comments apart from they are the best band in the fuckin’ world and Sealclubbing, Nerys Hughes, MMM and OoD were worth the ticket price alone…
26 March 2022
Chris The Siteowner
Standing in the centre, about a third of the way back, it was very loud and the vocal mix was awful. Fine for those of us who (like to think we) know the words, but incomprehensible for those who didn’t. Even the between-song chat was hard to follow. Intriguing set list though, including quite a few very low scorers in Parsfan’s Song Ladder.
26 March 2022
Awkward Sean
Watched from the balcony and thought the boys smashed it. A relentless set with a mix of old and new and a couple I’d never heard live before. Voltarol is clearly up there with best of breed. Well worth the two year wait.
26 March 2022
Bad loser
Seeing as two former England bowlers made the setlist, does anyone else think the drummer in The Crapsons looks like Steve Harmison in his pomp?
26 March 2022
Dagenham dave
Possibly the best Biscuit’s gig I’ve been to. First time at Rock City, what a great venue.
26 March 2022
Cream CHEESE AND chives
First post Covid attendance. Excellent as always. Arrived 10 mins late so missed start but like settling into an old pair of slippers/JDOG/ clothing item of choice. Looking to rework engagements to make more gigs sooner than Blackpool.
Glad CtSO raised sound issue. I took a mate to only his second HMHB gig and the sound for vocals and chat were crap at best. Mate therefore missed out on much of the majesty. We must have been quite close to CtSO.
A grand evening all the same.
26 March 2022
sTUART
It was not just an old man fest, but it was fantastic to see about thirty men between 55 and 75 moshing away at the front. The youth left them too it. Old punks never die. Voltarol will be needed in the morning.
As someone said above the sound mixing was not good and my ears are still ringing. There were some nasty frequencies coming out at times. And it would help to hear the words of the UKs best active lyricist.
The band really gave their all; real passion. Karl Benson is a good addition and attacks the riffs. Neil Crossley one of the finest of post punk bassists channelling his inner Hookie. Carl Henry got to do a bit of theatricals. Nigel Blackwell’s stagecraft and interaction with the audience as good as ever.
Rock City has not changed at all over the last 40 years and neither have Half man half biscuit, which in this day and age is somehow reassuring.
26 March 2022
clown in a yaris
Cracking comment when someone shouted out ‘play one the drummer knows’ after a rare false start. Brilliant gig. Moshpits a highlight for me.
26 March 2022
dr desperate
Well that was a splendid night, and no mistake. Things kicked off pre-gig at the Six Barrel Drafthouse, where award-nearly-winning sports writer Steve Hill interviewed me, CtSO and a few others for an upcoming piece about Biscuiteers, commissioned by the Guardian. A photographer (who thought he looked like John Peel, but bore more resemblance to John ‘Barry Wom’ Halsey) took pictures of us inexplicably leaping in the air as though we’d just passed our A-levels, then it was round the corner for Friday Night Pizzas, with the option of a frankfurter and chips topping accepted by one.
Big hellos all round at the venue, just in time for the delayed arrival of The Crapsons, who were tremendous. I regretted having left my bucket hat at home when they introduced ‘Ian Brown is the Resurrection’, and noted with pleasure the bassist’s Cardiacs shirt and the guitarist’s Frank Sidebottom Timperley Big Shorts ditto. (Hat-tip here also to Scotch Andy for his ‘Got Turmeric?’ tee.)
The between-acts music was provided by Steely Dan, making CtSO’s night even before the main act came on, and the walk-on was the theme from ‘Zulu’, with an unexpected segue into Richard Burton’s voiceover when Nigel needed extra help plugging his guitar in. Even more unexpected was his addition of the ‘Washing machines live longer with Calgon’ jingle, before diving into ‘This Leaden Pall’.
I’ll leave details of the rest of the setlist to wiser heads, but suffice to say it was incredibly varied and exciting, though occasionally less than fully audible, even for those at the front. I hope the gentleman standing next to me at the barrier, at his first ever Biscuits gig, appreciated his amazing good fortune in being present at the jaw-dropping debut outing of ‘Oblong of Dreams’ (his home oblong). Nigel recognised him before the encores as some sort of celebrity, possibly from local TV – unfortunately I didn’t, but gave him a bogus triple-A laminate as compensation.
As expected, ‘Midnight Mass Murder’ was an instant crowd-pleaser (except perhaps for those who hadn’t picked it in Biscuitball), and ‘Awkward Sean’ and ‘Token Covid Song’ were joyously received.
We got the chameleon/tartan rug gag again, and some back-chat about the relative strengths of Nottingham’s and Birkenhead’s buses vis-à-vis colour and reliability. (“Swings and roundabouts.” “Yeah, we haven’t got any of them either.”) I got a shout-out for my exaggerated reaction to Frazer Hines being spotted in the crowd (“Nice turn-around, Doc”), and Martin’s psychic call of ‘Chatteris’ drew an offer from NB to let him choose that week’s lottery numbers if he could guess the next song as well, but no luck. I didn’t catch who the other spottee was – something to do with a cement-related murder: a soap opera character, perhaps? She still had NB’s secateurs.
The evening’s entertainment ended at the stroke of midnight in The Bell, where husband-and wife team Isy Suttie and Elis James, having been at the show, were seen enjoying after-match lagers.
On to Durham!
26 March 2022
Ferencváros fan
Further thoughts…
Big thanks to Paul and Clare (sp?) for leading me astray in the afternoon. Wonderfully well met at Beerheadz, before meandering to Vat & Fiddle.
Embarrassed at gatecrashing the Grauniad photoshoot. I recognised the faces, thought it was a bit of a Biscuit team photo, but when I realised that the photographer was nonplussed by the mention of Awkward Sean, it clicked that I might have fcuked up.
Woke up hoarse this morning. I blame the Crapsons. They were so unbelievably good that I felt I had to shout my appreciation. I think they may have even got the message.
Acoustics were not brilliant, as has been said, but that is no excuse for me having to make 2 attempts to ask NB what was wrong with Awkward Sean’s roof. Surely gotta be the parents’ fault..?Anyway, if I need to redeem myself in any way for last night, I guess I just need to get myself bollocked by a steward at a future gig at the age of 62 for jumping onto the stage to make sure the ‘get your hedge cut’ chant reaches a crescendo. Hang on a minute….
26 March 2022
Ferencváros fan
Oh yes and my best achievement of the evening was to remain on good terms with the staff in the Italian restaurant (I think), despite telling them that they were lucky they hadn’t had to play the whole of Macedonia on the previous evening.
26 March 2022
eric t’viking
@Ferencvaros Fan – surely it wouldn’t be fair to have the whole of Macedonia on the pitch, would it…?
26 March 2022
dr desperate
@FF – so were you the one that Nigel had to ask to start his question again?
(Come to think of it, I had the same problem when I asked if he’d watched ‘Hidden’* yet. He said he hadn’t, but he was going to.)
*Other partly-Welsh BBC murder mysteries containing an awkward rooftop-worker called Siôn are not available.
27 March 2022
EXXO
I have to thank you personally John (@Dr. Desperate) for my attendance at this gig, as it might never have occurred to me otherwise that it was an early finish and therefore I could get back to Leeds by means of a jog to the station and another plod across Newark. If I had realised later, the trains would have cost me more, so I do in fact owe you that pint – the one you briefly thought I’d bought you during the Crapsons’ support set. I would have been gutted if I’d missed the live debuts of Midnight Mass Murder and Oblong in particular. It was a joyous gig with great sound where I was standing, so as ever it’s gutting to hear that others may have not been so lucky with the vagaries of the venue’s sound balance. When I entered the venue, the Crapsons sound was painfully loud and distorted in most of the standing area, but good near the front. I notice the venue are currently advertising for hourly-paid sound technicians at £10-£12 an hour.
Because I would have just 14 minutes to get from venue to station after the gig, with a dodgy knee, I wanted to know time long the walk would take me as soon as I arrived at the station after 6pm, and this had the result that I then confined myself to alehouses near Rock City, which although I looked in about twenty different pubs and bars, were all uniformly dreadful in terms of ale. In desperation even briefly entered one of Tim ****ing Martin’s godawful ****houses, and even that was serving only utter diabolical piss.
All this had the effect of actually enabling me to see the excellent Crapsons. I don’t usually bother with support bands at Biscuit gigs, although I’ve often tried to make an exception for the Crapsons, the trusty JD Meatyard and a few years ago for the excellent Lovecraft. I was very fond of some of Geoff’s other selections musically, but not as supports for HMHB, and their excitement-reducing effects usually meant they were not worth the venue beer prices. Whereas the Crapsons are, even at an eye-watering £5.50 a pint.
Like I say though, not as eye-watering as the awful sound quality for their excellent tunes, the stand-outs including Clotheslined by a Nun and The Final Echo, the latter with one of the best lines an HMHB support has ever screeched: “he’s got one eye in Huyton and the other in New Brighton.” The screeching and the wonderfully-controlled feedback solos contrasted starkly with the extended new-additions-to-our-families announcements (which were longer than most of the songs), but it was tremendous stuff, and a pity Probe Plus isn’t still going strong to sign them up and get them a session on Marc Riley’s show, Top of the Pops, Reading festival, play the Albert Hall forever etc, like wot they deserve. Incidentally, I hear that Geoff isn’t in great health at the moment, so I send him my best like all of us I’m sure.
HMHB were just imperious. That’s the word I used about Nigel Blackwell’s stage presence in Holmfirth, after a hiatus which of course had made him extra nervous about remembering his lines, and it’s the word I’m using especially about Neil Crossley’s bass now. The confidence of the way Neil’s bass dictates and leads so many changes in mood through the set mirrors the confidence that the band now feel that Karl can do anything with his guitar – even playing it behind his head during Hedleyverityesque (what a tune that is). Karl has been doing these virtuoso stunts for years with his other bands but now realises we deserve to see them at HMHB gigs too. It was a gig of personal Crossley bassline favourites for me, including This Leaden Pall,Sponsoring the Moshpits and of course the errm, dreamy Oblong of Dreams. Karl’s guitar work was spectacular on every song too, a stand-out for me being his work on I Hate Nerys Hughes …I thought I’d noted one of two others where Karl did stuff of especial noteworthiness but I just can’t read my own writing now. Nor can I read or remember who (between songs) was spotted at the back “next to Anthony Power” in the same spot where Awkward Sean had previously been pointed out. Doubtless Roger will clear such matters up and remind us who it was (after Bob Wilson Anchorman) Nigel notices in minor roles on the Talking Pictures channel on an almost daily basis.
I cannot end this without mentioning Karl Henry on the drums. Sometimes it’s worth just switching your focus to the drummer’s efforts, e.g. during the stamina-sapping climax to National Shite Day when it was clear just how much effort and concentration was going into every second of the stickman’s performance. Similar words for the moshpit who also rose to the occasion with the stamina the band deserve – the lad in the red t-shirt was again crucial to the establishment of the critical mass (as he had been in Sheffield, not that he was wearing a red t-shirt then) and was IMHO man of the match.
27 March 2022
EXXO
Apologies to curly Carl of course.
27 March 2022
CARRIE ANNE
Roger’s report, as ever stolen from Gez’s website https://www.hmhb.co.uk/guest/index.htm
Rock City, Nottingham, Fri 25th Mar 2022
Roger Green:
You forget how it goes with the impending arrival of new product. I’m Getting Buried In The Morning and When I Look At My Baby appeared in Andy Kershaw’s kitchen in the distant days of 2021. And Awkward Sean was given a live outing. But what about the CD itself? The Voltarol Years appeared on doormats around the end of February. So, what to make of it? The general feeling is that this is more reflective, rather than being filled with jocularity. I can live with that. Sometimes it can be a decade or more before you are hit by the subtleties of these songs. But I was immediately struck by Midnight Mass Murder. A live favourite if ever there was one, complete with chanting and pointing. In Beneath This Broken Headstone there is reference to Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy’s Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life. A favourite of my parents. And what of Oblong Of Dreams? There were tears in the passenger seat when we played that (others on Chris’s site said they were “emotional” and “nearly lost it” during this song). That’s how music can get you. I suspect that that one would have been a big hitter in John Peel’s Festive Fifty, if the great man was still around.
It was 1979 when I took my English Literature O Level. At the time I was more bothered with the wordy offerings from the likes of Paul Weller and Joe Strummer. If only Oblong Of Dreams had been on the syllabus, instead of The Power And The Glory and Grey’s Elegy.. well, who knows? Maybe I would have ended up with a doctorate of literature instead of being a dozy office boy writing this gubbins. It’s a bit of a shame that Frequent Electric Trains couldn’t make it onto the album. But maybe the recording of that was slightly outside regular HMHB business.
I doubt he’ll be reading this, but thanks to my mate Legal Tony for letting me see an article from The Cricketer magazine. This was an interview with Nigel, going through his interest in the game and career highlights, bowling left-handed, batting right-handed, and a spot of wicket-keeping. You might not be surprised by this, particularly if you bring to mind the line in Them’s The Vagaries, but Nigel comes across as a bit of a traditionalist. “It’s only really Test cricket I like. Even then, I’m not a fan of anything new. I can’t be bothered at all with one-day internationals, coloured shirts and balls, and the slogfest which is The Hundred. I don’t even like the players having their names on their shirts.”
The day after February’s show in Sheffield, there was a gig by Half Mandolin Half Biscuit, at which we won some Half Can Half Biscuit in the raffle. We saw this off one cold Saturday night. It’s a grand drop, although at 6.8% ABV you might want to know your limits. But we’ll certainly be entering the raffle again next time if that’s what is on offer. “Lovingly crafted in Yorkshire.” So was I. The beer comes from Nightjar Brew Company, based in Mytholmroyd if you want to get in touch with them. You will not be disappointed.
I spotted an article on the BBC website concerning Ernie Shackleton’s Endurance. “The Endurance 22 expedition, which includes the BBC’s Dan Snow, is using underwater robots, helicopters and other state-of-the-art technology in a bid to be the first to locate and survey the wreck.” Bad losers, take note.
Nigel was the guest on one of the Freak Zone programmes on 6 Music. Stuart Maconie had come along to the show at The Leadmill in Sheffield. The interview had been recorded there, in a chilly upstairs room. I can’t claim to be a regular listener to Freak Zone. Parts of the playlist are particular dancefloor clearers, but each to their own. Derek Bailey and Tony Coe? Weren’t they Hunslet’s half-backs in the 1960s? I will have to re-visit their output some other time. I’ll be sticking to Stuart’s mighty teamwork with Mark Radcliffe. Nevertheless, Left Lyrics In Practice Room, Rogation Sunday and Awkward Sean were played. The conversation referred to the title of the CD. “I’m more of a Deep Heat kind of guy,” confessed Nigel, as they discussed different pain treatments. They moved on to life during lockdown, as well as pre-gig rituals. “We all go out for a lasagne separately.” Nigel made reference to Quest For Lasagne, being a side project. And he wondered aloud about wearing Joy Division Oven Gloves while out jogging? An interesting concept.
Early in March, the news came through that the wreck of Shackleton’s boat had been found. Looks like they are leaving it at the bottom of the ocean, at least for the time being. I’ve recommended this book previously, but South is a fine read, detailing his journey.
Issue 90 of Vive Le Rock carried a quarter-of-page advert for HMHB’s gigs between now and January 2023. An audit of the listing concluded that it was a true and fair view. Yes, they’re at Nottingham, Durham, Cardiff, Leeds, Castleton, Birmingham, Blackpool, Norwich, Hull and London. The ad also helpfully stated that The Voltarol Years was “Out Feb Now”. It made sense to me.
One cosy Sunday evening, Karen and I were wandering around the TV channels. We dropped on Leeds TV. Mike Read was presenting something called The Heritage Chart. Apparently, this appears on all the local channels on the Freeview system. (No, we don’t have Sky.) The Members, Tears For Fears and, yes, Dean Friedman all featured. The chart seems to focus on acts from back in the day who are still making music nowadays. So HMHB would appear to qualify, although I’m not sure that too much material from The Voltarol Years will be appearing any time soon. Midnight Mass Murder on a programme presented by a man who had such a problem with Relax? Family show. It ain’t going to happen.
We did some reconnaissance work, making sure we could remember the location of Rock City. The Sunday before this show, we had been to see The Chats there. All good stuff, although the sound was cranked up a couple of notches too high. We left there, hoping for something a little more customer-friendly for HMHB.
Musical discovery of the year so far has been The Beer Snobs, thanks to Facebook. “The best band in Leeds.” You’ve got to be able to back up a claim like that. Their song The Duchess concerns the city-centre venue where HMHB played several times during the 1990s. HMHB get a mention in the song, along with the promoter John Keenan and other acts who played there – Nirvana, Oasis, Muse, Radiohead and Bikini Kill.
The night before we hit Nottingham, we were in Leeds, at The Brudenell Social Club. Steve Ignorant was playing a selection of favourites from his days with Crass. Do They Owe Us A Living? Punk Is Dead. Big A Little A. I’m sure any of them would fit as HMHB cover versions.
On Gig Day, we were on the train in the morning. The National Justice Museum was suggested as a place to visit. Instead, we opted for looking at the pictures on their website and an afternoon’s ligging. This provided an opportunity to find mention of the gig in the press. The Nottingham Post carried a review of a Stranglers gig at Rock City. And there was an advert for a show by Billy Ocean at The Royal Concert Hall. Chvrches, Corinne Bailey Rae, Killing Joke and Everything Everything were all mentioned in Metro. But there wasn’t a peep anywhere about HMHB. Nothing unusual there. Also, we noted that both the Rock City and the Durham Gala websites describe the band as a “synth-infused trio from Usk”.
Karen and I met with Tony at the pre-agreed place at the pre-agreed time. From there, it was a short walk through the city centre to the venue. On the way, we saw Miles and later caught up with Crapsons, getting a formal introduction to Pete, their new guitarist. Queuing up outside, we saw Karl trying and failing to get let in. Wrong wristband, you see. (Katharine and Karl reported seeing Neil having a similar problem. He was escorted to the Artists’ Entrance.) And we caught up with Nigel and Denise, who had been out for a pop star pre-gig lasagne. So, true to form from the Maconie interview, that had been a successful quest. Steve, Postman Tony and Phil were also there, and Andrew who had spotted Stewart Lee in the locality. (That’s the same Stewart Lee that I had seen in Wakefield a couple of weeks previously. Make sure you see his film about The Nightingales.) Other arrivals were Graham and Sarah, and Brian. Phil informed us that Midge Ure was playing this same night at Southampton Engine Rooms. It was a bit late to go there and heckle.
Inside the venue, I got talking to George, who was telling me about his pre-teen fandom of East European football. So that fits in nicely with HMHB. But the first job was to see Miles at the merch desk to buy Voltarol Years t-shirts for me and Karen. Graham Le Taxi had broken away from duties to be at the gig. Also got chatting with Mike, Andy and Nigel and Jo. The bar was selling water in cans. Only ever seen plastic bottles before. Better for the environment? Discuss.
It was one of those evenings when the venue opens up for Club Night immediately after the bands have finished. So Crapsons were on stage sharpish. Pete is one for using the space of the whole stage, prowling around. There was a little disagreement over the football shirt that he was wearing. The badge was a picture of Frank Sidebottom. I thought maybe it was Altrincham, being the team that Frank supported, but as Karen pointed out, it was of course Timperley Big Shorts. As ever, Crapsons put on a fine show. Marky’s vocal delivery and Gilbert’s drumming always hit the spot for me. Pete now adds to it all. Their new album, Songs To Make A Brew To, was part of my shopping list when I saw Miles. Should be on your shopping list too. Karl from HMHB is obviously a fan as well. He performed later on wearing a Crapsons t-shirt.
Their walk-on music was Pennsylvania 65000. Their set matched their typed out list as follows.
Who’ll Babysit The Goths?
Petrol
Park People
Clotheslined By A Nun
That Bit Between Christmas And New Year
Ian Brown In The Resurrection
Kings Of The Council Estate
You Don’t Know When You’re Going To Die
Final Echo
Clotheslined By A Nun is a true story, written about an incident where Marky was walking past the chapel at the hospital. And he was, would you believe, clotheslined by a nun! Marky said that this was the second Crapsons gig in Nottingham. “There were ten people at our first gig here. We brought nine of them.” There was a nice little tribute in the introduction to the “Resurrection” song… “His songs are great but he’s a bit of a twat.” And there is a grand line in Final Echo… “He’s got one eye in Huyton / And the other in New Brighton.”
In the interval, Howie showed up with Daz, who is unfortunately having to cut down on the gigs this year. Always grand to see you, Daz! Brian made a prediction for the first song – I’m Getting Buried In The Morning. And Andrew and I discussed the possibility of tonight’s cover version. Originally recorded by local talent? We were thinking Paper Lace. Billy Don’t Be A Hero of course. Or perhaps The Night Chicago Died. As it turned out, we weren’t even close.
Another Andrew turned up, being Karen’s work colleague and HMHB first-timer. Accompanied by two others, Laia and Pau, both from Catalonia, showing the international reach of the band. It turns out that Fred Titmus and Bob Wilson are not well-known figures round that way. Yet.
John Barry’s Main Theme To “Zulu” announced HMHB’s appearance on stage. It was followed by some narrative from the film. (“I don’t even like Richard Burton in that bit,” said Nigel.). “We were supposed to have started before the talking bit,” he added. “Reach into pocket and get set list.” he noted to himself. “Take swig of water. Say something that is pleasing only to oneself.” And then a burst of “Washing machines live longer with Calgon.”
Nigel and Karl dipped out of the second chorus of “Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus”. Just testing, to see if we were paying attention? Or was it, perhaps, a cock-up?
“Anyone in from Bridport?” asked Nigel. “And anybody from Kelso?” No, there wasn’t, so Nigel turned to Karl and said, “You’ll be all right then.” In Renfield’s Afoot, once again he emphasised that police flashlights should NOT be brought, as they would frighten the bats. Nigel asked “Anyone in from St Ann’s?” He said his aunt lives there, at Beacon Hill Rise. We are invited to pop round for tea and perhaps an apricot madelaine. She had a chameleon which died of exhaustion after walking across a tartan rug.
Maybe it was just me, but tonight’s rendition of Sealclubbing seemed particularly easygoing. I think it could be referred to as a “Lounge” version. Karl was doing the bulk of the backing vocals tonight, as it became apparent Neil might’ve had a throat issue. If that is the case, get well soon.
Nigel explained their route to the gig…… They had stopped off at Woollaton Hall, Tesco meal deal, Edwardian frippery etc.
Martin shouted for “Chatteris” just before it was played. Nigel said that if Martin predicted the following one right as well, he would be asking him for the next set of lottery numbers.
There was an administrative bungle where Nigel opened a bottle of water when he already had one open. Easy mistake to make though. Frazer Hines was spotted in the crowd. We saw some excellent showmanship from Karl, playing the guitar behind his head during Hedley Verityesque. Afterwards, Nigel said to Karl, “I nearly went for the defibrillator there.”
George shouted to Nigel but got his words muddled. He was invited to start his heckle again. It was a question about Awkward Sean’s neighbour pointing at the roof. What was he pointing at? Nigel said he didn’t know.
Praise was given for the colour of the buses in Nottingham. There was a shout that they don’t run on time though. Nigel responded by saying that “Ours run on time, but they are very dull. It’s swings and roundabouts.” It was either during or just after What Made Colombia Famous that Nigel took a snort of Vicks Sinex (or some other nasal inhaler product).
There was a shout of “Get your fuckin’ hedge cut” just as Nigel had a gob full of crisps. Maybe a request for the song. Maybe just an instruction to Nigel. Carol Klein was spotted in the crowd. “Did you get that concrete?” Nigel asked her. “He’s not going to drown himself. You’ve still got my secateurs, by the way”
Nigel sang the opening line of Song To The Siren before going in to Vatican Broadside. There was a change to the line in I Hate Nerys Hughes. On the recorded version it goes: “They all went down the social and they claimed their Supplementary.” But on this occasion, that last word was definitely changed. It might have been “Documentary”.
Mentions were made of Forest. Ian Storey-Moore and Philip Zinkernagel. And for balance “I see County have got a big game tomorrow,” Nigel observed, referring to the match between Notts County and Chesterfield in the National League (big police presence at the train station when we were back there on the Saturday morning). He added that he was aware that Sheffield are the oldest club, but stated that County are the oldest league club. Cue much debate in the pub after the gig.
When the band came back for the encore, there was talk about Mr Udagawa and Paul Robinson out of Neighbours. Mr Udagawa had “a shit TV career”, only appearing in eleven episodes. The caravan guitar appeared for Every Time A Bell Rings.
The show went like this:
This Leaden Pall
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus
Token Covid Song
Renfield’s Afoot
Terminus
Sealclubbing
Bob Wilson Anchorman
Sponsoring The Moshpits
Running Order Squabble Fest
Hedley Verityesque
Look Dad No Tunes
Black Night / What Made Colombia Famous
Awkward Sean / My Baby Got The Yipps
Ode To Joyce (“That’s for you, Joyce”)
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
For What Is Chatteris?
Vatican Broadside
I Hate Nerys Hughes (From The Heart)
When I Look At My Baby
We Built This Village On A Trad Arr Tune
National Shite Day
Joy Division Oven Gloves
The Trumpton Riots
Everything’s AOR
Midnight Mass Murder
And in the encore:
Oblong Of Dreams
My Perfect Cousin
Every Time A Bell Rings
Thanks to Karl for the set list. An audit showed that Vatican Broadside was a late addition. No other discrepancies to report. A mention also to Carl. Grand drumming as always. When venues have moats like this, it feels like he is miles away, even from us in the front row.
Afterwards, a few of us crammed into the bar at The Bell, which claims to be the oldest inn in Nottingham, not to be confused with Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, which claims to be the oldest inn in England. Not sure how that works. They can sort it out between themselves. No matter. Postman Tony, Andrew, Phil, me, Karen, Tony, Graham, Sarah, Lou, Chris, Chris’s mate, Brian, John, Steve and Martin all fitted in to the bar somehow.
Later, Andrew (from Karen’s work) shared a link with us from See Tickets – “If you like HMHB, you may also like these.” It listed The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Elton John, Lady Ga Ga, Phil Collins and Queen featuring Adam Lambert. Yeah, right, we’ll be giving all of them a go. But not until after we hit Durham in April. Ta to Kaz as ever, for helping out here.
27 March 2022
EXXO
Ah Ok, thanks Roger & Karen – it was Carol Klein at the back, next to Anthony Power. Upon googling her name, she’s one of those where I vaguely know the name and definitely know the face, but would not be able to put them together on the Pointless photo board.
Impressive reportage as ever. Really envying your copious gig-going. Half considered the Steve Ignorant gig meself, by the way, but thought it might have been a bit of an old git fest. And it sounds like the Chats sound was a bit like the Crapsons sound was further back in the auditorium. Keep on keeping on.
27 March 2022
Hammerfist Deceiver
As for Nigel’s comment about Notts County being the oldest league club: surely Notts county aren’t a league club any more? That makes Nottingham Forest (1865) the oldest league club. That must stick in the craw of any of the wheelbarrow menders.
27 March 2022
B Soares
#31: Stoke City formed in 1863.
27 March 2022
Cream CHEESE AND chives
Been in St Ann’s today. Didn’t have time to call in on Nigel’s aunt .
27 March 2022
Nigel King
Some photos from Rock City are on my FB Page now at https://www.facebook.com/NigelKingPhotography
Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask but I’ve been compiling a list of gigs that I’ve been to over the years. I definitely saw HMHB in Chester in early 1986 but don’t have an exact date and I can’t find it on any list of HMHB gigs. It was a venue called (then) “The Opry” it was a back room of a bar/club called “Rendezvous” on Northgate Street near the corner with Eastgate Street.
Does any remember this place and when this gig might have been exactly?
27 March 2022
Neil
@nigel king – Very boring.They’re all of Nigel.
28 March 2022
Nigel King
Sorry about that Neil. That was the best I could do from where I was standing.
Had I been in the photo pit it would have been different.
But as a Nigel myself it always good to photograph another Nigel.
28 March 2022
Neil
I fully understand. Hope you don’t mind I have downloaded the pictures of Nigel and Karl.
28 March 2022
dr desperate
A bit more variety in my photos from Rock City. (Slightly offended to see that the URL contains the string media/set?vanity.)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=john.burscough&set=a.10227834606396359
28 March 2022
EXXO
Those really are ace, John. Let’s face it there are some proper characters amongst us lot. But in post-gig photos and clips I always notice for the first time that there was a light show. The exception was The cave gig, where I noticed when I went back to the bar. Is this a shared phenomenon, or just something to do with my eyesight?
28 March 2022
Flintlock
I noticed the light show was excellent during Nerys Hughes – I was on the balcony, maybe it was more obvious from there.
28 March 2022
professor Abelazar woozle
Erm, that comment immediately made me think of “Them’s the Vagaries”…
28 March 2022
Flintlock
Yes, that’s right sir
28 March 2022
Hammerfist Deceiver
@ #32: This from Wikipedia (so debatable)
“Whilst Stoke City officially claim to have been formed in 1863, the year used on the club crest, research has demonstrated that the club was actually more likely formed in 1868, five years later than previously thought.”
Looks like it’s still Forest.
31 March 2022
floreat ultonia
Thanks all for the reviews. Would love to have joined you but clashed with a weekend of Norn Iron footie and boggie nostalgia (Luxembourg away then SLF at the London Roundhouse). NIce to see the tribute to Feargal Sharkey 😉
2 April 2022
clown in a yaris
Did i miss the Guardian article or is it yet to be published ?
17 April 2022
dr Desperate
Steve Hill, who’s writing it, said he’d let me know when it was going to be published and he hasn’t yet.
17 April 2022
Nigel King
I’ve found in the British Newspaper Archive of the Chester Chronicle, that the HMHB gig I went to was on 13th May 1986.
It was organised by “Academy Promotions” which was someone called Dave Taylor, from the Wirral, who was 24 at the time.
24 May 2022