Another new venue for the band, in a county which has never received an HMHB reference, although Diss is not far to the north (but I’d be surprised if we ever heard that song live again). How good was the gig? Here’s what we thought…
Another new venue for the band, in a county which has never received an HMHB reference, although Diss is not far to the north (but I’d be surprised if we ever heard that song live again). How good was the gig? Here’s what we thought…
Bobby SVARC
8.55pm and I’ve just picked up a pretty big storm 2 mile East of BSE, Keep your heads down
12 June 2015
Rob
First HMHB gig. Not sure why it’s taken me this long. Been singing along to them since ’85. Poor show (me not them). Had crap week at work and decided at 7 to trot along the A14 (only live 10 miles away). Best decision all week. Chatted to guy with family over from Dublin who was cottaging up the road. Said there was an Anglo-Saxon village nearby worth visiting. Apex is a decent venue: wide, high wooden ceiling & huge stage. Too big? Anyway HMHB filled it with their song and banter. A mighty fine collection of the familiar and not so…including ‘Shadowplay’ cover if I’m not mistaken? Am sure the die-hards will give the best review but it was a cracking gig. Oh – and I saw Slipknot in January too. Who the fuckin’ hell are they?
12 June 2015
Mike cresswell
I’m pretty sure that was the best Biscuit gig for some time. Good sound, top banter and a great venue. There was a decent but not excessive crowd, in good spirits and enjoying a rare HMHB offensive into East Anglia.
For now, the order of play: –
Hornbeam
Vitas
Korfball
Bane
Gazebo
Old Age
Asparagus
Fred T
Clocked on
Outstretched Arms
Left Lyrics
Adam Boyle
NSD
Light Tunnel
Lilac HQ
DPAK
Evening Sun
Restless Legs
Chatteris
AOR
Trad Arr Tune
……………………….
Encores
……………………….
Petty
Vatican
Cover – Shadowplay (JD)
Bob Todd
JDOG
Trumpton
More news to follow from a number of agencies, I have no doubt. Nigel missed out the first verse of Bob Todd. Not sure if this was deliberate or accidental. Probably not worth asking. I’ll just take it as “enigmatic”.
Mike………………………………….
13 June 2015
dickhead in quicksand
Cottaging?
13 June 2015
John anderson
Great gig. The sound quality on the vocals was probably the best I’ve ever heard at an HMHB show. Wonderful to hear Clocked On, Gazebo, Restless Legs and the songs from the new album live as well as many old favourites. Some amusing stories too involving luminous frisbees, bird watching books and tank museums. Loved the snippet from a potential new song “I’m a man of constant sorrow/With a garage in constant use.” I must also praise Neil’s brilliant guitar playing on the cover of Shadowplay. If (God forbid) he ever leaves HMHB he’d fare well in a Joy Division tribute band. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Warsaw. We allowed for an estimated three song encore but got no fewer than six, thus missing the 71via Bridge Street and arriving home safely in one piece after a great night.
13 June 2015
Chris The Siteowner
Blimey, two out of three gigs so far this year. Not often I’m ahead of the game. Fabulous venue. Think a larger-scale, squeaky-clean, much brighter, 21st century version of Holmfirth. So new you could still smell the varnished timber. Cavernous foyer with outside balcony looking out onto futuristic concrete shopping centre. Geoff Davies said beforehand that he was really impressed (“Had none of you seen the place before you turned up here today then, Geoff?” “No”). They took to the stage to “Summer Is A Coming In” from Wicker Man. Brilliant. Decent crowd, although a lot of the “1986-curious”, I suspect, judging by the enthusiastic response to the DHSS material. Nowt wrong with that. Then again, a mate pointed out a young kid on the balcony mouthing the words to everything from Achtung Bono. We caught him outside afterwards (with his Mum) and found out he was 12. Slightly shorter version of the “Man of Constant Sorrow” song than premiered at Edinburgh (which I know there’s a recording of, just trying to get hold of it!). We don’t get “Gazebo” often. Nigel had lots to say; I don’t think they went straight from one song to another until about halfway through. They’d been for a picnic at Cavenham Park. When we went into the gig it was a sunny evening, but Nigel warned us it was going to tip down biblically later and we’d all get wet going home (not him, he had his Rohan). Apparently it did, but stopped again in time for the end. Maybe that’s why they did what seemed like such a long set (finished 11.02pm). They care, you see.
13 June 2015
CHARLES EXFORD
Great stuff. I had previously guessed that it was your own lad that was being retweeted about there Chris. Keep the snippets of gig vibe going folks, it’s great therapy for the withdrawal symptoms here.
You always seem to be blessed with unveilings of new material. Ha, I can even picture the Prenton garage doors in question, and I imagine the man of constant sorrow will be slightly less sorrowful than most about Rovers’ trapdoor exit & that Palios hasn’t seen fit to adjust next season’s prices in line with the fare on offer.
But you didn’t honestly think that the band would in any way check out the venue beforehand, did you?
13 June 2015
Chris The Siteowner
No, sadly can’t get my lad too interested in the band. But it’s unhealthy for us to have too much in common. We are going to see AC/DC at Wembley next month and he’s beside himself with excitement about that one. Could be much worse.
13 June 2015
Degsy
Brilliant. I’m one of those ’86 curious types I suppose. Support was brilliant, HMHB much rockier and polished (in a good way) than I expected. Loved the instrument swapping, and relaxed stage presence. The Apex is becoming a decent venue, previously we had nothing – rumour has it that The Clash played in the late ’70s, at the Corn Exchange and the punks created so much havoc that, from that point on – the council went off the idea of bands playing in the town. A gig that has made me re-discover the band that introduced me to ‘indie’ – that’s gotta be a good thing. Hope they return.
13 June 2015
Rob
Yeah – cottaging…. Staying in holiday cottage just so he could see HMHB with his wife and 2 kids. Bless. Have to love a band where I had to move aside at the front to allow a 7 year old do some (mini) po-go-ing and so he could see the band too. Will see all (hopefully) in Sheffield in Sept.
13 June 2015
Chris The Siteowner
Here’s the setlist, which was kindly posted on the Facebook group. Looks like (as I thought at the time) that they went a bit off-piste in the encore because they did seem to be enjoying themselves. We did miss out however on “Baguette Dilemma…” and – tragically for me – one of my favourite songs in the whole canon, “Fix It…”.
13 June 2015
Nik
My first HMHB gig, too. Went with the missus and sat in the balcony at the sides so could look down on the best natured nosh pit I’ve ever seen. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a gig so much. Really relaxed atmosphere.
Can’t believe I left after the first encore, though, thinking it was all over…
13 June 2015
gary
brilliant gig in bury st edmunds.
waited over 30 years to see the band and thyey didn’t disapoint,except I wanted Dickie davies Eyes, although I bet the buggers played it on the second encore, as I too,went home after first encore..Bugger!!
13 June 2015
Bobby SVARC
Just bloody typical, The first Biscuits gig for years where they had a nosh pit and I missed it. Was it free?
13 June 2015
Chris The Siteowner
Indeed, a nosh pit is a rarity, but it was well stocked once Nigel had handed over the unwanted bag of crisps from the swanky dressing room to the baying hordes.
13 June 2015
Warden Hodges
Crisps. Thank goodness for that!
14 June 2015
Nik
I just assumed a nosh pit was standard at their gigs, but was a bit disappointed we didn’t get crisps up in the balcony.
14 June 2015
Dr Desperate
Great gig, excellent venue with state-of-the-art sound system (which made me wonder whether my rating of gigs is based entirely on sound quality). Brilliant support again from Uncle John Meatyard, with Loudon Wainwright III making a welcome return to ‘Standing on the Shoulders…’
Walk-on to ‘Summer Is Icumen In’, very little equipment-fiddling before kicking off with ‘Hornbeam’. My handwritten copy of the setlist was as the one Chris linked to, except for ‘Vitas’ read ‘Venus’ – not sure if this was a misspelling, or the wrong song, as they played ‘Venus in Flares’ at Wakefield last week. ‘Capel Curig’, ‘Fix It’ and ‘Country Practice’ all failed to make the cut, with several additions at the end to make up.
‘Evil Gazebo’ appeared in a fairly free-form version, from which it was apparent the ex-girlfriend’s band name was ‘Pankhurst’, tout court, and that the protagonist had written three out of four of the songs on the new EP. The owl was replaced as table tennis umpire by Reg Gutteridge. ‘Restless Legs’ was about a condition NB10 has.
‘Korfball’ featured a surprise appearance by Australians, replacing the more standard Austrians. The parping intro on ‘Adam Boyle’ has improved marginally, though he admitted they were still in dire need of a tenor horn. My ‘Wicker Man’ “They’ll kill you, Summerisle” quote at the end was met with a comment about purple broccoli which I didn’t quite catch.
NB10 agreed with everyone else’s approbation of the venue, with its CCTV of the stage in the dressing room (“If there’s anyone watching, can they put the kettle on please?”). The crowd ooohed at him drinking his water from a plastic glass, which it transpired they’d bought for their picnic at Cavenham Park. (They’d decided not to go to the East of England Tank Museum or they’d have had to visit the ones at all the other points of the compass, entailing collecting fridge magnets, etc.) The crisps were handed out to the crowd as he thought they had a “good name, shite taste”.
He described the private Hell of having gone half-shares on a luminous Frisbee with a school chum, who’d ended up keeping it for 25 years (“Who plays Frisbee at night, anyway?”). Enquiries as to whether there was anybody in from Fishguard and (?) Arbroath were met with silence, for which he blamed Ken (“I told you that wouldn’t work.”). Ken (Hancock, Andy) was the first man in Wallasey to own a whirly washing-line. Tony ‘The Wizard’ managed to score two different bogus setlists, of which I have photos if anyone’s interested (yeah, right?)
The rain of biblical proportions failed to materialise on the walk back to the Dog & Partridge, completing a multiple-win night for me. I can’t do Sheffield, so on to Glasgow!
14 June 2015
brumbiscuit
The best gig I’ve been to since Leicester, the day before the parasites’ nuptials. However, this was a very good venue with ticketing staff who hardly deigned to look at tickets.
A series of incompetent acts meant we were well behind schedule when we reached the Beerhouse. Walking back towards town afterwards we bumped into Neil on a casual stroll round town. No secrets were gleaned about the upcoming show and he was left to his own devices. We then hit the Corn Exchange where I wish we’d gone to to eat instead of the poncy place opposite – £9 for a fishfinger sandwich, anyone?!
The m/nosh pit was slow to get going, but was energetic after ALHQ. Six encores! Six bloody encores. There were plenty of younger fans up front, even two women moshing away with the best of them. That’s not meant to sound patronising, just that it was something of a rarity, albeit a very welcome one.
All in all a very good evening once our early hassles were ironed out. It’s a long wait till Bilston.
14 June 2015
TAYLO
CQTM at ‘in dire need of a Tenor Horn’
15 June 2015
I, T’ ROG Er GREEN
The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, Fri 12th June 2015 (14/06/15)
Roger Green:
Isn’t there something about London buses? You wait half a year for one, and then two come along in the space of a week. At least that’s how it goes with HMHB gigs. But I don’t particularly have a problem with that. I took the unusual option of the afternoon drive to Bury St Edmunds, rather than the train. It made more logistical sense, A1 and A14, that kind of thing, picking Karen up on the way.
Neither of us are regular frequenters of this part of the country. We took the opportunity to call in at Chatteris. No particular reason, yeah right. Pleasantries were exchanged with a local who very kindly took a picture of us in Jubilee Gardens. We took tea and cake at The Old Bakery Tea Room And Restaurant. All very civilised. Not totally what we might have expected, having had our path blocked by some aggressive driving when trying to reverse into a space in the town. But you can’t have everything. There may also be an education issue that needs dealing with. Karen managed to sneak a photo at a shop where they were selling “stationary” with an “a”. We were pleased to see that Chatteris is the Anglia In Bloom Gold Award winner. They are having a Midsummer Festival later in June. Presumably HMHB have put themselves forward to appear. We were slightly concerned to be missing Pie Night at the Cross Keys. We wondered what they might play. And on the way out of town we noticed the presence of Vermuyden’s Drain, named after a Dutchman who came over to England many centuries ago, to sort out the flooding problem and, in his spare time, you would like to think that he introduced korfball to the locals. When we arrived in Bury St Edmunds, Karen went off on a reconnaissance mission, locating The Nutshell (“Britain’s smallest pub”) and the venue. While at The Apex, HMHB were doing the soundcheck. She heard three songs coming from inside:
A Lilac Harry Quinn
Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off
Adam Boyle Has Cast Lad Rock Aside
There was also a snippet of 1966 And All That.
Meanwhile I was undertaking a review of the previews. The brochure “Summer At The Apex”, while reminding us that we had missed An Audience With Douglas Hurd, featured a Cut And Paste note about HMHB, from a press release or something similar that must be doing the rounds. “Witty and dry, sardonic yet never cynical. Grab your Joy Division oven gloves and don your Dukla Prague away kit as The Biscuit are coming to town.” The Eastern Daily Press were very similar with their wording. “Witty and dry, sardonic yet never cynical, melodically infectious yet edgy singalong songs.”
So we made our way. We spotted the blue plaque outside The Angel, claiming that Charles Dickens had stopped there , back in the day. I bet it was nothing to do with his literary efforts. More likely he was on his way to a weekender with his mates in Yarmouth. Apparently the town also lays claim to Bob Hoskins. We walked past The Nutshell (it was full, as I would imagine it always is) and headed straight for the crush barrier at The Apex, pausing only for an update from Geoff at the merch stall. There’s nothing definite for the diary, apart from gigs that are already in the public domain. Good to catch up with Tony, Howie, Daz, The King Of Hi Vis, Denis Bell and Jay. There was much discussion about the knighthood for Lenny Henry (“for services to charity and comedy” apparently). Sadly, You’re Hard was not performed tonight.
JD Meatyard were supporting. John the singer commented on the state of The Apex, “Great venue. You must have a good local council. Tories?” JDM have a new album Taking The Asylum and featured a few songs from there. I recognised the one about New York as well as Love Songs And Rage. And I suppose stuff like Standing On The Shoulders now qualify as oldies. Northern Song definitely does. “God bless John Peel” announced John before singing that one. And there was a cheer for John’s appreciation of Probe Plus – “the one truly independent record label.” There was similar agreement for his thoughts on bailiffs, graphic designers and Rupert Murdoch. “I’m such a populist,” announced John. I will continue to look out for when JD Meatyard are headlining here,there or anywhere. But West Yorkshire would be good.
HMHB’s walk-on music had us all scratching our heads again. Except for Daz who recognised it as being from The Wicker Man. Planned, you would guess, because of Christoper Lee’s death a couple of days previously.
Nigel warned of a biblical downpour after the gig. He knew this because he had seen the long term weather forecast on Countryfile. “It was on earlier than usual, because of the Canadian Grand Prix.” The band had had a picnic on Cavenham Heath prior to the gig, after Nigel’s refusal to go to the East Of England Tank Museum for complicated reasons, which were too complex for me to note.
“Anyone here from Fishguard? Anyone here from Kilmarnock?” asked Nigel, before turning to Ken and saying “I told you that one wouldn’t work.” Nigel told us all that he had bought a Book Of Garden Birds from the Cathedral shop. He then tested out the book in the garden at the back of the Cathedral. But he only saw pigeons and squirrels, so he went for his money back. He also said he does bird impressions. He took a swig of water. “Swallow,” he announced. On the subject of birds, he also referred to some choughs that he had seen on the cliffs on Anglesey.
Neil and Ken swapped instruments for The Bane Of Constance. Nigel talked a bit about Ron Moody, an “under the radar death”, because of his departure on the same day as Christopher Lee. Tony pointed out in the same way that Prokofiev died on the same day as Stalin. “Of course,” replied Nigel “some people would say that Stalin never died,” while pointing in Ken’s direction.
As you might expect, a couple of song lines were amended during the evening. The “suburban Nick Drake” was mentioned in Evil Gazebo, and “all the requirements” were in place in Dukla Prague Away Kit. And “own van” was an additional must for the people advertising for a keyboard player in National Shite Day.
Nigel said that the dressing room had a TV screen where you could watch what was going on on stage. He asked them to put the kettle on in there. And he said there were lightbulbs round the mirror, just like in the old days. This prompted him to tell an old favourite. “How many A and R men does it take to change a lightbulb? Can I come back to you on that one?”
After Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off, Nigel said to me “That will be you after the gig. Walking through a storm and getting wet. You look like the kind of person who doesn’t leave a coat in the cloakroom.” He’s right. Nigel said he had never done that either. He moved on to a tale about going to see The Dead Kennedys in Liverpool. It was so cold that he wore two jumpers. “I took a lot of stick for that, until we all got off the night bus.”
Nigel had some posh crisps. “Great packaging. Shit eat.” He was so unimpressed that he handed them to a guy in the crowd. Ken was the first man in Wallasey to have a whirly washing line. Ken did the Clash foot on monitor thing during Left Lyrics. Neil apologised for the loud noise when he plugged in his guitar for Adam Boyle. The King Of Hi Vis fired a line from The Wicker Man at Nigel, to which he responded “Broad beans in their natural state are not usually turquoise.” He also gave us a line from How Green Is My Valley. Walter Pidgeon to Maureen O’Hara. “You shall be Queen wherever you walk.”
The conversation inevitably moved on to luminous Frisbees. Possibly invented for Goths so that they could play with them in the dark. Nigel talked about having a fifty per cent share in a Frisbee with a mate from Northwich. When they lost touch with each other, it became clear to Nigel that the other guy still had possession of it. It clearly rankles, as Nigel came back to the issue later in the gig.
There was a shout for Louie Louie half way through the gig. And also one for Give My Love To Kevin. “I know eight Kevins,” replied Nigel.
Yet again, as always, this is great stuff. The sound must have been a bit better tonight, as I could hear more of what Nigel was saying. Here is what they played:
Stuck Up A Hornbeam
Outbreak Of Vitas Gerulaitis
Joy In Leeuwarden
The Bane Of Constance
Used To Be In Evil Gazebo
Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride
Asparagus Next Left
Fuckin’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus
Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off
My Outstretched Arms
Left Lyrics In The Practice Room
Adam Boyle Has Cast Lad Rock Aside
National Shite Day
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train)
A Lilac Harry Quinn
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
When The Evening Sun Goes Down
Restless Legs
For What Is Chatteris?
Everything’s AOR
We Built This Village On A Trad Arr Tune
And there was a slightly crowded encore, including a cover of a Joy Division song
Petty Sessions
Vatican Broadside
A Man In Constant Sorrow
Shadowplay
99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd
Joy Division Oven Gloves
Trumpton Riots
We had to wait a few hours for the biblical downpour. That came on the Saturday morning. Karen and I were tucking into breakfast baguettes in the poshest Greggs I have ever seen (featuring leather seating). They had even had to do away with their usual blue shop front, presumably to blend in with the heritage of the town. Anyway, the rain started to pour through the ceiling tiles. Bit of a mopping up job in progress. And it was dangerously close to the lights and their fridges. You may have to refer to the Eastern Daily Press for an update. We were back in the car and up the A1 for the Long Division Festival in Wakefield. The Lovely Eggs were on tremendous form. Tuff Love and Kleine Schweine were OK too. After all, something has to fill in the gap before we head to The Leadmill.
A bit of a footnote. During the course of the gig, Nigel handed Tony a couple of spoof set lists. It didn’t fool me. I made a note though. The first one comprised the following:
Jump / Big Hands / Hello Muddah Hello Faddah / Non-Alignment Pact/ Yellow / I Trog / Louisiana 1927 / Playground Twist / Walter Walter Lead Me To The Altar / King Ink / Tam Lin / You Set The Scene / Cinnamon Stick / Crisp (new one about Crisp the brave horse) / Good Grief Christiana / Use It Up Wear It Out / Let’s Go Gas Board, Punch Official / One Day At A Time / A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers / Bad Man / Idumea / Sweet Leaf / David Of The White Rock / 122 Hours Of Fear / You’re Gonna Miss Me / Walking On Sunshine / The Bed / The Kids.
15 June 2015
Daveu
Brilliant! Never did I imagine that HMHB would play a gig in our busy little market town, can’t be many times you experience your favourite band playing less than 10 minutes walk from your home!
Enjoyable gig as ever, would have liked “Look Dad No Tunes”, but you can’t have everything and I felt that Everything’s AOR being followed immediately by We Built this Village made up for it (at least for me).
Saw about seven or eight DPAKs, but was really impressed to see the Lilac Harry Quinn chained to the small railings by Debenhams where I always chain my bike (when I feel the short walk to town is too long…).
A pal at work told me that the acoustics in the Apex were excellent, and this was indeed the case, confirmed too by a few others on this site.
Hopefully HMHB were also impressed enough by the venue to consider a return fixture in the not too distant future…. one can only hope…
15 June 2015
Not ROB
Super gig, great venue but still mystified about the calls for Give My Love To Kevin. Wrong band surely ?
15 June 2015
Stuart
Here’s my (incomplete) recording of the show…
(cheers! – CtSO)
13 July 2015