half man half biscuit: classic or dud

new material for "Paintball's Coming Home (Take Three)"

I've never heard of this band. I also thought I was in ILE and went, "oOH GOD NO WHO IS THIS POOR POOR MAN-BISCUIT", expecting to click and see another "tree man".

Whew. And now I get to check out a band I've never heard.

They're really good too!

Cornbury festival: ultimate Range Rover and picnic hamper festival, held in a country estate near the village where I grew up. God only knows what HMHB were doing playing there.

-- Neil S, Wednesday, 16 July 2008 17:07 (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc16/Pee75/Image1.jpg

Yeah, that.

these AMG clips are pretty pleasing and "Used To Be In Evil Gazebo" is a pretty funny song title (providing that Evil Gazebo is another band I haven't heard of, otherwise I don't get it).

I've always wondered about this band. I always link them to Steel Pole Bath Tub and Terminal Cheesecake in terms of wacky band names.

National Shite Day = new favourite song

Complete and utter classic. Barely a day goes by when I don't inwardly chuckle at some HMHB lyric or other which has randomly popped into my head.

National Shite Day is clearly the best song on this album. I wouldn't mind if it had been twice as long as now.

"Petty Sessions" is my fave.

Evening of Swing, Took Problem Chimp to the Ideal Home Show and Lord Hereford's Knob all leading the way home for me.

It's still all about the chorus of Totnes Bickering Fair for me.

lol ok "Problem Chimp" is practically post-rock

;-)

"Is this your sanderling?"

OK, after several listens, and some reflection, I've decided that the second verse of "National Shite Day" (the tale of Stringy Bob) is the best 90 seconds of music that will be released this year. The pathos. The damaged tragicomic humanity.

The rest of the album's pretty fucking brilliant as well. They have this...infectious knack. Singalong. Fierce.

That was fun. They played all the songs I wanted to hear. And National Shite Day as the last song before the encore was fun. Joy Division Oven Gloves!

That was also 17 pounds I didn't feel like spending. Instead you can tell us all about it!

You're gonna have to deal with London gig prices some time! That's how much it costs!

I was sort of worried there'd be a load of twats shouting all the words to the songs but thankfully that was kept to a minimum.

And I saw Carsmile Steve.

Humph.

Did they play much stuff from Trouble Over Bridgwater? That's probably my favourite HMHB. I've been listening to it a lot recently. The woozy horn bit in "Gubba Look-a-Likes" gets me every time.

I don't think they did. At least I didn't recognise anything off that album.

Look Dad No Tunes made me very happy.

lol that's the penultimate track of TOB

It is? Fair enough. I just have the single!

They also played a very good version of Used to be in Evil Gazebo. The gig started off rather poorly - terrible sound and the group hadn't really warmed up. But about a third of the way through it started to click, the sound improved and the songs started sparkling.

A Country Practice was particularly good, as was the longest 24 Hour Garage People I've heard them do. A fantastically dull report, but I'm nursing a hangover.

Every gig I go to at the Forum starts off poorly and has terrible sound. It's almost as if the soundmen are completely incompetent or something. I was down towards the front and had to move because it sounded like shit where I was.

as was the longest 24 Hour Garage People I've heard them do.

― GamalielRatsey, Friday, 17 October 2008 10:04 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

How much were Pringles this time?

94p. Credit crunch evidently hasn't hit the Wirral peninsula. The person behind the toughened glass also pointed out Nigel that there was a long queue of people behind him, but Nigel was able to explain back that in fact they were all his friends and they were queuing up to buy fruit squares.

And did he really have a quip about Zandra Rhodes grumbling about something in Galatians?

Fruit Salads, and Black Jacks. I keep forgetting that the Forum's a bloody terrible venue, I got there quite late and tried to go to every bar before realising I should've stayed in the queue for the one by the door. It was really packed everywhere and I saw the gig from the back by the merch stall. And I've got a hangover too.

Also bad sound means it's difficult to decipher between song banter, although I did hear Nigel say 'of course these two (Neil and Ken) went down Denmark Street this afternoon.' Then he (possibly, xpost)said something about him and Carl going to see Zara Rhodes.

Bloke in pre-gig pub "Oh Half Man Half Biscuit? Are they still going? I liked that one, 'Fuck me, it's Fred Dibnah!'" Stop getting HMHB wrong.

Haha, bless

Fruit corners, not squares. They're those silly little yoghurt pot things aren't they?

Oh, maybe (I mean, yes, Fruit Corners are those Müller yoghurt things with some gloopy fruit in the corner). I couldn't really hear well (and my ears seem fucked this morning, but it didn't seem that loud). Also was going to say who goes to the garage to buy penny sweets (like Fruit Salads and Black Jacks), but then they come in those big bags for long journeys, so it's quite possible after all. Gawd this is turning into the comments page on that HMHB lyrics site.

It was fruit corners.

The cover was Electricity by OMD apparently.

half classic, half dud maybe?

why half dud?

Interviewing Brad Freidel on Football Focus, at the end the interviewer gives Brad some headphones, and asks him if knows the song.
And at a table nearby I heard a girl saying
To a tall balding guest
So you're Brad Friedel
I'm mildly impressed

from I went to a wedding. Motson later claimed to have never heard of HMHB. God help him if he suddenly has to say something about Tranmere or Dukla Prague.

Now look: What good's a blog when they be quoting lines from a song they're not offfering as a free download?

Ahem...

Our Alice is quite taken with "Paintball's coming home" (you know, "They got the whole world in their house ... to look at their conservatory") and was teaching it to the other kids on the flight back from Cyprus. I did tell her the 'other' version was much better, but as I can't find it, she is unmoved.

Anyway, who has the Andy Kershaw session version? The one with "Boxercise" and not the one with "Annie Lennox" ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex5WYA3pkUo

they made some real good friends
on henman hill

Latest live version has them giving an arm and a leg to be in the Top Gear audience.

Don't you just love songs that evolve!

http://www.joydivisionovengloves.com/

i bought this today, not realising it was a "save 6 music" facebook thing.

is there a facebook group i can join to hasten the demise of 6 music?

When I'm in the mood, an absolute classic.

Musically redundant but who needs to excel when you have lyrics like

"There’s a man with a mullet going mad with a mallet in Millets"

Still got it. And I live in a cul de sac so you weren't just passing

http://ichlugebullets.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/on-half-man-half-biscuit-joy-division-oven-gloves-and-the-save-6music-campaign/

Nicely put. And I haven't heard Epiphany before! Only have the first album and then 'Voyage...' onwards

From William, Chatteris, in the TMS inbox: "Alright Tom? Seems like it's all gone quiet on the correspondence front, but I have two things to type: a) most of us were laughing at whoever decided to seed Australia only 8th for this tournament, but so far they're living up to their billing with aplomb. b) where else apart from on commentary can you hear the word 'aplomb' being used?"

Right now, Australia vs Bangladesh BBC text commentary.

nice to see

"I wonder if Michael Clarke will turn to his left-arm occasionals"

Surely it MUST be National Shite Day.

regarding S Mods

closest equivalent is Horace or something idk

actually Horace was a bit posh

hmm

John Clare?

Do your POX devvvine!

― imago, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 16:52 (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

maybe this, done without thinking too much

oblong of dreams
tommy walshs eco house
this one's for now
somethings rotten in the back of iceland
them's the vagaries
bad losers on yahoo chess
soft verges
floreat inertia
monmore, hare's running
national shite day

90 bisodol would be my pick for best front to back record

i think the closest usa comparison would be like pissed jeans and you'd still be nowhere close

I'll try a POX

Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off
A Country Practice
National Shite Day
The Light at the End of the Tunnel (Is the Light of an Oncoming Train)
It's Clichéd to be Cynical at Christmas
Depressed Beyond Tablets
Excavating Rita
Awkward Sean
Them's The Vagaries
Faithlift

Them's the Vagaries and National Shite Day, three for three.

Imago, playlist is made & loaded. I'll report back.

ah Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off should have made my 10.

There's people who can't spell 'weird' right
Driving round with thousands in the bank
But I get by, got a lot on my mind
I get by, got allotments on my mind

Air circulation in the train sucks and I kept falling into miserably uncomfortable sleep for twenty seconds at a time. So listening conditions were not as nice as I imagined. But that was certainly innaresting.

Sting singing on the roof of the Barbican indeed!

You're a dead man, Fisher!