half man half biscuit: classic or dud

am absolutely bingeing on these guys at the moment. it is such wonderful music, especially when you've just been rogered at football. just listening to album after album is a joy. "It's Clichéd To Be Cynical At Christmas" actually gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. one of the very, very finest christmas songs, surely.

new album, CSI: Ambleside, drops April 28

They've done a couple of songs live which will presumably be on CSI: Ambleside - I'll try to get these on my Half Man half Biscuit lyrics site as soon as I can decipher them.

Oh d'uh - I meant my My Half Man Half Biscuit lyrics site - apologies for my idiocy.

The Cornbury Festival this year features, on one day, on one stage, HMHB, Nick Lowe, and Toots and the Maytals. That's some impressive work.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_UDIt01-jiOk/R_pqvucV33I/AAAAAAAAAAU/P-dwlSnloo4/s1600/CSI%2BCover.bmp

So fucking stoked.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BMb9GuIDL._SS500_.jpg

http://cobweb.businesscollaborator.com/hmhb/images/sleeves/Ambleside_inside2.jpg

This has made my fucking night.

Are they CAMRA men on t' cover

TS: HMHB's 'Blue Badge Abuser' vs Goldie Lookin Chain's 'Bad Boy Limp'

Straight up though this is pretty great so far

Anybody have any thoughts on the new album? I'm still waiting to get it.

My DiS review goes up tomorrow I think, I approve of it.

Better than Achtung Bono. Took problem chimp to Ideal Home Show is just plain weird - I'm trying to think what it reminds me of sounds-wise and I can't figure it out.

This is what I had to say: http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/13300

Pam Ayres - 'orses = lol

looking forward to hearing the new one- achtung bono was pretty good.

I liked 'Achtung Bono' better, but it's just after the first listening. 'National Shite Day' is a classic though.

RFI: micro-item in this week's NME about David Cameron and Jeremy Clarkson watching HMHB perform at the Cornbury Festival, whatever that is

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.

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

a better HMHB song than anything theyve released in the last few years imo (ok it doesnt sound like them really but the lyrics express a similar suburban disdain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_tGKd3egWI

That is closer to The Pre-New's vibe tbh - you must hear their two albums if you haven't

ooh featuring ex-members of Earl Brutus

The Pre New is good. I never saw Earl Brutus but did catch the Pre New at a festival about 8 years ago

Just discovered 'National Shite Day', truly a work whose time has come.

//////////////shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part I: 2008 TRAX)\\\\\\\

this actually happened :)

back when it was 25 points for a #1, etc etc

anyway, pour one out for Stringy Bob

Great stuff, probably only time HMHB has featured on an ILM poll. If Coldwar Steve isn't a fan I'd be amazed.

The Doors/Floyd advert is icing on the cake for me.

the Stringy Bob verse is probably my pick for best verse of lyrics since the turn of the millennium tbh, it is literature

embrace the margin

Btw I'm from the US but I lived in Liverpool for 7 years -- some of it good, some of it bad, but it was probably worth it to be able to understand HMHB lyrics about northwest UK television broadcasting.

Good interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-em8_hueZI

Kinda weird to turn on Sky News the other morning and hear Sky's business presenter, Ian King, bantering away with Kay Burley about his favourite band, Half Man Half Biscuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIl_NDp-U0M

new album 'the voltarol years' feb 18th

Was recently thinking they're due

on a fairly drunk listen this seems like the best for a while.

omg it's out!!!!

me Tarzan, you June

okay this hasn't been prime material, but In A Suffolk Ditch is righting that

a CARDIACS SHOUTOUT wtf :D

“cowslips and celandine” is lovely

second half of this album has been absolutely top-tier, weirdly a very backloaded record imo

the last two tracks are amazing

nigel leaning hard into the 'lovely' at times here, extremely elegiac and beautiful yes

On second thoughts, this really is all prime stuff. He's getting so good at character studies

What's an 'onion batch'?

a type of bread

As seen on Taskmaster

https://i.imgur.com/vkCo9bG.jpeg