Entertainment For Lively Minds
Half Man Half Biscuit
Posted by Malc on 27 January 2012 - 4:15pm.
When:
26th January 2012
Where:
The Robin 2, Bilston
Comments:
HMHB wander on earlier than your average headliner - Nigel Blackwell likes to sleep in his own bed, and who can blame him? Not one to stay aloof from his audience, NB appears deep in conversation with the front row at times. We get treated to his views on the Football League show ("Claridge looks like he's just remembered he left the oven on") and his worry that he's become a "wood snob" for what he burns on his stove. They keep it simple; NB stays on acoustic throughout, the sole guitar change being the bass for one song. The new album (90 Bisodol) is well represented with 7 songs, and most of their other albums get a look-in. We certainly get our money's worth from the lengthy set (see below); some like the rousing 'vatican broadside' are brief but others like the extended '24 hour garage people' are positively epic. No covers, a pity given their previous selections but it would be churlish to complain. They could have gone on all night, and nobody there would have stopped them.
The Audience:
Andy Kershaw's right, it is mostly male but not overwhelmingly so. Predictably there were Joy Division oven gloves, hi-vis jackets and lots of Dukla Prague away shirts. Not many of the unconverted, judging from the singalongs.
Food & Drink:
Banks's GBP2.90 a pint. The Robin seems to be a well-liked venue and I can see why - nice size, easy to reach and even the parking is free.
It Made Me Think...:
Tighter than you'd imagine, the importance of the rest of the band often goes unremarked. I left with a smile on my face, and I want a white Ricky like Neil's. How did it take so long for me to discover them? A joy.










Set list
joy in leeuwarden
bottleneck at capel curig
when the evening sun goes down
turned up clocked on laid off
left lyrics in the practice room
lilac harry quinn
excavating rita
lock up your mountain bikes
improv workshop mimeshow gobshite
dukla prague away kit
l'enfer c'est les autres
national shite day
best things in life
we built this village on a trad arr tune
1966 and all that
irk the purists
floreat inertia
vatican broadside
rock and roll is full of bad wools
24 hour garage people
tommy walsh's eco house
light at the end of the tunnel
joy division oven gloves
for what is chatteris
petty sessions
I love you because (you look like jim reeves)
fix it so she dreams of me
99% of gargoyles