Half Man Half Bicsuit - The Forum, Kentish Town (16/10/2008)

Stephen Fry, David Attenborough, Michael Palin. And Nigel Blackwell. For too long the lead singer of acerbic Scouse indie satirists Half Man Half Biscuit has been denied his rightful place in the proud list of British national institutions.

Ever since the surrealist DIY thrash of 86s 'Trumpton Riots' he's been churning out modern classics of observational wit revolving around daytime TV, hospital parking and the joys of writing on the sole of your slipper with a biro. Yet to view the group as just a chucklesome novelty act is to belittle their constantly evolving musical sophistication, even embracing hip-hop on recent masterwork 'Took Problem Chimp to Ideal Home Show'.

The Biscuits don’t do many gigs, especially not in the big smoke, and when you combine this with some of the most dedicated (and pedantic) fans around, an HMHB show takes on an almost religious significance.

Kentish Town Forum is packed to the rafters with a motley bunch of aging C86 scenesters. Grumpy middle-aged men and a smattering of youthful ironists too young to get any of the references to Fred Titmuss and Kendo Nagasaki. The majority of the audience is content to respectfully sip lager and mouth along to ALL of the words, but there is a small but deceptively lethal moshpit waiting on tenterhooks for every pogo-ing terrace chant chorus.

Before worship can commence there is the little matter of support band Calvin Party. Label-mates of tonight’s headliners, they've the endorsement of the late John Peel under their belt and a lead singer who looks like a cross between Richard Hawley and a young Frank Carson. They are experienced, professional, and have a couple of decent tunes; but a closing instrumental wig-out has a fair number of us glancing at our watches in suitably understated expectation of the main event.

Entering to a burst of classical music, Blackwell and co. meander around the stage tuning up and endlessly consulting set lists before launching into short, sharp classics like 'Restless Legs', 'Petty Sessions' and 'Bob Wilson Anchorman'.

It’s a set that caters to young and old fans alike; there’s plenty of Blackwell’s freestyling spoken word opuses for the hardcore, interspersed with the roaring punk singalongs that send the localised moshpit into waves of ecstasy.

Material from latest album CSI Ambleside goes down well, particularly a thunderous 'Bad Losers On Yahoo Chess' and the aforementioned 'Problem Chimp', whilst live mainstays such as '24 Garage People' and 'Everything’s AOR' produce a communal glow amongst the adoring faithful.

Throughout the night punters desperately cry out the names of their personal faves and sometimes Blackwell obliges; sometimes he just moves on to an obscure B-side. There are, undoubtedly, half a dozen songs that many wish they had played, but you accept that a band with such a cult discography can’t please everyone all of the time.

They sidle off with a brief "cheers, good night" before returning for the encore armed with big hitters such as 'For What Is Chatteris...' (the closest they’ve ever come to writing an affecting love song), and the one the moshpit has been waiting for all evening: 'Joy Division Oven Gloves.'

As the rest of the band exit stage-right, Blackwell drapes a banner over the mic that reads 'The Hoosiers Are Away'. Their pithy humour and garage rock may not be to everyone’s taste, but nobody can deny that Britain would be a little less Great without Half Man Half Biscuit.

Rating: 5/5

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Artist: Half Man Half Biscuit Title: CSI: Ambleside Released: 20/05/2008 Buy Now \| View Details	Artist: Half Man Half Biscuit Title: Back in the Dhss Released: 25/03/2008 Buy Now \| View Details

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Half Man Half Bicsuit - The Forum, Kentish Town (16/10/2008)
The legendary Biscuits make a rare excursion to the capital for a show that neither young or old would forget in a hurry.

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http://www.hmhb.co.uk/

YOUR COMMENTS

Gerry Matthews in Dublin writes...
Spot on review, but what's usually overlooked in the live set is the "classic rant" of songs like A Country Practise and National Shite Day that elevate HMHB from greatness to a musical high on a par with the best.

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Published: 17/10/2008 at 02:21
Author: Mark Skinner
Links: Permanent Link

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