HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT

Event information

The Biscuit are coming to town....in 1985, Half Man Half Biscuit sat comfortably at the top of the indie album chart. This may not seem so much of an achievement, unless you take a look back at the other contenders in the chart at that time: acts such as Depeche Mode, New Order and The Cult were all on the scene.

Recorded in a couple of days for £30, the album was Back In The DHSS and became an instant success after it was championed by the great, late John Peel, for whom they did a total of 12 sessions over the years. As soon as he heard the white label test pressing, he was smitten. In his words, "It came at a time when music in general was starting to get a little bit po-faced".

With tracks such as 'I Hate Nerys Hughes' and 'I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)', HMHB could never be considered as po-faced. Even though this was their debut recording, it went on to sell over 200,000 copies. Since then, they have released a further 10 albums with Nigel Blackwell never taking the music business too seriously, turning down the chance to appear on The Tube, as Tranmere Rovers were playing that night, even though Channel Four offered to fly them by helicopter to the game.

In 2002, Andy Kershaw dubbed them "the most authentic English folk group since the Clash". Eliza Carthy praised the band for their "pathos disguised with wit and sarcasm", describing Blackwell as a "genius". Bassist Crossley's tastes include late 1970s and early 1980s new wave or post-punk bands, and during live sets HMHB have performed covers of acts as diverse as Joy Division, The Beach Boys, Tommy James and the Shondells and Ike and Tina Turner.

The band recorded a radio session for Marc Riley's 6 Music show in August 2010, performing four new songs - "Tommy Walsh's Eco-House", "R.S.V.P.", "Left Lyrics in Practice Room", and "L'enfer c'est les autres". All four are included on the new album 90 Bisodol (Crimond), which was released in September 2011.

...the Biscuit are coming to town....

Support TBC

Please note: Due to the age of this building, we currently do NOT have disabled access to the main hall area - please call the Grand Pavilion for details or if you have any questions.
Doors 7.30pm

Hear HMHB here:
http://cobweb.businesscollaborator.com/hmhb/audio/index.htm
Website:
http://cobweb.businesscollaborator.com/hmhb/