This fixture was postponed in September due to Half Man Half Biscuit frontman, Nigel Blackwell, suffering with a bout of laryngitis. This time round, even eighty miles-per-hour winds and provincial powercuts could not halt proceedings.
With the 2010 Live UK award winning 53 Degrees venue slowly filling up, supporting tonight’s headline act were infectious indie/punk Wiganers, The Dead Shores. Lucky revellers who picked up The Dead Shores self-financed album at the doors and found it intact, stuffed in their jeans pocket the following morning, should be pleasantly surprised. Singer, Crag Whitfield demands your attention as he belts out an enjoyable set, with relentless crazy, hypnotic Ian Curtis-style dance moves and witty lyrics setting the tone. Stand out tracks included I Want Nigel Blackwell’s Autograph, My Band’s Better Than Your Band and first single Modern Men.
By the time working-class heroes, Half Man Half Biscuit take to the stage a decent size anticipant crowd has gathered. Championed by John Peel, the four lads from the Wirral achieved cult status many years ago. ‘Avoiding proper work since 1985’, Half Man Half Biscuit have accumulated a dedicated fan base, and with eleven albums in the bag, the back catalogue is certainly spoilt for choice.
It is the satirical, sometimes surreal lyrics and whimsical cultural references that still make the high-energy live shows such a draw and Blackwell revels in banter and telling jokes throughout the set to keep his loyal supporters entertained. If lead guitarist, Ken Hancock, really felt the need for a ‘pre-gig haircut’, he should probably get his glasses checked – and don’t tempt him to play any Jean Michel Jarre.
The generous set was a mix of old sing-a-long numbers, including A Country Practice, We Built This Village on a Trad Arr Tune and A Lilac Harry Quinn and some new songs such as Tommy Walsh’s Eco-House; and the boisterous mosh-pit seemed to be happy spilling beer and bouncing all night long. Blackwell kept a relaxed rapport with the crowd, telling humorous tales between songs and teasing with ditties like Where Is My Pint? to the tune of The Pixies’ Where Is My Mind.
The experienced band were on good form throughout the gig and the set closes to a rapturous cheer and pleas for more.
The inevitable encore begins with an unexpected, yet faultless cover of Cher’sGypsys, Tramps & Thieves, which does not descend in to mayhem as Blackwell predicted. The gig is finally brought to a close with fan favourite Joy Division Oven Gloves, which enjoyed recent chart success thanks to an online Facebook campaign to save BBC 6 Music. If you happened to bring your oven gloves – now was the time to get your mitts outs for the lads!
Would you risk it for Half Man Half Biscuit? Why not – it’s nearly Christmas (expect another new album).
Review: Liam Carroll
Photography: Zoe Taylor (ZT Photography)
