Who
Half Man Half Biscuit
Who
The Hitchers
Where
Wolverhampton The Wulfrun At The Halls
When
6th October 2023
Price
£20.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the front
Comments
I got tickets for this exactly seven months beforehand, and it seems extraordinary that it had been less than 5 months since my watching HMHB in Edinburgh. It was my 19th time seeing Half Man Half Biscuit, drawing them level with Super Furry Animals in my most seen band category! It was my first time seeing the guys in Wolves too, but that's counting Bilston as a separate town rather than a suburb. Given they'd also played Birmingham in 2022 and not ventured to The Robin 2 since 2019, I do wonder if there's a backstory going on there? This had been my first show since Pulp over two months ago but it felt longer than that, and it certainly was my first time at the Wulfrun Hall since the laboriously slow refurb. They'd installed a small balcony at the back and smartened up the bar, but the feel of the room was unchanged and the wooden panels to the side of the stage were as before, so overall it was a job well done. As far as I can gather it was my first time in the Wulfrun since Gogol Bordello in December 2017, and I'm watching them for the first time since then two months after this. It made me think that it had been almost 26 years ago I'd seen SFA in this very room at my first ever concert, and that I'd been watching HMHB playing live for 22 of their 39 years. Despite the occasion I was deep into listening to Kraftwerk The Catalogue and the 3-D (semi live) Catalogue and only listened to No-One Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin' Hedge Cut and The Voltarol Years to warm up. It was a spectacularly difficult and frustrating effort trying to get anyone to join me, and in the end I just thought fuck 'em and gave up. Sick of the drama, and I shouldn't have to ask anyone twice.

After my holiday visiting Weymouth in September (exploring Hereford and Bristol on the way) I was in that part of the year when I try to wind down a bit, and so I was making good progress sorting out my 2023 photos and having a relatively sedate time at home. This show was on the Friday night and I was also watching Off Menu in Birmingham on the Sunday, which is a podcast show starring James Acaster and Ed Gamble and Jamelia was their special guest. In an extraordinary switch from usual form, I actually had a mate who wanted to join me there but it was near-impossible to get tickets and in the end I snapped up a single seat rather than missing out. I also had seen Saw X on the Tuesday night and would be watching the latest Exorcist film the next week. I've never taken any interest in the Halloween bandwagon, seeing it as an American child's occasion, and although I was moderately interested in the Michael Myers film series, for me they could just as well come out at any time of the year. I ate tea at home and watched the latest Taskmaster episode as well as one from Taskmaster New Zealand season 1, and was pleasantly surprised by the warm weather forecast this weekend, especially after such a dire summer. I'd purchased a new camera on the cheap and was still trying to work out if it was the right decision, but I felt that a show wasn't the best place to debut it, and concerts is the one place where my existing camera regularly upstages my phone anyway. Initially when I switched on my new camera there was a spot on the lens but it seemed to be a genuine spot I could clean off, and it looked a bit tatty, but it was quite a chore to find a decent compact camera, knowing that anything too professional would create too much drama when trying to take it into shows, and I'd most likely just break it anyway as I'm very unlucky for getting dirt in the lens.

I enjoyed a quiet drive into Wolves and was gobsmacked to find my usual parking spaces randomly all taken, but I only had to drive a few extra metres to find some more around the corner. I was sporting my red Some Call It Godcore t-shirt and had been unable to find reliable stage times online, with some sources even contradicting the ticket in saying the doors opened at 7pm rather than 7.30pm. I felt it was unlikely that there would be no support and too early a start, so I headed to the Parisian. And I do wonder why I bother, as they've stopped serving the wonderful La Trappe beer and charged me twice as much for a very poor quality Pale Ale of their own branding. I'd tried it before but don't remember it being quite so mediocre. It's a shame as this place looks so pretty and used to be an unmissable stop. But I'm not quite sure where else to go nearby and it feels like visiting North Street bar by the venue is just too predictable, but given it used to be The Little Civic maybe I need to give it a shot? I was drafting these initial notes on my phone but a second pint was out of the question, both as I was driving and as I held out hope that the venue may have a decent beer on offer, and as I was conscious that the Edinburgh show had got busy very early and left me standing at the back as a result. I knew that the Wulfrun is an outstanding venue and a perfect shape and size and so unlikely to face the same problem, but I didn't want to push my luck. I had a PDF download ticket rather than the silly app, and the queue in was short and the security pleasant and not twats. Just like Blur they'd reverted to the simple and effective solution of just having a metal detector to detect "problem" amounts of metal rather than hassling us all, and as I just wanted to get my position without any drama I didn't look at the smart foyer, and didn't catch any glimpse of the merchandise store at all.

This is a good time to mention the sad news that Geoff of Probe Plus had passed away a few months back, which also made me wonder if HMHB would have found a home for all their material otherwise. Nigel didn't make any reference to him from the stage, but I don't think that's their style and arguably the best tribute is to unleash all that amazing music for us to enjoy. I ventured quickly to the bar but saw that the so-so Hobgoblin was off and the choices were otherwise unspectacular. I mean it's better than it used to be, but times have changed and when they insist you drink out of shitty plastic cups I expect an excellent beverage. And yes, they did at least have the stackable mugs with large handles rather than the flimsy old plastic cups, but nothing beats a glass. It was already pretty busy and the support were onstage, actually finishing up their set. Apparently they are called The Hitchers and it's a bit of a surprise to not have The Humdrum Express there. Their penultimate song was the first one I heard and wasn't particularly interesting, also the sound was far too loud and was muffled as a result. Strangely the drummer did most of the banter and they were a four piece who I doubted shared HMHB's sense of humour and adventure. However I didn't hear enough to judge, and things picked up enormously for their last song, which insanely was a cover of Mama Mia by Abba! This was much more interesting as I never could have expected it would translate so well as a rocker, and I didn't begrudge them the applause as they departed. I suspect that this cheeky cover was the highlight, and if I'd barged in on them doing that I'd have been gutted and wondering just what glories I had already missed!

I popped out for a loo break, being surprised to find only four cubicles for everyone, one of which was out of order. It shouldn't have worked but it seemed to be sufficient! I got back in then moved a bit forward and to the right to secure my position, spotting the King Of Hi-Vis in the moshpit and a few Dukla Prague away kits too. Also there were some custom made t-shirts on display, including one saying "even on clear days I can't see the point", another referencing Tony Iommi, and also one featuring Dickie Davies. I played on my phone and continued writing up these notes, and by now it was clear that the show wasn't sold out. It's a shame as Edinburgh and Birmingham had been rammed, although the size of the Wulfrun fell between those two venues. It's especially shocking to think many had seen HMHB in Brum and weren't coming back for more, but shame on them! For the most part I stayed put but gradually moved backwards to try and escape the freakishly large head in front of me and to secure the best view, as well as to stay away from the small but dedicated moshpit. Half Man Half Biscuit appeared onstage just before 8.30pm to the strains of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto Number One. The band then took their time to appear and Nigel told how he'd rushed to change the selection from Abba after realising that the support band would be finishing with Mama Mia! We were educated with the fact that Tchaikovsky had the first classical album to sell a million copies, and the stage was minimalist, with just black curtains behind HMHB. After a pointless tale of Tchaikovsky being paranoid that his head was going to fall off, the band kicked off in the same manner as my definitive HMHB best of does - with A Lilac Harry Quinn! It was an outstanding opening choice, and a taste of things to come.

Next up was The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train), and after Awkward Sean the show peaked again with Running Order Squabble Fest! It was a very strong start, and we could forgive Nigel for delving into his tatty Sainsburys plastic bag for a bag of crisps, which must be a terrible choice of food for a singer onstage! Nigel kept spotting imagined celebrities in the crowd, including Robert Bathurst who apparently owns the skeleton of Fatty Arbuckle! It's difficult to know whether Nigel's facts are true, but they certainly amuse. Karl was wearing a t-shirt of an obscure band called Inner City Unit apparently, and the light show was pleasant but being conducted in a fairly relaxed manner. Nigel told of visiting Shrewsbury on the way here and that they'd visited the Charles Darwin house in Shrewsbury. They hadn't pre-booked and there weren't enough spaces so they'd barged to the front of the queue, thereby proving the concept of survival of the fittest! As far as I'm aware it's not yet possible to visit this house as it is being refurbished into a museum as we speak, indicating that I'm probably right in seeing everything Nigel says as most likely a gateway to a joke rather than a genuine anecdote. Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus arrived as the fifth song - which was later than usual - and Carl played an extended drum solo on Irk The Purists. It Makes The Room Look Bigger was the first of three tunes from the Saucy Haulage Ballads E.P., and this could have been to mark its 20th anniversary or just because the mood took them there. However it was appreciated as a few times I felt they've overlooked the middle section of their career when playing live, so having strong representation of the third quarter of their back catalogue was much appreciated. Bob Wilson: Anchorman was a similar pleasure, and I'm Getting Buried In The Morning is one I've got into after re-recording my best of HMHB to really delve deeper into the new albums. For me No-One Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin' Hedge Cut was a high point that The Voltarol Years couldn't equal, but this was a strong opener to the latter album for sure.

Evening Of Swing (Has Been Cancelled) represented the somewhat overlooked CSI: Ambleside album (alongside National Shite Day later of course), and Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years featured a glorious impression of a cow from Karl's guitar on the glib cow line, following on from the impressive solo from Neil that Nigel commented as sounding like a Bulgarian cartoon soundtrack. There was much talk of Oldbury for some reason, with Nigel being shocked by the revelation that they have seven bins there. "He means in the whole town!" a helpful fan added, which was a punchline that I predicted but made Nigel laugh and he probably was a bit annoyed that his wit hadn't arrived at that gag directly. One heckler was flagged as having a voice like the starter at The Grand National, which Nigel said could secure him a role as an incredibly niche impressionist. He also talked of the surprise of being able to walk down the Molineux subway and feeling safe, and it did make me wonder when HMHB had last played Wolves. My research indicates they'd last been here - in this very same room - back in 2005, and I do ponder how I'd missed that. I know I was living in Manchester then, but still! 27 Yards Of Dental Floss was another choice cut from the overlooked HMHB middle period, before a heckle about switching the kitchen light out with your chin provoked Nigel to do an unrehearsed take on Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes! After taking a few lines to find his feet, the band played this brilliant b-side in style, even managing to finish with an unexpected ending about a remake of The Wicker Man not working. They sure aren't wrong there! This was followed by the permanently lovely For What Is Chatteris... before HMHB went off on a real tangent by meandering into a take of Brimful Of Asha! After barely resisting filming during the choice cuts so far, I knew that I had to record this, capturing purple lights as the band slowly came into focus. It felt unplanned, but Nigel loved the song and said that it was a great segue, so it was clear what was next.

My filming continued for Vatican Broadside, which remains an ever-present song, and I do hope the band don't forget to play it one day. There was some good moshing and hands in the air, and paying tribute to probably the greatest non-Slade song in the history of Wolverhampton in Brimful Of Asha was greatly appreciated. Everything's A.O.R. was epic as always, and even the fact it wasn't Christmas yet rarely stops All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit from making an appearance. And this probably is the point where I can declare that this was the closest I've ever seen Half Man Half Biscuit come to performing a greatest hits show. I was going to cross-reference with my previous reviews but I don't believe that they've come this close to a perfect hits setlist before, so I'll take that as a fact. To avoid reeling off a list of songs they played I've just starred the setlist below with these "essential" tunes, and there were a stonking 18 of them tonight! For the record, if they'd added Dickie Davies Eyes, God Gave Us Life, The Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman, Paintball's Coming Home, Sponsoring The Moshpits, A Country Practice, I Love You (Because You Look Like Jim Reeves), Restless Legs, When The Evening Sun Goes Down, The Referee's Alphabet and What Made Colombia Famous... then the setlist would have been perfection, but it's just not physically possible for HMHB to play everything, and this is the closest I can reasonably expect them to get to it. Jarg Armani wasn't one of these must-plays but it was much appreciated due to its rarity, and it was great to hear We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune also. After a debate over who starts it - which is a bit silly given how long they've been playing it - was an excellent version of The Trumpton Riots. I recorded the second verse, capturing superlative sound and picture quality and some moshing and decent backing vocals from Neil. It is rarely omitted, and would have been missed tonight with so many other classics present and correct.

Time Flies By (When You're The Driver Of A Train) used to be a rarity and the start or ending were rarely performed in full, but Half Man Half Biscuit seem to unleash it a bit more often now and uncut too, and I really appreciate that. Seems a bit mental I didn't film that but I did the next track, yet I really enjoy Every Time A Bell Rings, especially the a cappella ending that the recorded version should really have had too. It featured orange lights and Nigel going off topic with the lyrics on the last verse, although my camera did start blurring towards the end, before Nigel left the last shout of "get your fucking hedge cut" to us and said goodnight! The band left the stage but were quick to return, being considerate of transport chaos that seems to plague the trains and buses more and more regularly and wanting us all to get home safely. Nigel asked one of the note taking fans to record one of his witticisms "in the minutes" of the show, and made the old joke about dreaming of eating a giant marshmallow then waking up to find his pillow had gone. Someone shouted out King Of Capel Curig and Nigel debated who that would be, but didn't take the bait to just play the similarly named song. I certainly was not expecting to hear Look Dad No Tunes - which gradually has dropped off setlists after being a near ever-present for a good while - but it deserved its spot and is definitely a greatest hit. I shot a short video of the miscommunication where Nigel said it was the last song before forgetting that they had a token cover version to do first. He'd also unveiled the classic caravan guitar and played it briefly after pointing out it wouldn't be in tune but still works, and I couldn't resist including my photo of that above. But anyway, with such excitement I can forgive the error, and it was nice that the cover version was one I actually knew - in this case Take The Skinheads Bowling!

I shot another video amid blue and purple lights and Nigel was still a bit off kilter and came into the chorus too early. It probably suited him that this was a fairly slow version, but it sounded great. And I'd been pondering what songs were left and feel ashamed with myself for almost forgetting its existence, but by this point of course I'd figured out that Joy Division Oven Gloves was the inevitable and best possible finale! I predicted it was coming and shot a great video from before it came in, capturing frantic white lights, and I couldn't resist filming up until the Post Punk Postcard Fair line. It was the best possible way to finish a near-perfect greatest hits set, and I certainly have no qualms if HMHB choose to play the Wulfrun over the Robin 2 in future, as indeed I have little complaint that they offered little if anything that I'd not heard before. Both are pleasant venues but the Wulfrun is easier to get to and smarter, even if the beer is worse in Wolves. HMHB had played a solid two hours and finished by 10.25pm. Neil picked out a deserving fan on the front row to dish out his setlist to, and Nigel hoped that we'd all get back in time for Graham Norton. Little did he realise that I'd already had the foresight to tape it on my Freeview box, and it was a pleasure to watch back Bill Bailey the next day and fast forward the less interesting moments. The DJ played Mindfields by The Prodigy as we exited, and I quickly made my way to my car. Annoyingly it was raining - which I was not expecting - but given that Scotland was experiencing severe flooding and we had a weekend of sunshine ahead of us, I certainly can't complain and it's good that I didn't have too far to walk. My ears were whistling the next morning and I felt pretty sweaty, but my morning swim got me back on track and I've finished writing up this review just four days later. I've clocked that HMHB are playing Coventry in April 2024 and I'll certainly be trying to attend that, as it seems like a great use of a Friday night. And that will be my 20th time watching HMHB, so unless Super Furry Animals reform, it seems that I will have a new "most seen" band for the first time ever in my life, unless you count that brief moment when I'd only seen Urusei Yatsura before I saw SFA headline for my first time ever way back in 1997!
Setlist
A Lilac Harry Quinn *
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train) *
Awkward Sean
Running Order Squabble Fest *
Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus *
Irk The Purists
Renfield's Afoot
It Makes The Room Look Bigger
Terminus
Bob Wilson: Anchorman *
I'm Getting Buried In The Morning
Evening Of Swing (Has Been Cancelled)
Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years *
When I Look At My Baby
27 Yards Of Dental Floss
Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes *
For What Is Chatteris... *
Brimful Of Asha
Vatican Broadside *
Midnight Mass Murder
Everything's A.O.R. *
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit *
Jarg Armani
National Shite Day *
We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune *
The Trumpton Riots *
Oblong Of Dreams
Time Flies By (When You're The Driver Of A Train) *
Every Time A Bell Rings *
Look Dad No Tunes *
Take The Skinheads Bowling
Joy Division Oven Gloves *

Mark: 8.5/10