The night started in typical HMHB style having passed several Curries of Dumfries and Uttoxeter race course. The Autoroute I had compiled was useless as it sent me via some of Derbys' loveliest areas of residence!!!
On reaching Nottingham I found myself following the signs for the football and cricket grounds and the route from the website this however resulted in me passing over the bridge four times before finding the club. Upon reaching the club I parked on the doorstep and entered to discover a welcoming door woman and a hand stamp of a snowman? The club itself was nice with laminated pine floor possibly the poshest place HMHB have ever played?
Having arrived before opening (8.00) Geoff was not there but he soon rolled up in style in his C reg Golf and erected his stall. Over hearing a conversation it was rumoured that only Nigel and Neil liked football and the other two take no interest what so ever - why do I not find this hard to believe?
The best bit of the first half then was the female rower going up and down the river as I am sure you will agree, Johnny Domino keyboardist!
Out on the balcony an air of anticipation was rising as the BVH rolled round the corner with HMHB on board, one of the most amusing parts of the night was seeing Ken peering through from the back like a mole!
So the gig kicked off with Irk... and was once again a great song, although shy in the first three songs a 5-man mosh pit soon formed and double in quick time. Well into the set the place came alive with whooping and jeering, the follow set emerged before us:
IRK
SQUABBLE FEST
LEADEN PALL
MONMORE
FRAMPTON
FOUR SKINNY KIDS
DEAD MEN DON'T NEED SEASON TICKETS
SECRET GIG
NUMANOID-HANG-GLIDE
LOOK DAD
ROUND THE MOUNTAIN (SIEVES)
GUBBA LOOK-A-LIKES
CAPEL CURIG
VITAS
FOOTPRINTS
FRED TITMUS
DULCE ET
24HR GARAGE PEOPLE
PRS
UFFINGTON
MATHEMATICALLY SAFE
TRUMPTON RIOTS
We were experimented on with a new song Dulce Et written in March, this was good but perhaps required work! Footprints appeared again and unlike last week we were not treated to the mouth organ playing skills of Nigel but the bottle skills, although were treated to the walk of no footprints! Ditties included the Yes show with a sub-machine gun, Slipknot and the Pope, and one about William Boroughs and black coffee! There was also transfer speculation of Alan Mahon having joined Bayern Munich but this was quashed with rumours a move to County!
The moshpit was really alive through Secret Gig and Numanoid... and the place exploded with Fred Titmus. For those who had never been they thought it was great, despite believing that HMHB were from Nottingham - come on? - I too throughout it was great almost on a par to last week.
Personally I was chuffed as I became sprawled over the monitors in front of Nigel throughout Trumpton..., I was later thanked for this by the man himself as he thought the microphones and all were going.
The night ended with the dressing room being charged for another encore but the boys were having none of it and the lights came on, boos rang out around the room.
Having made my way outside I was confronted by several people asking if I was Neil Woodhead, to which I replied "No I'm his brother" - the conversation died! The one confrontation that mattered however was the one with Nigel who appeared to be a brilliant guy without a care in the world except on how he was getting home!
Quotes from the night included: "I've never enjoyed jumping into some one so much before", someone commenting on Nigel looking like some footballer to which he replied "I'm Jaap Stam", "I thought they were a small local band!"
Roll on Matlock Bath for another great evening!