This was only my second concert, the first one being the one late last year at Holmfirth, and again just absolutely brilliant.
The previous one I went with my son Nick and his partner Gaby, this one was with Nick and a mate of his Paul. We must have walked at least a mile from the station, the train journey was spent discussing our hopes for the tracks played during the set, and our favourites.......and basically anything Half Man Half Biscuit.
We had to slip into a bar part way through our walk to the Academy, again the conversation was, yes you've guessed it all about Half Man Half Biscuit, expressing our amazement at the diversity of the range of their repertoire, the obvious humour within the different tracks, I mean who else, mid track, would all of a sudden come out with....".Sturmey Archer, Campagnola, Sturmey Archer, Campagnola on my mind," or," If I were a linesman", done to Fiddler on the Roof, not to mention the end of Paintball's Coming Home........".if I'd have known they were coming I'd have slashed my wrists",to the other types such as.......Soft Verges, Tour Jacket Detachable Sleeves and even Evil Gazebo, they are truly brilliant, and unpredictable, and loved by their audience, and please don't ever change we want you as you are, bow, bow grovel, grovel, grovel, touching my forelock......if I had one.
We left the warmth and enjoyable intake of alcohol to continue our journey, eager to reach our destination, and not knowing how much further we had to travel, the evening itself was what an outsider from Manchester would expect, drizzling with rain, very stereotypical, very, very stereotypical.
There were guys along our route thrusting tickets towards us, ticket touts, bah, we thought we were at the venue, and it wasn't until some-one was offering tickets for the after show back stage party, Nick asked "is this for the Half Man Half Biscuit concert", only to find out we had a wee bit further to walk.
Finally got to where we needed to be, gosh there were plenty there, it looked a good place, room to move about, got a drink, the alcohol was better than what we got at Holmfirth, though you should expect it would be, with it having something to do with students.
The set was what you come to expect, brilliant, it doesn't really matter what they play, I always hope they play A Lilac Harry Quinn, but it's immaterial anything gets the same response, loud, loud cheers, and the audience joining in.
Well the place was bouncing as soon as the band got going, it was total appreciation from every-one, yes We wanted 1966.............and all that, and Paul really wanted to know what God gave us, well what God gave us Paul was ..........Half Man Half Biscuit, and I'm just grateful that I somehow got onto this planet at the same time as the group.
All I can say is, please keep what you have, going, bring something new out when you are ready, and, well, Thank You, from a father and son who, along with those that follow you, just love what you are doing.
I was up at my sons for the weekend, we spent Saturday listening to your music, then down the pub just for a couple of drinks, then back home for a talk and we rounded a wonderful weekend off with a couple of episodes of Green Wing, surely, the Half Man Half Biscuit of comedy.
I'll finish there.