This was another one of those "big" gigs - protective barriers at the front, security personnel shooing everybody out of the building at the end of the evening, that kind of thing. And you needed a lot of fingers and toes to count up the number in the audience. It suits some, but others prefer a bit of cosy intimacy.
On any other evening I could have been tempted to stop in the very splendid Trip To Jerusalem. Open since 1189 which means an awful lot of ale has been supped inside its walls. This being St George's Day of course I had to opt for Dragon Slayer. Next time I'll plan things a bit better and allow myself a few more pre-gig looseners.
So it was a quick dash across town to the venue. Missed The Calvin Party (again) but was in time for HMHB who went like this...
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus
Restless Legs
Shit Arm Bad Tattoo (dedicated, controversially in this locality, to Harold Larwood)
Totnes Bickering Fair
Albert Hammond Bootleg
Running Order Squabble Fest
Deep House Minibus Appeal
Outbreak Of Vitas Geralitis
Blue Badge Abuser
(there then was a bit of "downtime" during which Busy Little Market Town could be heard)
Evil Gazebo
Vatican Broadside
We Built This Village On A Trad Arr Tune
Twenty-Four Hour Garage People
National Shite Day
For What Is Chatteris?
Tending The Wrong Grave
Tonight Matthew I'm Going To Be With Jesus
Bad Losers On Yahoo Chess
Look Dad No Tunes
Everything's AOR
The Trumpton Riots
and the three in the encore were
Worried Man Blues
Dukla Prague Away Kit
Joy Division Oven Gloves
Looks like I'll be missing the Oxfordshire gig in July - it clashes with a trip to Deutschland. But I'm sure there'll be other shows later in the year. And it will give me plenty of time to listen to the new CD.
There was an interesting life-imitating-art moment on the Thursday morning when the train to Sheffield was replaced by a bus service. Which in turn got me thinking. In all the years I've been watching this band I've never quite been able to work out my favourite song by them (Everything's AOR perhaps. Dukla Prage possibly. Or maybe Brian May Blues). But National Shite Day has gone straight in at number one - at least for the time being. In previous years it would have had Festive Fifty written all over it. It may still have - I'm afraid Radio One (or whatever it's called these days) is no longer on my radar. The song has a certain anthemic quality. Or maybe I'm just full of shite myself. Probably so. Best get the kettle on.