The Leadmill, Sheffield, Fri 4th Oct 2024 (06/10/24)

You are almost certainly better than me at navigating the internet. Head for Jim Rosenthal's X account and you will find a photo of him with Bob Wilson. Surely prompted by the song? Ta, as ever, to Karen for spotting this.

I read that Brenda Blethyn is leaving the ITV show Vera after fourteen years. Thinking about the line in We Built This Village, I wonder if that is a hint as to the manner of her departure?

Also on the BBC, you might be able to trawl back and find an article on Restless Legs Syndrome, featuring comments by a Dr Xand. Apparently up to one in ten people suffer from the syndrome. "Although its name indicates that it only affects the legs, RLS can affect the arms, head and other parts of the body too." Is that you? You might need to get it checked out. Or at the very least, read the article. And stretch...

Yet more from the BBC... The band gets regular mentions by Radcliffe and Maconie on their early morning shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Including one where a correspondent had mentioned Junior Kickstart. Stuart Maconie talked about the line in Footprints. A few minutes later they played Womack And Womack's Footsteps. Would have been nice to then lead into the HMHB song. But you know how it works...

Colin Murray introduced Pat Nevin as the Dictionary Corner guest on Countdown. "Of Chelsea. Everton and Scotland." You might say he was best known as a Chelsea player with 193 appearances, but according to my Google research he played for Tranmere Rovers exactly the same number of times. Incidentally, he also turned out for Clyde, Kilmarnock and Motherwell. Must ask members of HMHB and/or Crapsons for thoughts on how he is remembered at Prenton Park.

With Bad Losers On Yahoo Chess in mind, there was some news regarding Ernie Shackleton. "Wreck hunters have found the ship on which the famous polar explorer made his final voyage... The vessel, called Quest, has been located on the seafloor off the coast of Newfoundland... Shackleton suffered a fatal heart attack on board on 5 January 1922 while trying to reach the Antarctic... Although Quest continued in service until it sank in 1962, the earlier link with the explorer gives it great historic significance."

It was interesting to read Captain Beefheart - The Biography by Mike Barnes. "The extraordinary story of a counterculture legend" as the blurb on the back puts it. I couldn't say that I am all that knowledgeable about their music, but when it is John Peel's favourite band ("There was none finer. Not even The Fall.") then it is worth investigation. The original copyright is dated 2000, so it may take some tracking down. My copy will already be out on loan when you read this. I can understand why Captain Beefheart might not be everyone's cup of tea, but there are a couple of bits in the book that make you believe that they get the seal of approval from HMHB... On Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica album, the song Moonlight On Vermont vocalist Don Van Vliet "sings a tongue-in-cheek version of the old gospel hymn Old Time Religion." There is also reference to a Howlin' Wolf song I Asked Her For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline). No final demand though...

Where else but on commentaries...? On the Tour De France TV coverage, we heard Ned Boulting say that Tadej Pogacar won the race "with aplomb". Ned was absolutely right. And the Keeping Two Chevrons Apart theory stands firm.

On 25 October it will be twenty years since John Peel died. I've still got great memories of this incomparable presenter. And I remember vividly where I was when I heard the news. I'll be raising a glass on the day.

I noted the comment from Biggit, who had travelled from Auckland to see the show in Coventry. I thought my mates in that city were the only people in NZ who had heard of HMHB. They live in the suburb with the splendid name of Birkenhead. The Chills remain the only band that I have seen in both hemispheres, having caught them in their home land, as well as a couple of times in my home land - both in Leeds, at The Brudenell and the much-missed Duchess. It's unlikely that HMHB's travels will ever take them so far away. Nor will there be another chance to see The Chills since the passing of their front man Martin Phillips.

Three weeks before this Sheffield gig, Karen and I were in Leeds for the unveiling of a blue plaque at the site of the aforementioned Duchess. This was HMHB's venue of choice in the 1990s, and they played there in its final week of business in 2000. Nirvana had played there before the gods that made the gods were born. And Oasis were there in 1993, playing in front of (reportedly) two paying customers. Things have changed a bit nowadays, with those rocketing prices that people are paying to see them.

There were cancellations and delays on the trains on the way to the Leadmill. The Coroner's Footnote had become real. There was "one under" somewhere near Grantham, meaning that our train going to Sheffield was packed full.

We arrived in the end. A swift paper review drew a blank. The Sheffield Star and Metro were both silent. Mind you, the evening was sold out, so there was no need for the publicity. A hearty lasagne for lunch at Bella Italia was followed by a hearty lie-down and a walk to The Leadmill. There were a few other early arrivals - Tony, Andrew, Phill and Lorna (who won the Alan Whicker Memorial Award for travelling furthest, having flown in from Boston, Massachusetts earlier in the day. Niall's effort from Ireland gets a round of applause, but was a distant second.) Also outside were Karl, Mo, Nigel, Neil, Denise (off for some pre-gig grub), Andy (back from a European train tour - no stories of "one under"). And I exchanged nods with Alex and Lynn.

The doors opened prompt at seven o'clock. There was some tidy music on the PA... Alternative Ulster, Electricity, Blue Monday, A Town Called Malice, Enola Gay, Close To Me, This Charming Man, Heart Of Glass.

We had a lot more Hellos inside the venue. Gilly and Daisy, Brian, John, Chris, Exford, Postman Tony, Steve (reporting that he took 38,000 steps when recently climbing the Stiperstones), Nigel and Jo (expressing an early interest in the newly formed Goole Vikings Rugby League team), and Lee (his first gig for a while). We saw Michael and Peter from Indignation Meeting. Blatant advertising here. They are appearing at Jumbo Records in Leeds, flogging their new long player, on Saturday 16 November. Be there. Unless you have the excuse of living in New Hampshire.

I can't remember any other covers band supporting HMHB. Tonight being an exception. We Are Not Devo did a grand job. I wasn't familiar with much of their set - only really knowing the band's singles. But they were true to Devo's sound. I would have liked to have heard The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise, but you can't have everything. I managed to obtain their set list which showed they played the following...

In the interval I exchanged nods with Paul, and I spoke with Niall who kindly handed me a set list from the recent Half Arsed Half Biscuit gig. He said he might try to arrange a future HAHB show in Dublin or Belfast. Might be a bit easier for folk who would be crossing the Irish Sea to see them. Niall very kindly handed me a set list from their gig in Limerick. It's worth a "compare and contrast" with the songs that HMHB play. I'm sure more of the newer songs will filter through eventually.

And in their encore...

Wish I'd been there.

HMHB were on stage at near enough nine o'clock. Abba provided the walk on music - The Way Old Friends Do. That's not a song that I would have recognised. Thanks to Karen for having the program on her phone which enables you to identify these things.

Nigel explained the band's route to the gig: M53, M56, A57. He corrected himself when telling the tale, they actually have equipment in the van, not "gear". It may have been in answer to a question from the floor - he said "I've got a Tesco Clubcard. Highlight of my week when I use it." There was not much new to report from Renfield's Afoot. "BOOKING ESSENTIAL" was in capital letters. And there was a rule of Strictly No Dogs. "In case they climb up the trees and scare the bats, "explained Nigel.

Tony shouted "They never repealed the Press Gang Act. June Tabor told me that." Nigel replied, "The best part of that story is the second bit." On the relevant line in The Light At The End Of The Tunnel, Nigel pointed towards New Mills. I couldn't say with what degree of accuracy. He had only found out the other day that the name of the vegetable is "Brussels Sprouts". He had always thought it was "Brussel Sprouts".

Nigel talked about some of the bands which had come out of Sheffield, giving particular mention to Clock DVA. The only celebrity spot of the evening was "Sophie Raworth, ladies and gentlemen. Did you get that skip? Remember, you need to get rid of his things as well". During Lark Descending, he did the usual trick of sticking his plectrum to his forehead.

One bit I couldn't quite follow was when Nigel asked, "What is the most northerly town in Wales?" Somebody else will have to help out there. In Hedley Verityesque, Karl played the guitar behind his neck. Nigel followed suit. "I just got a cricked neck," he said. One question Nigel has asked previously... "Which is the furthest west? Bristol. Liverpool or Edinburgh?... It's Edinburgh."

"This is a Soft Machine number," he said, ahead of All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit." Nigel also mentioned Soft Machine a bit later. He was listening to them while eating his chips from Five Guys outside Debenhams. He found it "a bit weird" that Debenhams were closed at six o'clock in town.

Ben Savage, introduced as having a name you'd kill for, guested on trumpet for Big Man Up Front, and then played keyboard for most of the rest of the gig. "My back is playing up," noted Nigel. The Voltarol Years continue? There was a snippet of The Velvet Underground's Pale Blue Eyes. Orange Juice ("Consolation Prize") was also covered.

Nigel mentioned that in the film In Bruges, there is a seven-second burst of The Trumpton Riots. I hope the band got a royalty cheque for that. And a book was recommended - The Wager by David Grann.

A few lines from Morningtown Ride preceded For What Is Chatteris. Midnight Mass Murder is "a true story". There was a request for A Lilac Harry Quinn. Nigel mentioned that they had played that one in the soundcheck. I need to look back through my records, but common consent (from Tony and John) was that this was a live debut for Slipping The Escort.

The woman behind me took a photo of Ben's t-shirt. She explained the meaning. I couldn't hear her properly in the heat of the battle, so asked her to write it down. The t-shirt's motif was Spring Grain - a play on words based on The Go Betweens' Spring Rain. Karl's t-shirt in the encore mentioned The Warlocks. Weren't they something to do with The Time Machine?

Nigel's favourite piece of football commentary is "A quality goal by a quality player", referring to Sheffield United's Tony Currie. Barry Bannon was mentioned, to balance things up, but was greeted with booing from the floor. Nigel turned to Neil and said that he should've gone with the anecdote about Rotherham United's old ground, Millmoor instead.

Not much else to report. The band played these songs...

And in the encore...

Fred Titmus must have been brought off the bench at the last minute, as it was not included on Karl's setlist.

That seems to be it for this year. There was a lot of Swap Shop activity with last minute comings and goings for tickets for this one. I hope everyone got sorted out in the end. Things pick up again in 2025, with Cardiff (7 March), Ulverston (16 May), Castleton (25 July) and Glasgow (19 September). They are all on Fridays. I suggest you move quick with booking tickets, as always. I'm sure there will be other shows perhaps later in the year, but these may well all go.That said, the whole process of buying tickets seems to be getting more and more complicated. Fortunately, Karen is tuned into the whys and wherefores - downloading apps etc. I fear that one day I won't get into a show simply through not knowing which buttons to press. I always thought music was an inclusive part of life, not so sure now. I also have sympathy with Cream Cheese And Chives who put a note on Chris's site... "You reach a point when getting through a gig without a leak is impossible." I have every sympathy. My only tip is to wait until after the gig before you hit the sauce. We did that later, along with Tony, Lorna, Andrew and Phill.

The only thing remaining was on Saturday, when Half Mandolin Half Biscuit were playing at Shakespeare's pub on the other side of the city centre. This performance featured Teg, Trevor, Will, Dave, Ian and Katey (wearing her own Energy Dome). The Bastard In The Hat had put in his apologies. The folky performance emphasises the strength of the songs. A pattern has emerged over the last few years. If Half Man Half Biscuit's next Sheffield gig is on a Friday, then it's quite likely that Half Mandolin Half Biscuit will be playing on the Saturday afternoon.

They split their performance into four sets. It was interesting to see that they also bolted Morningtown Ride onto the beginning of For What Is Chatteris (as had happened the night before). They played these...

A fantastic afternoon's entertainment with lovely people, and the raffle made £100 for Sheffield Children's Hospital. Karen won one of the HMHB related prizes - a pair of slippers and a packet of biros.

And so, it was farewell to the other Biscuiteers who were in attendance: Steve, Richard, John, Exxo, Postman Tony and Brian. We'll be seeing everyone in the new year in Cardiff. From there, it was off to the station for the train home. Hail Fellow, Well Met to the guy on the train who spotted my motorway junction t-shirt and quoted "Ninety-Nine Per Cent Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd" and "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus" to me.