Half Man Half Biscuit, the satirical Merseyside post-punk band, play the O2 Academy Oxford with support from Crapsons.
Half Man Half Biscuit play the O2 Academy Oxford on Friday 23 October, with support from Crapsons. For those who haven't come across them, they're a Merseyside band that's been around since 1984, known for satirical, sardonic and sometimes surreal songs. The current line-up is Nigel Blackwell on lead vocals and guitar, Neil Crossley on bass, Ken Hancock on lead guitar and Carl Henry on drums, all signed to Probe Plus.
They've had a long, odd history. Their first single, The Trumpton Riots, topped the British Independent Chart in 1986 and landed them a Glastonbury slot billed as the 'next big thing'. When their second single, Dickie Davies Eyes, hit the top 40, Blackwell announced his retirement, claiming rock success had made him miss too much daytime television. The band reformed in 1990 and, championed by John Peel, for whom they recorded twelve sessions, have since released a new album every two or three years. They play live infrequently, often timing gigs to coincide with Tranmere Rovers' away fixtures, and famously turned down an appearance on The Tube when Channel Four offered to fly them in by helicopter. Andy Kershaw called them in 2002 'the most authentic English folk group since The Clash'.
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It's a rare chance to catch them in person, especially given how seldom they tour. The support comes from Crapsons, so there's a full night of it. Doors open at 18:30, and the curfew is 22:00, which gives plenty of time for the main set.
