Half Man Half Biscuit - Editor's Recommendation

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Review

Bring on irony and corny sarcasm ! England's finest are back with a new set of snappy rumble, a six track single that has the same impact as an album. "I marvel at the things I've found beneath the ground" sings frontman Nigel Blackwell, leading Half Man Half Biscuit into a slammer of a radio tune. The band performs punky country pop music that also borrows from surf and skiffle. Over the years Nigel's wit has lead the band all the way to becoming a British institution, but it's not paying off like it should. First up is Nigel's disbelief of Bob Wilson as an anchor man! Don't think this Bob Wilson has any fame outside the UK. He hosts a late night Champions League blah blah on an English channel. Half Man Half Biscuit's the one band to have a well needed website, if only to serve unassuming folk, like me, and to explain that Bob Wilson's not to be confused with the bore who puts on four hour theater plays with Philip Glass dribble. There are loads of mentions of other people that you would only know about in the UK, and contemplation as well about Stephen Malkmus and Lou Barlow who seem to be part of indie chic . "I'm more like Ken* Barlow" ponders Nigel. Rounding the EP off, there is a song as wellabout Slipknot's singer visiting The Vatican. If not for their fundamentalist anti stardom attitude, Half Man Half Biscuit would have had dozens of Euro videoclips, subtitled of course. *(Coronation Street's living statue-MS)

Track Listing:-

1 Bob Wilson - Anchorman
2 On Passing Lilac Urine
3 Lark Descending
4 Worried Man Blues
5 New York Skiffle
6 Vatican Broadside

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Half-Ma

Label Links:-

http://www.probeplus-store.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/Probe-Plus-Re
http://www.probe-plus.co.uk/