Music / Review
Review: Half Man, Half Biscuit, SWX – ‘Filled with sweat, punk rock and a sense of community’
I have to say I was really excited for this gig and also a bit confused that I hadn’t seen Half Man Half Biscuit before. Especially given the time they have been around and the number of gigs/festivals I’ve been too!
I arrived at SWX armed with my Joy Division Oven Gloves (their most well know song) high hopes and fresh from the sunny harbourside.
The oven gloves were acknowledged straight away by fans and I was told to “keep them down until the 25th song”, referencing the fact that Half Man Half Biscuit play A LOT of songs! I smiled and went straight to the front to get involved.
is needed now More than ever
I was greeted by the hardcore fans as the band launched into Jarg Armani. The crowd launched into a mosh pit straight away! Arms flailing everywhere.
Half Man Half Biscuit play a lot of song and everyone here knows every word no matter how fast they are delivered! “Fucking hell its Fred Titmus” has it all punk pop perfection with the crowd filling in with the chorus too.
We had been there about 10 minutes and they had already played 5 songs.
The band delivered all the hits and rattles through with each song getting a louder cheer than the last. My Joy Division oven gloves were flying around everywhere with another fan putting his hand in one side as we used them like we were waving a scarf at a Tranmere game!
It felt a lot like a football crowd with chants and passion.
The band had clearly done their research on local place names shouting “this one’s for anyone from Flax Borton!” to the smiling crowd.
This gig had it all it was filled with humour, sweat, irony, punk rock and a sense of community.
The fans are devoted to them, and you get the feeling the band are too. I started as a fan of Half Man Half Biscuit now I feel like I’m part of the fanbase and I’ll look out for every tour from now on.
There was time for a cover of Killing Joke’s War Dance which is a new song to me and then it was time for the song many people had been wearing their oven gloves for!
I was immediately swept away by the nicest smelling mosh pit I’ve ever been in.
The oven gloves then came in handy as I wiped one guy’s tears as he lost it halfway through the song, this was clearly a big moment from him as his tears turned to smiles, I think at the ridiculous nature of me drying his tears with oven gloves.
What a night, one that will live long in my memory, and I think the same went for everyone there.
Main photo: Matt Barnes
Read next:
- Review: The Black Feathers, Downend Folk & Roots – ‘The only intoxicant people need’
- Review: Half Moon Run, SWX – ‘The crowd were transfixed’
- Review: Temples, The Fleece – ‘A cornicupa of delights’
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