The band's first single, The Trumpton Riots, topped the British Independent Chart in 1986, and they went on to perform a set at the Glastonbury Festival, rapidly becoming tipped as the 'next big thing'. Their sound at the time was very much in the post-punk tradition, with similarities to Josef K or The Fall. After the first record, someone in the band learnt to tune a guitar, which some feel removed something of the particular character of the music. So, as their second single "Dickie Davies Eyes" entered the national top 40, lead singer Nigel Blackwell announced his retirement claiming that rock and roll success had led to him missing too much daytime television. 1986 saw the release of a compilation album and Nigel's return to the dole.
The band reformed in 1990, beginning to tour and give interviews. Their third album, McIntyre, Treadmore And Davitt, showed a move forwards in terms of musical technique, and a wider musical palette. Since then, the band have produced a new album every two or three years, and remain a much loved fixture on the British music scene.
Half Man Half Biscuit were long championed by DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded twelve sessions before Peel's death in 2004, and it was on his programme in 1990 that the band announced their return.
The band played live more and more infrequently, preferring one-off gigs to tours, driving home each night to sleep in their own beds and arranging concerts to coincide with Tranmere Rovers' away fixtures, a football team supported by Neil and Nigel. Half Man Half Biscuit famously turned down the chance to appear on seminal 80s rock show The Tube, as Tranmere were playing that night, even though Channel Four offered to fly them by helicopter to the game following their take in the studio.
The band's musical styles often parody popular genres, while their lyrics are dense with cultural allusions, usually to UK popular culture and geography (Blackwell often refers to North Wales, often in the context of hillwalking in Snowdonia; he also appears fond of Shropshire, East Anglia and Oxfordshire) or to the more obscure backwaters of the lower divisions of British or international football. Blackwell's enthusiasm does not only encompass popular culture; to give just a few examples, explicit references to Sylvia Plath, the works of Thomas Hardy, and the Bible are all to be found in his lyrics. In the context of HMHB's enthusiasm for football, Blackwell's close resemblance to footballer Jaap Stam has been frequently commented upon.
As the nineties progressed Nigel's love of blues and folk became more and more apparent both in musical style and lyrical references, as befits a group who perhaps more than any other record the minutiae of everyday life and culture. In 2002 Andy Kershaw dubbed them "the most authentic English folk group since the Clash". Bassist Crossley's musical tastes include many late-70s/early-80s new wave or post-punk bands, and at gigs HMHB have been heard to perform covers of tracks by acts as diverse as Joy Division, Tim Buckley, The Beach Boys and Tiffany.
Blackwell has also started making references to various fictional bands who appear not only on the sleeves of HMHB releases (for example "Joe Public And The General Consensus") but also in the songs -- a long essay on "Evil Gazebo" (and that band's relationship to "Pankhurst") appears on the liner notes of Trouble Over Bridgwater and both bands are mentioned in the songs. Assorted fake cover version acts have also been mentioned in HMHB songs such as "I Can't Believe It's Not Focus". In interviews Nigel has alluded to the possibility of there being an HMHB tribute band called "It Ain't Half Man, Mum", most recently in a BBC Radio 3 interview with Andy Kershaw prior to summer 2007's appearance at the Brampton Live folk festival, where they headlined on Saturday night. However as yet no one has come forward with any evidence to support the existence of said tribute act, and the likelihood is that the whole thing is one of Nigel's own creations to amuse or confuse journalists and fans. The tribute band Half Arsed Half Biscuit do exist.
In 2001, Nigel Blackwell provided the voice over for a BP television advert.
The band's first release since 2005's album Achtung Bono is titled CSI:Ambleside, and was released on April 28, 2008.
In April 2010, the band's 2005 song "Joy Division Oven Gloves" from Achtung Bono was the subject of a Facebook campaign to get it to #6 on the chart for 12 April 2010, in response to the rumoured closure of indie station BBC 6 Music. The song only peaked at #56 on 11 April 2010, but this was the first UK Top 75 chart appearance for the band in their history. It also reached No.3 in the Official Independent Singles chart the same week and was No.1 in the HMV UK Digital Downloads Top 40 Tracks on Friday 16 April, knocking Ultravox's Vienna off the top - itself part of a separate Facebook campaign the previous week.
Lyrics are steadily being transcribed and argued over at The Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project.
Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus
Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was searching for the ten pence off Lenor
When suddenly I bumped into this guy
On seeing who it was I gave a cry
“Fuckin’ ‘Ell, It’s Fred Titmus”
Oh Jane was pushing baby round the park
When all at once she saw her husband Mark
So Jane and baby both began to scream
“Fuckin’ ‘Ell, It’s Fred Titmus”
Oh as the train pulled into platform three
I looked around for my best girl to see
As she disembarked I didn’t seem to care
Cos someone passed who made me stop and stare
Oh Dracula comes from Transylvania
Stevie nicks books about kleptomania
Johnny looks out of his bedroom window and
Shouted to his mum “Fred Titmus”
The lyrics to Half Man Half Biscuit's song "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus" illustrate the idea of unexpected encounters with the beloved cricketer Fred Titmus. In the first verse, the singer is in a store looking for a discount on Lenor when he suddenly bumps into Fred Titmus. The second verse tells the story of Jane, who, while taking her baby for a walk in the park, sees her husband Mark behind some bushes with another man. Both Jane and the baby scream at the sight of Mark's lover, and once again, it is revealed to be Fred Titmus. The third verse describes the singer's experience at a train station, where he sees someone who makes him stop and stare. The chorus is a repetition of the exclamatory phrase "Fuckin' 'Ell, It's Fred Titmus," which emphasizes the shock of encountering the cricketer unexpectedly.
The lyrics to "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus" can be interpreted as a commentary on fame and the ways in which it can elevate individuals to the status of demigods. Fred Titmus was a highly regarded cricketer, and the song's humorous portrayal of him as a ubiquitous figure in everyday life underscores his perceived omnipresence in the public consciousness. Additionally, the lyrics suggest that meeting Fred Titmus was an event that elicited both surprise and excitement, highlighting the cultural significance that sports icons hold for fans.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I was walking round my local store
I was patronizing a retail outlet in my vicinity
I was searching for the ten pence off Lenor
I was seeking a discount of 10 pence on Lenor
When suddenly I bumped into this guy
I collided into an individual abruptly
On seeing who it was I gave a cry
Upon recognizing the individual, I emitted a vocal expression of shock and/or surprise
“Fuckin’ ‘Ell, It’s Fred Titmus”
Exclamation of surprise and/or disbelief at the sight of Fred Titmus
Oh Jane was pushing baby round the park
A woman named Jane was strolling with her infant in a recreational outdoor area
When all at once she saw her husband Mark
Suddenly, she spotted her spouse Mark
Well he was with a man down by the stream
Mark was in the vicinity of a body of moving water with another male
So Jane and baby both began to scream
Jane and her child vocally expressed fear and/or distress
“Fuckin’ ‘Ell, It’s Fred Titmus”
Exclamation of surprise and/or disbelief at the presence of Fred Titmus
Oh as the train pulled into platform three
The train arrived at the third station platform
I looked around for my best girl to see
I surveyed the area to locate my significant other
As she disembarked I didn’t seem to care
As my partner exited the train, I appeared to be apathetic
Cos someone passed who made me stop and stare
However, I became transfixed on an individual who crossed my path
Oh Dracula comes from Transylvania
Dracula's origin is from the Eastern European nation of Romania
Stevie nicks books about kleptomania
Stevie Nicks authored literature pertaining to compulsive stealing behaviors
Johnny looks out of his bedroom window and
A person named Johnny views the exterior from their sleeping quarters
Shouted to his mum “Fred Titmus”
He exclaimed a reference to Fred Titmus to his maternal figure
Contributed by Adalyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sidi86
It's a very good track !!!
@williamwatt1713
YES!
@rstokes72
Thank you for posting - love this album!
@mrmotheffect
Fuckin' 'ell It's Online
@richardsimmons9880
F*ckin' 'ell - I done the first comment !.. one of the funniest records ever made <3
@Aaron50001
Funny as fuck .
@davegreen1915
Probably the most likely English song ever recorded....after Trumpton Riots
@pipster1891
We didn't know then that Fred Titmus was a racist.
@jedkeenan00
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Titmus