'Half Man Half Biscuit' were formed in 1984 by two friends from Birkenhead, Neil Crossley and singer, guitarist and songwriter Nigel Blackwell who was (in his own words) at the time "still robbing cars and playing football like normal people do". Nigel was editing a football fanzine in 1979 (Left For Wakeley Gage) and had met bassist Neil Crossley when he went to see his punk band 'Venom' play and they struck up a friendship spending their early days practising songs in Neil Crossley's bedroom.
It was in 1984 that 'Half Man Half Biscuit' were formed, deciding on their name when a member of fellow Liverpool group 'Instant Agony' made the comment 'half man, half biscuit' when describing Prince Charles. Crossley moved to bass guitar as the pair were joined by Nigel's brother Simon Blackwell on lead guitar and his friend Paul Wright on drums, both previously with a group called 'Attempted Moustache'.
The quartet started to rehearse in the Liverpool based Vulcan Studios, where they soon turned into a five-piece, with David Lloyd joining them on keyboards. Their music has been described as punk with a sense of humour and a sense of perspective, as they include minor celebrities in their songs, with lyrics that can make you wince at times.
They recorded at Vulcan Studios who had just got in an eight-track studio upstairs and 'Half Man Half Biscuit' felt as if they were guinea pigs. Signed up to Probe Plus, as ramshackle and free-spirited an independent as one could find anywhere, it operated from the Liverpool home of its proprietor, Geoff Davies. Nigel gave Geoff the finished master tapes of a demo album for £30, an album that would go on to sell close on 200,000 copies.
Having heard the demo tape, John Peel invited the band to Maida Vale to record a session for his show which was broadcast in October 1985. This session had the effect of launching the band nationally and their debut album, 'Back In The DHSS', a bit of a word play on 'The Beatles' song 'Back In The USSR', topped the UK Indie Chart and reached No.60 in the UK Album Chart. It sat at the top of the independent chart (during an era that heralded releases from 'New Order', 'Depeche Mode', 'The Cult', 'Prefab Sprout' and 'Bauhaus') until Christmas and beyond. Four lads who shook the Wirral had morphed overnight into 'The Biscuit'.
The band's first single, 'The Trumpton Riots' as well as their second single 'Dickie Davies Eyes', both topped the indie chart. They were very casual in their attitude to the music scene once turning down an appearance on Channel 4's 'The Tube' because it would have meant missing a Tranmere Rovers home game, Nigel Blackwell later declaring casually: "I don’t even really like football."
In late 1986, the band split up, giving as the reason "musical similarities". Just over a year after they began, with the very minor hit single, 'Dickie Davies' Eyes', with a seven-country tour of Europe lined up and a trip to the States to follow, Nigel Blackwell phoned the offices of his record label, Probe Plus in Liverpool and told them he wasn't going to bother anymore actually. Thankfully, after a break of three years, 'the Biscuits' decided to give it another go reforming in 1990 with an announcement on the John Peel show, the man who had always championed the band, and they went on to record twelve sessions for his show. They then made a triumphant appearance at Reading Festival and have been together ever since, although their attitude is lacksadaisical to say the least.
'Half Man Half Biscuit' have become one of the most enduring and revered 'cult bands' to emerge from the post-punk D.I.Y scene with Nigel Blackwell being described as 'our greatest living poet and satirist'. Andy Kershaw has described them as "England's greatest folk band and the most authentic British folk band since 'The Clash'. "
Their current line-up consists lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Crossley, drummer Carl Henry, and guitarist Karl Benson. Released in 2018 on Probe Plus Records, 'No-One Cares About Your creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin' Hedge Cut' was their fourteenth and the highest-charting album in the band's history, reaching No.33 in the UK. The album sees more of Nigel's surreal observations on everyday life. A few shining examples are 'Knobheads on quiz shows' and
'Man Of Constant Sorrow (With A Garage In Constant Use)'. For anybody who has never attended a 'Half Man Half Biscuit' concert, these events are a near-religious experience. It's like going to one of those churches where everybody claps and smiles and sings along.
see also : http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/11/pool-of-sound-christians.html
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