History Music / HalfManHalfBiscuit

Half Man Half Biscuit are a folk band, with a big smattering of parody thrown in, from Birkenhead near UsefulNotes/{{Liverpool}}. Active since 1985, they have released 14 albums, two compilation albums and a number of singles / [=EPs=].

They have a pretty large cult following, but saying which of their songs is most famous is difficult, although the only one to chart is ''Music/JoyDivision Oven Gloves'', which reached #56 after a Facebook campaign.

* JoggersFindDeath" The suicide in "Stuck Up A Hornbeam" wonders if he'll be found by a dog-walker.

* LongTitle: "All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit", "We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune", "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd", "I Love You Because (You Look Like Music/JimReeves)", "Took Problem Chimp To Ideal Home Show", "Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years", and so on.

-->"'''Andy Kershaw''': Can you make a living being Half Man Half Biscuit?"
-->"'''Nigel Blackwell''': Just about. But then again I'm not that materialistic, I can't drive, so I haven't got a car. I've never been on a plane so I don't go on foreign holidays, so as long as I've got enough money for a season ticket every season [for Tranmere Rovers] that's good enough for me really"

The band split up in 1986, citing "musical similarities", and reformed in 1990. After some EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, since 1996 the members of the band have been Nigel Blackwell, Neil Crossley, Carl Henry and Karl Benson.

* 'Back in the DHSS' (1985)
* 'Back Again in the DHSS' (1987)
* 'ACD' (1989) ''(compilation)''
* '[=McIntyre=], Treadmore and Davitt' (1991)
* 'This Leaden Pall' (1993)
* 'Some Call It Godcore' (1995)
* 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Road' (1997)
* 'Four Lads Who Shook the Wirral' (1998)
* 'Trouble over Bridgwater' (2000)
* 'Cammell Laird Social Club' (2002)
* 'Achtung Bono' (2005)
* 'CSI:Ambleside' (2008)
* '90 Bisodol (Crimond)' (2011)
* 'Urge for Offal' (2014)
* 'And Some Fell on Stony Ground' (2016) ''(compilation)''
* 'No-One Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin' Hedge Cut' (2018)

!!Tropes include:

* AffectionateParody - Often. The one that comes to mind is ''With Goth On Our Side'', a parody of Music/BobDylan's ''With God On Our Side''.
* ChristmasSongs - ''All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit'', ''It's Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas''.
* FolkMusic - Is not a perfect description, but it will do, and they have covered folk songs in the past.
* IBangedYourMom - A variation in ''The Referee's Alphabet'':

* JoggersFindDeath - The suicide in ''Stuck Up A Hornbeam'' wonders if he'll be found by a dog-walker.
* ListSong - Quite a few.
* LiteraryAllusionTitle - The song ''Thy Damnation Slumbereth Not'' (A reference to Literature/TessOfTheDUrbervilles), among others.
* LongTitle - ''All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit'', ''We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune'', ''99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd'', ''I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)'', ''Took Problem Chimp To Ideal Home Show'', ''Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years'', and so on.
* PunBasedTitle - Most of their albums, and a good number of their songs.
* ReferenceOverdosed - Good luck catching everything they mention, and not just lyrics either but sometimes tunes. A lot of them are explained on their website: http://www.hmhb.co.uk/
* RefugeInAudacity - The narrator's flimsy cover story in ''Thy Damnation Slumbereth Not'' rests on this:

* SelfDeprecation: The lyrics of ''Lord Hereford's Knob'' assert that all their songs sound the same. As a demonstration, the song immediately and seamlessly segues into ''Paradise Lost''.
* TakeThat - Just as often as AffectionateParody.
* TeenageDeathSongs - ''The Coroner's Footnote'', although it's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin not from the perspective of one of the teens]].
* WhamLine - At the end of ''Paintball's Coming Home'':

--> I'm going to be apprehended by some mandatory galoot with a handheld camera who will point it in my face and say:"Who are you, and what do you do?" And I'll say:"I'm a counterblast to agnosticism, how do you do?" And he'll go away immediately.

They have a pretty large cult following, but saying which of their songs is most famous is difficult, although the only one to chart is ''Joy Division Oven Gloves'', which reached #56 after a Facebook campaign.

Half Man Half Biscuit are a folk band, with a big smattering of parody thrown in, from Birkenhead near Liverpool. Active since 1985, they have released 14 albums, two compilation albums and a number of singles / [=EPs=].

Legendary DJ John Peel was a fan, and they recorded a number of sessions for his radio show. Andy Kershaw once called them "The most authentic English folk group since Music/TheClash".

Half Man Half Biscuit are a folk band, with a big smattering of parody thrown in, from Birkenhead near Liverpool. Active since 1986, they have released 14 albums, two compilation albums and a number of singles / [=EPs=].

The band split up in 1986, citing "musical similarities", and reformed in 1990. After some EarlyInstalmentWeirdness, since 1996 the members of the band have been Nigel Blackwell, Neil Crossley, Carl Henry and Karl Benson.

Half Man Half Biscuit are a folk band, with a big smattering of parody thrown in, from Birkenhead near Liverpool. Active since 1986, they have released 12 albums and a number of singles / [=EPs=].

* 'ACD' (1989)

* 'And Some Fell on Stony Ground' (2016)

* 'McIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt' (1991)

--> And if I'd known that they were coming, I'd have slashed my wrists.

* DoingItForTheArt - See the page quote, and also famously turned down a chance to appear on Channel 4's music show ''The Tube''. Apparently because Tranmere Rovers were playing that night.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece - A lot of their songs reference 1980s British pop culture and the general culture of the time, which means modern listeners will probably need a guide to understand everything.

* AffectionateParody - Often. The one that comes to mind is ''With Goth On Our Side'', a parody of BobDylan's ''With God On Our Side''.

Legendary DJ John Peel was a fan, and they recorded a number of sessions for his radio show. Andy Kershaw once called them "The most authentic English folk group since TheClash".

* TheBeautifulGame - Comes up quite often in their songs.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle - The song ''Thy Damnation Slumbereth Not'' (A reference to [[{{Ptitled7szgbdx}} Tess of the D'Urbevilles]]), among others.