Achtung Bono by Half Man Half Biscuit

“Act One, Scene One – Brenda Blethyn gets shot”

…in which Britain’s most consistently amusing lyricist, Nigel Blackwell, masterminds Half Man Half Biscuit’s most consistently amusing album to date. Achtung Bono was the tenth album from the band in 20 years, and it’s harder than most to select a highlight. If pushed, I think I’d choose For What Is Chatteris… – the closest “NB57″ has ever got to writing a love song, although as you’d expect, it’s a rather unconventional one:
Like a game-bird reserve short on pheasants
Weavers’ cottages devoid of tenants
A market town that lacks quintessence
That’s Chatteris without your presence

Achtung Bono takes on most of the familar targets from the previous Half Man Half Biscuit albums, such as pretentious indie music, the “painfully soulless” middle classes and annoying D-list celebrities. It’s also affectionate towards village life and unsung parts of the British Isles (“Stapeley Water Gardens, a nice day out but best to take a flask”). Trivia permeates every verse of every song, and the sheer joy in this album is in realising how much of the trivia you recognise, and in wondering if the few bits you don’t get are something you ought to know about. The more of a forty-something bloke you are, the more you’ll get from a Half Man Half Biscuit album, and Achtung Bono is as good as any.

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