So it is a genuine surprise that the set-list for tonight is the biggest shocker they pull off. Normally its purpose is to list the order of the songs to play, but the Bloodhound Gang insert reminders of the tricks they plan to unleash: “Sling shoddy merchandise” after ‘I Wish I Was Queer (So I Could Get Chicks’ and “Go for the juggler” during ‘Hell Yeah’ not to mention dropping in other people’s songs in the middle of theirs like Jay-Z’s ’99 Problems’ and Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’. It's suspiciously like a well choreographed event but would you think they are going senile or can they just not be arsed any more to act on spontaneity?

Perhaps exhaustion is another cause for concern, for when the gang drop ‘Boom’ as the opener, they’ve worn themselves out before it’s finished. Maybe gaining some extra pounds has added to the baggage; collectively they look bulkier (Jimmy Pop sports baggy clothes to conceal his podginess) bar bassist Evil Jared whose pecs and torso still amaze for a guy who sweats it out on girls rather than in the gym. The same can’t be said about the horrific facial fur he sports werewolf like. And as for guitarist Lupus – can he not afford a haircut or a new t-shirt? I’m pretty confident he’s worn that big baseball/American football top at every other BHG gig five years ago.

They pick tracks from their three main albums – One Fierce Beer Coaster, HFB and the latest, Hefty Fine, and the idea’s a good one except they make some duff choices – ‘Hell Yeah’ and ‘3.14’ but not ‘Mope’, ‘Yummy Down On This’ and ‘Magna Cum Nada’.

The banter largely from Jimmy Pop has been heard before, ordering the house lights to be switched on so they can see the audience, picking on those in the balcony for being too boring but just for extra measure, repeatedly calling everyone including the VIP section and record company “cunts”. Suggesting the balcony could be livened up if someone walked through with a ticking rucksack is met with venom from the crowd, and if they attempted to make amends by Jared ripping his trousers off, it didn’t quite have the effect any of us wanted – not when one of the trouser legs were stuck, requiring Jared to yank that extra bit harder. Unfortunately on the trouser leg. And Union Jack boxers? They’ve done that trick before.

The stupidest thing to come out of Jimmy Pop’s mouth (apart from the poor ticking rucksack gag) was pointing in various directions at the crowd and saying, "Look at you people, you down here, you're like from London...the record company, you're like from Essex and you up there, you're from Basildon…” Basildon, of course, is in Essex. Pity nobody bothered to tell them.

Humour (yes, really, there is some) is provided with various messages being flashed up on the speech bubble on the stage backdrop like “this song sucks more than the congestion charge” and “Jimmy is gayer than Will Young” though watching Jimmy and Jared spit into each other’s mouths and then for Jared to ‘barf’ on Jimmy’s arse is lamely puerile.

Naturally they close with ‘the Mammals song’ but gone is the NSYNC dance routine they used to do with the orange boiler suits (a la Slipknot). Like batteries running dry, they just about manage to drag out the last few notes before hastily exiting the stage. It’s a lengthy set at almost one hour and 40 minutes, but the levels of energy and enthusiasm are clearly on the lowest settings. Tonight was the first night of their UK tour. Somehow hot cups of cocoa and Stannah stair lifts may be more appropriate than liquors and strippers for this lot.
(3/5)

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