Venue:
Clapham Common
Date: 29/08/2016
A Madness “curated” (not a word I enjoy using) event on Clapham Common celebrating “old school” (another slightly disagreeable term) ska and reggae.
There were a number of bands appearing, and not all of them made you stop munching burgers, drinking beer or nodding off. By the same token, none of them made you want to throw stuff or leave the site.
Highlights?
Norman Jay did a very good set – I just wish he would try to connect with the audience a bit more.
Lee “Scratch” Perry and The Upsetters were on too early to get the crowd really going, but turned in a competent, if uninspiring, performance.
Toots & The Maytals absolutely stole the show – I think “Monkey Man” is now permanently entrenched in my brain.
The Hot 8 Brass Band changed the mood, sprinkling a touch of jazz into the proceedings
David Rodigan bounced on stage like a hyperactive child who’d been at the sugar and delivered an historic tour of all things Reggae.
And to the headline act …
Their entrance was preceded by The Beatles “Because”, and then straight into “House Of Fun”.
Toots returned to the stage for “The Prince”, and the hits kept coming.
“NW5” from Norton Folgate is (for me) always good live, but much of the audience around me didn’t seem to recognise the track with shouts of “One Step Beyond” and “Sort it out Suggsy!”.
The 2 new tracks played whet the appetite for the new album (due December) and sit well with the “Cabaret” setlist.
The pace dropped a bit when Chris Foreman did his club singer turn (giving the rest of the band a well earned breather), and then it was back to full pelt hit-after-hit, ensuring that all punters exited across Clapham Common with a huge smile.
National Treasures? Very probably.
The audience:
Family-centric so a full age range from grannies to infants.
Marred slightly by the sheer volume of people there for just the beer and expecting Madness to be on stage all day. I’m sure that by the time Madness came on stage (about 8:45) a number of people had either gone home or were crashed out in an alcoholic stupor somewhere around the site (Cynical? Moi?)
Food was the usual fare, and the choice of drink limited and overpriced.
Without wishing to sound stereotyped, with the tone of the event, and the bands appearing, you would’ve expected copious amounts of Red Stripe, as opposed to the watery, tasteless Tuborg on offer.
Madness Ale is very good, particularly Lovestruck – it just took about half hour queuing to get a pint of it.
It made me think..
Not a bad way to spend an August Bank Holiday – sitting in the sunshine on Clapham Common listening to Reggae.
davebigpicture says
They are brilliant live aren’t they? We saw them at Hove Cricket Ground last summer.
Rigid Digit says
Seen them a couple of times Live before – they always put on a good show.
You get the feeling they really can’t believe their luck to still be doing this 40 years after they first got together.
duco01 says
During their 40 years as a band, Madness have never played one gig in Sweden.
All that will change in 4 weeks’ time, on 30 September 2016, as they make their debut on Swedish soil at Gröna Lund in Stockholm.
Kaisfatdad and I are considering whether we’ll attend this historic event. It’s many decades since I saw Madness live.
Tiggerlion says
I saw them last year. When they hit their stride in a run of hits, they are exhilarating. Trouble is, they spent a long period in a lull. Plus, Chas Smash is badly missed.
Rigid Digit says
I’ll go with the Chas Smash statement.
Lee Thompson does try to fill the void.
Not missed as much as Mike Barsons departure in the mid-80s, but missing “something” without him.
In fairness, that “something” doesn’t adversely affect the show, and they still put their all into it.
Kaisfatdad says
Considering? We are going to be there!!
attackdog says
My Madness Shame
I have never seen Madness but have always had a fondness for their cheeky, humorous, Cockernee antics.
In the late ’80’s/early ’90”s and playing in a very successful London covers band (I think Madness were in a state of suspension) we apparently had a membr of Madness in our horn section.
I’ve no idea who he was, let alone his name, but I do recall whoever he is was a superb blower.
The Good Doctor says
I love Madness. Their run of hits is astonishing, as British bands go they are up there in the ‘canon’ with The Who and The Kinks but they’ve always been a bit dismissed as knockabout Nutty Boys (they deserve a Mojo front cover or two don’t you think?)
Never seen them live, and probably should although I’m not keen of Enormodomes or outdoor gigs.
The people around you getting restless during NW5 remind me of this:
retropath2 says
I think you nail it, Voldoc, and I think it a certain snobbiness because they come over as fun rather than the seriousness pop music demands of us all. I fear I would probably be too self-conscious to see them live, as in buy a dedicated ticket, but would probably love to chance upon them at a festival. Loved that 50 years of BBC2 concert they did on the telly a couple of years back
dai says
Never seen them live, but when I was a certain age the best party music EVER!!
Zanti Misfit says
This thread is so patronising about Madness. Up there with all the MOJO heavy hitters!
DogFacedBoy says
I saw ver Madness about 2009 at the Astoria and we got Prince Buster himself for The Prince and One Step Beyond.
And if I recall correctly a bit of NW5 cos he wouldn’t leave the stage
Leicester Bangs says
The last time I saw Madness was the day after Morrissey was bottled off at Finsbury Park, and his subsequent absence, plus the fact that there were masses of pie-eyed skinheads in attendance, made the whole event a bit of a laddish ballache, and we left early.
I sort of regret that now and would like to go again. I suspect the atmosphere is a bit different these days.