Saturday night saw Haydock Racecourse filled with the rockinest, rock-steady beat of Madness, who proved that after more than 40 years they're still as good as ever.
The sun shone down as crowds flocked for a night at the races, followed by a heart-pumping 90 minutes of musical genius. The Camden band, who originally formed in 1976, hit the ground running with One Step Beyond.
A sea of Scousers immediately burst into movement, with some of the more ambitious in the crowd giving it full pelt, with the iconic two-tone stomping and arm movements.
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And the band wasted no time, going straight into tracks such as Embarrassment and NW25, followed thick and fast by classics including The Prince. A carnival atmosphere took over Haydock Racecourse, helped along by a sea of Fez hats.
Setting the tone for the night, Suggs, the band's charismatic frontman, wasted no time, tearing the UK's current government to shreds. Mocking the soon-to-be-ex Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he said: "Boris thought he got away with it and he finally got brought down.... Mr Pincher. All that Boris got away with and he finally got brought down by Chris Pincher".
The politically motivated speech clearly went down well with fans, but more than that, Madness' infectious energy managed to sweep across the entire racecourse, somehow scooping up even the least enthusiastic reveller in its wake.
And despite being someone who was born quite a few years after Madness first emerged from the country's capital, the band’s songs have been present throughout my life. This was one of my first gigs post-covid and I'm very glad I chose to spend my evening soaking up the timeless songs and epic stage presence of Madness, who are aging like a fine wine.
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