The Lightning Seeds keep the slowly turning gammon pink crowd warmed up with a greatest hits set plus a surprise special guest. ‘Lucky You’, ‘Life Of Riley’ and ‘Pure’ are all plucked from the bands impressive back catalogue but it’s the site of Terry Hall ambling on stage to sing ‘Sense’ that is the real highlight. The encore of ‘Three Lions’ beautifully encompasses the nations newly reignited football love affair and it’s sung both proudly and loudly by the celebratory throng of Southgate (I Still) believers. By now the queue for the bar stands at somewhere between 45-60 minutes and the lack of any kind of working system or understanding is both baffling and incredibly frustrating. It’s a Friday night, it’s a heatwave and England have just won a World Cup penalty shoot-out, tonight is an open goal for Suggs and Co.
Madness start their set by having to start ‘One Step Beyond’ twice after fudging the first attempt but it matters not. Next up is ‘Embarrassment’ and the timeless simplicity of ‘My Girl’ which like most of the songs played tonight is sung word for word by the Fez-wearing Madheads. The stunning setting of Englefield House acts as a surreal backdrop and gives Suggs many opportunities for some brilliant (and some not-so-brilliant) one-liners. ‘NW5’, ‘Cardiac Arrest’ and the Poptastic ‘Sun And The Rain’ induce pockets of old-school town hall disco/youth club Skanking. ‘Return Of The Las Palmas 7’, ‘Grey Day’ and ‘Mr Apples’ are all mere albeit tasty hors-d’oeuvres as Madness roll out the big guns to bring the curtain down. The Smash Hits, 2-Tone, Top Of The Pops favourites ‘House Of Fun’ ‘Bed And Breakfast Man’ and ‘Baggy Trousers’ see’s the pockets of skankers turn into a bouncing swarm. As the years roll on and Madness shows roll by ‘Our House’ remains my lump in the throat emotional go to. It’s rare that a song written almost Forty years ago continues to hit the heart harder and harder with every passing year. Each line is a two up two down punch of halcyon remembrance and the “She’s the one they’re going to miss in lots of ways” verse is beautifully prophetic post-Dury perfection. The encores of ‘It Must Be Love’, ‘Madness’ and the, yaay, wave your fez in the air, ‘Night Boat To Cairo’ complete yet another night of top-notch 2-Tone family-friendly fun. In 2019 Madness will (along with a host of other 2-Tone pioneering bands) will celebrate their fortieth anniversary and luckily both The Nutty Boys along with their loyal fans show no signs of slowing the party down. Dance Craze 2019 anyone?