Welcome to the latest edition of the MIS Online Newsletter.
After almost two decades of work, the original MIS Online list server sent out its last bulletin on Sunday, and at some point this week it gently keeled over. It’s been a fantastic piece of kit, and a massive, massive thank you should go out to Brian Edmonds. Brian is the man who kindly let us use his systems for almost twenty years and not once did he ask for a fee. It’s safe to say that without Brian’s assistance there wouldn’t be an MIS or a Madness Mailing List which ran prior to this weekly email publication.
So, what happens now?
We have migrated the list over to Mailchimp for a number of reasons. The main reason is that it’s quick and easy for us to move the MIS subscriber list over to a new platform. What it also does is enable us to send out issues that are easier to read on tablets and phones, and it will also support images should we wish to include any. We’re also looking into the possibility of running and maintaining our own mailing list, so we may not stay with Mailchimp. For this week at least, we just wanted to ensure the bulletin went out.
The subscriber list
The list server went down without warning, and unfortunately, the latest backup we had of the subscriber list was from January of this year. If you originally unsubscribed after this date and now find yourself receiving the bulletin again, we apologise. Please either email us and we’ll remove you right away. You can also remove yourself by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this email.
Hello, Good Evening and Welcome
Have you got a beard?
We’re wondering if the band will be playing looking like ZZtop today, as they arrive in Derbyshire for the Bearded Theory festival gig.
As well as being the largest performing arts festival in the Midlands, they do try and hold the record attempt for most people wearing fancy dress beards in one location each year.
We hope Madness add a few whiskers to their total. It’ll be a lot of fun. It Moustache be love, after all.
We think someone has hacked their Wikipedia entry though, as the weekend approaches. Why? because it currently describes the festival as “It features unnecessary air horns, terrible third-rate bands and is loathed by the neighbouring villages for playing awful music too loudly. It also boasts the largest attendance of lonely middle-aged men in the world and a large dancing tapeworm that remains a key part of the festival and a rubbish sound system”. This, and further juvenile event bashing continues. Hmmm don’t believe the hack. Stroke your beard instead and party on.
Sadly, the man in Madness who recently grew facial hair in Madness for charity, once again wont be able to make it. For an update on Woody Woodgate’s recovery from a recent quad bike accident please see Chris Foreman’s reply on this topic below in our “That Facebook” section. We all continue to wish him well for his desired return this August. Wth much love from all our readers Woody, you and your families health comes first. All the best.
See below for all forthcoming Madness and Madness related gigs and events. If there’s something we’ve missed off or you feel should be added then please let us know.
Here, an Australian newspaper talks to Suggs on Video. This is one we originally missed due to the uploader marking this one as “Sudds from Madness!”
Oh well. At least he managed to keep a clean mouth during the interview!
Suggs talks about his One Man Show and Madness playing down under. He also mentions most interestingly a theatrical new show he’s been writing as the follow up to his My Life Story. We’re very interested to see what shape that takes.
Suggs even spoke of more acting in the future and being excited about song writing was amongst the statements made’ “Very much so”.
He enthused when asked if before CTUN there will be new Madness music in the future.
Live and Intensified
Wirral Live Video Round-up
In last week’s issue we featured Nicky Evans’ review of the gig. This time we take a look at some of the footage shot that night…
So, It was the case that we got a little bit behind in our Drip Fed Fredd Competition. After a busy Reading event with MIS, we drew a winner at that weekend, but then didn’t get back to our keyboard before fate struck with a mixture of delay and hospitalisation. Yes, I actually ended up on a bloody drip before I got around to announcing the winner. Ha bloody ha.
I’m not called Fred though so it’s only half ironic. Our winner almost is, but not quite.
Congratulations Ed. Eddie is a man of class.
Edward Hinton we will get around to sending you this record just as soon as our knee caps (which are weaker) can get us back to the post office.
Congratulations.
Jonathan Young
That Facebook
“Woody and his wife came off a quad bike and literally fell off a cliff. They both spent time in hospital and are now recovering at home.
I spoke to Woody yesterday and he is now able to walk. He was told he’d be on his back for six weeks. Quite a resilient man our Woody.
He hopes to be back by August but the way he’s progressing, who knows? Mez is “one of the family” and did a great job at Tran mere.”
Chris Foreman
I Remember Way Back When
This week, MIS co-editor Rob Hazelby, goes back in time to report on what was going on in the world of Madness 5 years, 10 and 15 years ago this week.
5 years ago…
Issue Number 681 – Sunday 27th May – Saturday 2nd June 2012
It seemed as if many of you had ‘really’ been on the ball this past week when it came to getting hold of tickets for the forthcoming Christmas tour.
By early Thursday morning Facebook was packed with comments from fans posting details of what gigs they’d already managed to order tickets for. Not only that, but ther were a great number of you who are going to multiple dates on the tour.
Continuing on the subject of the Christmas tour, and it probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that the press quickly got hold of the news following the official announcement. Naturally, web sites for the local rags were keen to give their neck of the woods a good bit of publicity, and so we included those articles in this very issue. Newspaper and Magazine adverts had also started to surface.
Butlins formed the first dates of The Charge of the Mad Brigade Tour, and MIS Online were happy to announce in this issue that one of two events organised by your favourite Madness relegated new team would be taking place on grass at the event.
After the previous year’s years lark at the longest nutty train, this year was promised to be just as daft, but different. So, what was it? Well, after 402 of you helped stage the longest Nutty Train at the previous ecent, we wanted your help to charge en-masse shouting “Madness”. Yes, it was pointless, but it did sound fun.
Also, on the theme of House of Fun we asked you to raise a glass. Why? Well, it was now 30 years since the song was a Number 1. We could announce in honour of this, that our next MIS Fan Film at The House of Fun weekender was something rather different to Miswas.
“House of Fan” is a house party movie in honour of and inspired by the number 1 Madness song about Condom’s and the coming of age, the magic of 4 summers is coming the screen for some unique FUN, and you’re welcome along for the ride.
Happy Birthday House of Fun @ 30.
The MIS team had commenced filming for this fan film. Yes, the magic was happening right now, and it would screen first at The House of Fun Weekender on the Saturday Morning.
It was also sad for us this week, as Jonathan Young and Duff Kelly reported on the last ever gig by North London band MOT. Deciding to call things a day following the sad passing of band member Lanfranco Gaglione, this was the last time the band would perform under the MOT banner.
We brought this issue of the MIS to a close with a reminder that the following weekend would see Bedders return to the warm embrace of his fellow band members as Madness were due to perform live as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.
10 years ago…
Issue number 421 – Sunday 27th May to Saturday 2nd June 2007
Well, we kept promising, but finally, the new-look MIS Online web site was now up and running over at www.mis-online.net
This new site offered all of the features of the previous version, but you now had the power to add/edit the site’s contents.
When visiting the site initially you wouldn’t see any navigation bars displayed on the left-hand side of the screen, but once signed-up and logged-in, all of the various sections of the site would become available to you.
Perhaps you couldn’t see a YouTube video clip on there that we should have listed. Now you could simply submit it. Maybe there was a Madness fan site you knew of that we’d not got detailed in the links section.
Again, you could now just add it.
The future was here. (Or something like that, anyway!)
With the new site also came the ‘Madness Diary’, an online resource of upcoming Madness events, that could be easily reached via the right hand navigation bar of the site. Not only could you see what events were coming up, but if you knew of a Madness event that we’d not listed you simply had to log-in and submit it.
How did we stop people setting up dodgy accounts and running riot with the site? Well, as a safety precaution all updates had to be approved by the MIS team before they’d go live.
On to the articles, and we began with the news that Suggs’ Virgin Radio show had been cleared by the phone regulator following a premium phone rate “scandal” which accused the show of encouraging listeners to text requests despite the programme being pre-recorded.
The watchdog was set to propose tough new rules on text votes – even suggesting they should be banned – in a consultation document to be released in the coming weeks.
It was over to the Madblog next, as we had some very, VERY exciting news to pass on.
“Madness At Glastonbury Press Release:
Last time Madness played at Glastonbury, the year was 1986, tickets were £17, It didn’t rain and there were only 60,000 punters! 21 years later, tickets are a touch more expensive and there’s 60,000 people in the backstage area alone!
Not everything changes though, Madness are still having UK Top 40 Hits, Suggs is still a nominee for caner of the year and with any luck it won’t rain again!
Anyone who’s been to Glastonbury in the past few years will know that when the music stops on the music stages, the party really starts…
At around midnight, it’s become customary for the whole site to descend on the Lost Vagueness field where the action rages throughout the night.
This time around, Madness will add their own stamp of debauchery to the already worryingly debauched proceedings by taking to the stage of the Lost Vagueness Big Top on the Saturday Night / Sunday Morning…
A legendary Glastonbury moment in the making!”
Moving on, and we went hi-tech for the next article, as we reported that a Suffolk team of teenagers had won first place at the RoboCup 2007 National Robotic dance competition and had been selected to represent the UK at the International RoboCup 2007 competition to be held in Atlanta, USA in July.
The team “Swan Song” swept the board not only winning first place but also receiving commendations for best presentation, best robot programming and best robot construction. In addition to these awards “Swan Song” also look the ultimate accolade of the “Best Team in the Event” beating strong competition from the robotic football and rescue teams.
14 year old team member Sophie Kennelly contacted Chris Foreman via the official messageboards, and this exchange followed;
“‘SwanSong’ Robotic Dance Team ” from “Sophie Kennelly”
14/04/07
SwanSong Robotic Dance Team, competitors in the Robocup have used the Madness version of ‘Swan Lake’ for our Robotic Dance Performance …. Thanks for the inspiration!!
We are currently looking for sponsorship to attend the International Finals in Atlanta (GA), USA. — Hoping to represent UK, having won the nationals.
“SWANNY RIVER”
says Chrissy Boy(27/04/07), “Dear Sophie
Fantastic! Are you on “youtube” or anything? I will send you £100 towards this endeavour. Of my own personal money. The very best of luck
CB
What a legend!
We brought this issue to a close by giving the readership a heads-up on forthcoming episode dates of TV series “Salvage Squad”, featuring Suggs, and also a Radio 2 programme called “The Record Producers”.
The series explored the work of legendary record producers, and this week’s episode looked at non other than Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.
Time to set those recorders!
15 years ago…
Issue number 159 – Sunday 26th May – Saturday 1st June 2002
News reached us that Lee Thompson and his family were taking part in a house swap with a family from Australia. So, while the Thompson’s were enjoying the sunnier climes of Down Under, the people they’d swapped with were experiencing the joys of the traditional British spring.
We have a feeling that Lee and his family may have come off slightly better than the people they swapped with.
Chas Smash and Suggs weren’t the only members of Madness to take part part in radio interviews and the like. A week or so back Chris Foreman and Lee Thompson went into the Capital FM studios and recorded an interview and a plug for the re-issued Crunch album. The interview would hopefully be aired before the Crunch gig on May 31st.
News in from subscriber Richard Kemp was that his local radio station, ‘Sovereign Radio’ were compiling a top 500 listeners songs, ready for the forthcoming Jubilee Weekend. Richard contacted the MIS asking if we’d be kind enough to give the station’s web site a plug in an effort to get Madness the recognition they rightfully deserved.
Richard promised to get back in touch with us once the results were known.
Elsewhere, and the promotional drive for Chas Smash’s World Cup single continued, with a mass of radio and TV appearances. These appearances culminated with Carl being a guest on Jonathan Ross’ Saturday morning Radio 2 show.
After numerous rumours started circulating that it had been cancelled, Cheryl Hagger contacted us to let subscribers know that the weekend would still be going ahead. However, it wouldn’t be taking place in May or Great Yarmouth.
In other meet news, Wee Stoo set the wheels in motion for a Mc Mad Meet, which would take place on December 15th in Glasgow, to coincide with Madness’ Christmas gig at the SECC. Wee Stoo and fellow Maddie Mr. G were so organised that they’d even set up a dedicated Mc Madmeet web site.
Further on in this issue Chris Carter-Pegg had been kind enough to submit a review of the Chas Smash World Cup single, “We’re Coming Over”. Whilst most were familiar with the title track, the two other tracks on the single would be new to most of us. Thankfully, Chris was kind enough to give us a lowdown of these two new tracks, and summed the release up with;
“…definitely worth buying if merely to try and boost the single in the charts, but don’t be too disappointed if its not that familiar Madness sound that you hear.”
The Crunch album re-release fiasco continued to march on, but at least the album was now available to pre-order – hopefully a sign that the album would soon finally see the light of day!
Rob Hazelby
Time
That just about brings this issue of the MIS Online bulletin to a close. Once again, if you’ve received this and you unsubscribed from receiving the newsletter after early January, please let us know and we’ll remove you from our list as soon as possible.
Next week’s issue will land in your mailbox, but we’re not certain whether it’ll be via Mailchimp or our own new mailing list server. Once we’ve had time to tinker we’ll be in a better position to update you. It WILL come out though, so don’t panic.
With the list server down we’re also without an online version of the MIS archives. Thankfully, we have these saved locally and backed up to cloud storage, so will be getting these back online shorltly.
Moving on, and you may have noticed an article earlier this issue from the one and only Jonathan Young. We’re happy to report that Mr. Young is finally out of hospital and resting up at home. He tells us that he’s well on the road to recovery, and as you can see, is already back on the good ship MIS.
Next, and we spotted online that the band “The Gallerys” have posted;
“We’re SUPPORTING MADNESS on the MAIN STAGE at the Minehead Butlins House of Fun Weekender in November”
As far as we can see they’re yet to appear on any official House of Fun billing posters.
Elsewhere, and while Suggs’ beloved Chelsea failed to win this year’s FA Cup, it was still nice to see him enjoying the Bank Holiday weather with a good old barbecue; https://www.instagram.com/p/BUmilOIDvyR/
And finally, we’re very excited that The Launcher will have a single out later this year. More on that when we have it.
