Hello and a warm and swealtery welcome to this week’s edition of the MIS Online Newsletter.

It can’t be easy being always being in the public eye, and for the members of Madness this is no exception. While the band go out of their way to keep the fans happy, sometimes it’s just not possible, and elsewhere in this issue Woody and Carl both reveal just how difficult things can get.

In tour news we report on a new Holland gig in September, and a string of live shows for Suggs this coming December.

There’s much more besides this, so sit back with that cool drink and enjoy the read,

Jon Young, Liz Hazelby, Rob Hazelby, Simon Roberts

 

 

SHOWTIMES

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.

This week we received excited emails from Dutch subscriber Arnold, who turned on his TV to find out that Madness would be playing just 10km from him – Tiel in the Netherlands. Not only that, but this festival is FREE!!!

In other news Suggs is going to the West End.

 

Madness

July 8th Les Deferlantes, d’Argeles Sur Mer, France
July 10th Jazz Montauban Festival, France
July 11th Festival De Poupet, France
July 12th Henley Festival, Henley On Thames, UK
July 17th Sandown Park Racecourse, UK
July 19th Newmarket Racecourse, UK
July 20th Haydock Park Racecourse, UK

August 10th Fete Du Bruit, Landerneau, France
August 11th Brussels Summer Fest, Belgium

*** NEW *** September  14th. Madness play Free at Applepop Holland.  21.25pm at The hoofdapodium – http://www.appelpop.nl/

September 15^th Rockhal, Belval, Luxembourg
September 16th L’Olympia, Paris, France
September 22nd Northants CCC, UK
September 28th Alexandra Palace, London, UK

October 12th Esprit Arena, Duesseldorf, Germany

November 22nd-25th House Of Fun Weekender, Minehead, UK

For tickets see links via: www.madness.co.uk

 

Suggs Live 

News from Suggs’ Theatre Solo show managers reveal that he’s off to the West End of London for a December Run. These are the 4 new dates that take place in the four Sunday’s running up to Christmas…

http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/garrick-theatre/suggs_my_life_story_in_words_and_music

*** NEW *** December 1^st
*** NEW *** December 8^th
*** NEW *** December 15^th
*** NEW *** December 22^nd

 

The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra 

July 20th Lambeth Country Show, Brockwell Park, 4pm, Free entry!
July 28^th, Secret Garden Party Festival, Midlands, Nr Huntingdon 

August 11th  United Colours Festival, Sheffield
August 16th Belgium (Brussels Summer Fest)

*** NEW *** September 7^th, Wapping (more info when we have it)

*** NEW *** November 8^th, headlining the Friday of Specialized, The Big One 2, Parkdean, Sandford, Dorset

 

See ticket links via: www.ltso.mis-online.net

 

Deaf School

August 23^rd  – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen

August 24^th –  St Helens – The Citadel

August 25^th – Aspatria, Cumbria – Solfest

August 26^th – Liverpool, Sefton Park – Intl Music Festival

http://deafschoolmusic.com

 

 

GET IT FREE

Once again, instead of buying it we’re encouraging you to “get it free “as we bring you news of where you can add free track of Madness offshoot bands to your music collections.

LEE THOMPSON SKA ORCHESTRA – Heatwave
http://dropify.com/l/5zo

By liking and linking to the band’s official Facebook page you can get this studio track that’s not on the album.

 

THE MAGIC BROTHERS – DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO 

Like the Magic Brothers’ page on facebook, to get a download of Do what You Wanna Do, a track not available on the forthcoming album from Woody, The Magic Line.
http://on.fb.me/13xaHdn

 

 

LIVE AND INTENSIFIED 

With the number of Madness gigs now ramping-up we’ve decided to begin an irregular section entitled “Live and Intensified”.

If it’s fan gig reviews you’re after, then this is the section you’ll want to read.

Those of you who get along to any future gigs please knock up a review and send it in as we’d love to print your thoughts.

Daren West Reviews Madness in Newcastle

To paraphrase a famous old ragtime song “I’d walk a million miles for one of your songs, oh Madness!” Well we don’t have to walk; Newcastle is probably nearer 300 miles away from London and Madness are due to play a 90 minute set but we still have some distance to travel.

The 4 of us set off on Thursday night at 10.30pm from Victoria coach station on the Megabus service. A 6 hour through-the-night coach journey at a bargain £19 return gets us to Newcastle at 4.30am. We have more than 12 hours to kill and come 5.30pm we are at the racecourse, suitably lubricated and the earlier rain has given way to brilliant sunshine.
The tickets are the same luggage tag style as at Chepstow; tour merchandise is also on sale – there is no Gladness beer though!

Three of us back a 14-1 winner for a fiver each. The last race is scheduled for 9.20pm and I’ve already made my way to a place just stage left on the raised ground as naturally there is a slope towards the racecourse itself. I notice the barriers seem to be further back from the stage than for a usual gig; there is still a fine view and an expectant crowd have gathered. There are an array of pork pie hats and fez’s; a good number of ladies are looking sartorially elegant in black and white two-tone dresses.

Our favourite band get immediately in their stride with another blistering set. Embarrassment is a stomp-fest; NW5 is surely becoming a classic modern day Madness anthem as the appreciative fans sing back every word. Take It Or Leave It is back in the set, with Bedders’ prominent bass playing adding to the majesty of such a cracking tune.

We are treated to another old classic album track, Bed & Breakfast Man, this time Woody providing the backbone.
The lads are in fine form and the usual Qui Qui singles are played. Latest release Misery is again played and is becoming a firm favourite with the crowd. Leon is also back in the set as it was at Chepstow.

“What time is it, Chrissy Boy?” asks Suggs. “SHOWTIME” is the reply. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or lack of sleep or did Madness go straight into House Of Fun for Showtime? Humble apologies for not remembering!

The Nutty Boys then roll out tune after magnificent tune at seemingly breakneck speed.

Madness return for an encore triplet of a mean and moody Death Of A Rude Boy, a joyous Madness and celebratory Night Boat To Cairo.

An absolutely superb gig, possibly topping both the Chepstow and Newark shows. At the end Suggs and Carl come back to take a final bow before leaving stage with Carl doing the Eric Morecambe ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ walk.

We have time for a couple of post-gigs drinks before getting our return coach at 1.30am arriving back in London tired but very happy at 7.30am.

Oh what fun we’ve had!

Newcastle set list in rough running order;-
One Step Beyond
Embarrassment
The Prince
My Girl
My Girl 2
NW5
Take It
Or Leave It
Never Knew Your Name
The Sun And The Rain
Bed & Breakfast Man
Baggy Trousers
Misery
Showtime:?
House Of Fun
Wings Of A Dove
Leon

Our House
It Must Be Love
Death Of A Rude Boy
Madness
Night Boat To Cairo

Footnote; with the last race starting at 9.20pm, I think the gig may have started around 9.35/40pm; they may have been an 11pm music ‘curfew’ and the songs listed may not be entirely complete.

Daren West

 

Coventry Guns Fever Don’t Argue!

So, the festival dates for The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra begin. It’s been a slight change of line up in the band. Mez Clough has joined the band on drums after the faithful Steve Rooney departed after the successful Mission Mary phase of the bands album launch took them to the peak at the Dublin Castle launch.  While Madness’ own Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da summer tour has taken Mark Bedford away from bass duty, replaced with the reliable bounce of Paul Tadman (from Crunch!) for the summer, and a polecat I believe on guitar today, as Kevin stands in at Madness Carlise so that Chrissy Boy can get drunk happily in Prague for personal beer reasons.

In fact, Steve Hamilton and Darren Smith were in the brass section at Coventry as well, so the ever-revolving players of the orchestra brought yet another unique set of talents to play for Coventry’s Godiva festival.  So how did this line up fair? Very well indeed.

On the most perfect heat wave of summer days, people simmered into the war memorial park, where Reverend and the Makers were main staging to the free gathered masses, but in the side Rhythm Tent, Ska was the order of the day. It’s not hard to find a crowd of 2tone appreciative souls in this town, and indeed this tent is full of the biggest cheers I’ve heard this band get for just a shout out.

As the amassed ska heads of 80’s to previous generations are mainly making sure they have their place for Neville Staple and his band who will follow Lee and his boys. Indeed Neville is so popular not everyone can get in this tent.  They all love what Lee has to offer just as much it seems in warming up.  “Ask us back”  is a theme Lee keeps repeating on stage, and it’s clear that this is a gig he’d like to do annually.  He does manage to make a joke about having to catch a ride soon (he’s got to make it to Carlise 3 hours away for tonight’s Madness), he compares Louis to Fat’s Domino himself, and says of his teeth, that when he was born his mother slapped his mother. (twisting the old standard joke about slapping the Dr not the baby)

Both sets of keyboard are on fine form, thought Louis does require his monitor speaker fixing during the songs.

The guitar sounds a little more shadows or Chris Issacs in it’s build and style of sound tonight, being a different guitar from a different guitarists. The problem with an appreciative crowd of this kind, unfamiliar with the bands arrangements as of yet is, that they start to clap and cheers the end of Mission impossible during the guitar dub moment. Thinking it was a fade to finish rather than a drop moment deliberate in the song.

Daz Fordham reaches Front man like posturing during the gig, taking centre mic and being heard higher in the speaker mix, than Lee. Coupled to this is fact an echo effect is coming from Lee’s mic so you hear him again 2 seconds after himself.

Fu man chu goes down great, sung by Darren to a crowd not familiar yet the record in the most part, and so only some would get the joke at the end when having completed the song Darren jokes “Bitty Mclean” pretending to introduce him to the stage too late to do the number.

Sit and Wonder is the only track that perhaps needs a tightening for the line up set to do two more festivals this month. It felt like Louis was playing it on his own, 8 bars after everyone else had finished.

Over all we get a shorter festival set.  Guns Fever, Hot Reggae, Bangarang, Mission Impossible, Ali Baba, Fu Man Chu, Soon You’ll be Gone, Hello Josephine, representing two thirds of the album, as well as the Prince Buster cover Sit and Wonder, absent from the release, but sounding wonderfully crunch! like with Tadman on bass sharking to the middle of the stage.

It’s great the band that have doffed their cap to Sister Mary and old school ska, have managed a passing visit to the home of two tone, and beyond now they head off into the east end, secret gardens and to play with the skatalites.

The summer of ska – it’s here for them.

Jonathan Young.

 

We end this section with brief statements on Carlise Madness gig 

“Great gig tonight. Thanks everyone. Thought Leon went down well. Everyone singing along.”  Woody.

“Carlisle was brilliant, bit different without Showtime! but Kev did a great job standing in for CB.”  Sharon Staite.

“Thommo did a good job getting from Coventry to Carlisle tonight. Mint gig :-)” Darren Dicka.

 

 

THAT FACEBOOK

Snippets from Facebook that have caught our eye…

It seems strangely coincidental that this week brought to facebook two apologetic posts from band members about the hassles that fans put them through.

At MIS we’ve been witness to so much generosity from all of the band for so many years, both directly, indirectly, and through so many lovely tales recounted to us of the moment a band member helped, interacted or made someone’s day with a moment shared. We are so very aware then of the highest of  percentages of giving that comes from Madness, so much of the time.

While no one is perfect, the accessibility of this band remains steadfastly true to their fan base beyond that of many bands.  Yet, in this modern connected world, with band popularity at a new high, the clamour and desire for more, from more fans ever widens. Social networks expediting the factor in their cause based groupings and the push of a button effort to connect.  When it comes to it, we wish everyone their moment with heroes and know that politeness and patience are the keywords to never forget.

For Woody the sheer number of items requested was the mounting pile of a helpful hill, becoming too big to climb…

 

WOODY 

“I’ve got a major dilemma!

I came on Facebook to get more involved with fans, but every day I get heart rending stories from people who need help raising money for really good causes. I’m just completely inundated with requests and I can’t cope. I have passed on as many requests as I can, but I’m getting snowed under. I find it really hard to say no, and it’s almost putting me off coming onto Facebook, because I feel under pressure to sort everyone’s requests out.

I feel guilty, but I know I shouldn’t because it’s humanly impossible to make all the people happy all the time. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. If only people would share their stories, loves, and hates with me, and not ask things of me (however well meaning) I’d enjoy Facebook.

Sorry if that makes me seem selfish, because I’ll need all your helps to raise awareness of my Charity. But hey! You lot wanted to be my friend”.

After a mass of supportive responses and just a couple of self righteous swears back. Woody summed up later with the wisdom…

“I’ve had a lot of support, and to be honest I don’t think people realise how many requests I get. They do now. People mean well”

While Carl’s moment of pondering on similar matters concerned a small altercation at the more face to face fan level when at a concert a fan was seeking his band moment…

CHAS SMASH 

“The audience were truly wonderful in Waterford. What an atmosphere. A real sing along…a great crowd who were so into having a great time.. Loads of young kids enjoying the show down the front and it tickled me to get them all up for the encore to Night Boat.

At the hotel after the show there was quite a crowd who wanted a word a photograph or something signed. Sadly I got pretty irritated with one chap, I wish I had been more patient with him. He had wanted a photo with Suggs when we just got back to the hotel but Suggs dear heart didn’t stop as he wanted to get out of his wet suit…I should say that myself and Suggs’ suits are soaking after a gig and there was no dressing room at the stage so we were both dying to get into some fresh clothes..this chap didn’t seem to get it, what he wanted concerned him more than whether we were wet, uncomfortable and I fear open to a chill, we are in our fifties ( am i making to much of all this?) and when I came back down from getting myself into dry clothes he was annoyed that Suggs hadn’t come.

I felt for him and I tried to explain that I had attempted to get him down but he had gone to bed knackered. I understand that this chap wanted a photo and considered himself our biggest fan and therefore possibly deserved of better treatment. Now this is the rub he got so rude with me that my good nature was stretched. I make no excuses but there is a reasonable way to talk about things and the alternative I just wont tolerate. So whomever you are I hope one day you get your wish for a photo with Suggs. I know you’re a solid fan and I’ll forgive you treating me like some skivvy to order around like a serf…..if you had of been more of a gentleman I might have taken you up to the room we used as a dressing room for a photo but you blew it…

On the other hand I spoke to so many whom have become good friends over time, met and made a beautiful connection with my brother in law and his son (whom I met for the first time ) and i got asked the most interesting question about one of my lyrics ever! It really surprised me.

Thanks Barry…thanks to everyone, The Whatmore’s, The Power’s, The Foley’s, Michael Farmer, Niamh, Roisin & Sean, thanks to the staff at the Tower Hotel. In particular Martin the manager, the bar staff and all that I had the pleasure to meet and speak with…..

Thanks to the oldest city in Ireland you did us proud….

Chas

 X”

Friend of MIS, Vincent Foley,  said of the incident “I witnessed that melee and thought you dealt with him as best you could-it was crazy in the lobby that time and I could understand your frustration… I’m sure in hindsight that bloke could too…. Otherwise a great night had by all!”

Meanwhile Chrissy Boy is there, you know, in his cupboard, steadfastly answering all fans questions since the year dot. Mail  PO Box, through five generations of the website.

Now in it’s new form this week.  He’s a pro at it. He knows the score.  Forget your social networking fads and your hotel bars. You want to know something, go ask the master instead.

He says….  gigs.  NO!  Autographs. NO! Passes NO! 2tone tour NO!  Suits and Sunglasses. DONE THAT!. The Madness. DONT KNOW!  Job done. No messing. That’s how you handle the blooming fans!  Tell it straight!

ASK CHRIS…. http://www.madness.co.uk/ask/

 

We end on this question asked to Woody this week.

Hi Woody hope you are well. Do Bedders Chris and your good self ever get the chance to have a jam if so what songs do you jam to?

“Jamming’s not our thing. We prefer working on structured songs.” Woody.

 

 

I REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN

This week, MIS co-editor Rob Hazelby, goes back 5 years to issue 479, and the week of Sunday 6^th July to Saturday 12^th July 2008, and then back 10 years to issue 217 and the week of Sunday 6^th July Saturday 12^th July June 2003.

5 years ago…

Issue 479 – Sunday 6^th July to Saturday 12^th July 2008

Following Jonathan’s fantastic podcast which went out earlier in the week, we were back to good old fashioned text for this latest blast of Madness news.

Jonathan’s wonderful efforts really seemed to have been appreciated, judging by the emails you’d sent in response to his Hackney podcast. A Madness podcast was something we’d been toying with for ages, but it was Jonathan who decided to get off his backside and actually do something about it.

As Jonathan mentioned, we were already thinking of producing a Christmas podcast, but this time we wanted input from all corners of the online Madness community – the MIS, the MTR, the Nutty Forum, and more.

We realized that Christmas was a long way off, but it didn’t hurt to start planning the podcast now. If you wanted to contribute to this production we asked that you contacted us ASAP to let us know what you’d like to contribute with.

Moving on, and our first article took a look at Lee Thompson and former Bellestar, Jenny Matthias’ new project, “The Dance Brigade”, who would be playing a free gig at the Burmondsey Beat Festival on Saturday 12^th July. The band were due to appear alongside headliners, heatwave.

It was lyric time next as we featured a full transcript of “Idiot Child”, and if that wasn’t enough for the more lyrically minded readers elsewhere in this issue we had the lyrics to “MKII” for good measure.

Next we featured a transcript of an article from “Music”, where writer Charlotte Chambers reviewed one of the recent Hackney gigs. It was clear to see that she enjoyed the evening, as the review finished off by saying;

“Visually, the experience was like a cross between pantomime and period drama – the fantasy, perhaps, of someone who has spent too long buried in some obscure local history pamphlet.

Musically it was just this side of cheesy to begin with, becoming sinister later. Orchestral strings and shades of Kurt Weill in the knee-slapping Clerkenwell Polka were more moving than lairy Baggy Trousers ever was.

I wasn’t expecting to love this, but I did”

Before we brought this issue to a close it was over to Uncut Magazine, who featured an article announcing an extra show for the forthcoming Christmas tour, due to take place in Manchester on December the 18^th.

And finally, we rounded things off with Jonathan thanking subscriber Mikel and his family for this hospitality over the course of last weekend when the band, and our co-editor were in Spain.

Issue 217 – Sunday 6^th July to Saturday 12^th July 2003.

The biggest news item this week was that despite it being the middle of summer, the Christmas tour dates and venues had not only been announced, but tickets were now on sale. Never ones to pass up the opportunity for a booze-up, the Scottish Madness fanbase had already got their backsides in gear, and work on the Christmas 2003 McMadmeet was already underway!

Something else that was also causing a bit of a stir was the response to subscriber Adrian Bell’s review of the recent `Like Father, Like Son` gig at the Bull and Gate. We received emails and even a phone call both supporting and knocking his look on the evening!

With a real mix of people both loving and loathing the band, the best we could advise the MIS readership who had yet to see the group in action was to get along to a gig and make up your own mind.

Obviously, with the Christmas tour being announced, this issue of the MIS featured a fair bit of tour coverage. Not only did we have the full list of dates, complete with box office contact numbers, but Dicka of www.madnessmaddogs.co.uk was kind enough to type-up a fantastic article which appeared in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

Rob Hazelby

 

 

MIS FEATURE

Madness – Small World Linked Forever

This week the new format www.madness.co.uk went online. It’s fifth major new design since it was first registered as a URL in 1997.  We take a look at the old and new, online.

“Hello, I’m Chris …  Would you like to rummage through my drawers?”

That’s how the website began in 1997, developed by Mark and Chris themselves. Chris the ever present replying soul to fans through the old Madness PO box, and Mark who at that time had left the band, with much doubt about whether new Madness material would ever happen, and was working hard in his design company.

Together they took to the new “internet craze”, with a few little pictures, a test card from the ghost train video to show a customary “standby for more content” that was the trend at the time, and some further introductory text here and there. The first phase of a Madness website began with the installation of something called Chris’s Cupboard.

“Every so often we’ll ask Chris Foreman to unlock his cupboard full of Madness Trivia. Who knows what’s inside? It could be a sound sample of a rare song, something to look at from his scrapbook or he even might answer one of your questions … (If he’s awake!)”

So it’s with much happiness we see the new website in 2013 has an ASK tab which retains Chris Foreman in all his cupboard space glory. There is a great new set of “FAQ don’t asks”, there to deal with the mass of unknowing fans now online, and you can still ask the man questions, that if he’s awake, he’ll answer. The more than 16 year online tradition and beyond continues. Great stuff. It’s been on every official website ever.

“Dear All, Thank you very much for your highly interesting comments and queries. One of the most common questions was is this the real Chrissy Boy that you have contacted. We can now exclusively report that due to recent developments in cloning and DNA technology the secret Madcom (TM) labs were able to construct a virtual semi virtual reality humanoid organism using samples of Chrissy Boy’s DNA. The prototype [CB-900 (TM)] ran amock in the lab, howeve,r and had to be shut down. This was found to due to a lack of hair samples which the donor would not supply as he is severely lacking in that department. The technical staff then used a man made fibre developed at the lab and we are pleased to report that the second model [CBF 9000TX (TM)] which came online 1 August ’97 was more successful and is now able to answer any questions on a monthly basis ..”

The earliest prototype Madness site brought the gems of The Original Shut up Lyrics, and 3 samples of unreleased tune “Perfect place” to fans ears.

In 1998 web development companies were brought in to make more of Madness websites. Experiments with new things called “Frames and Flash” began. The first real identity to the website came in the form of cartoon band faces on blue and grey, that Mark had designed to re-spruce the “It’s madness” albums for the forthcoming 20th Anniversary.

This morphed into a brown band outline design which ran in the late 90’s through the “Vote for Fred” and Dr martins launch Wonderful album era, and brought you loads of news now Madness were truly back and recording.

After a month or so offline by May 2001 a bold new all singing red website, with a dancing M, swirling circus themed spotlights intro appeared. Delighting and dazzling, leading you into a land filled with information on animated our house like rooms to every single Madness album. With a comedy cat, that if clicked would send you someone else you didn’t want to be on the internet.

Versions of bed and breakfast man rehearsals and whole perfect place song were given away and the dangermen era teased nicely in yellow posters out from the newspages. It had a page for each band member too, for occasional posts. It was a triumph, and one that by 2008 had annoyed the f**k out of everyone and well over stayed it’s welcome with it’s dam stupid tedious intro you just wanted to skip now, and it’s lack of anything much new.  Indeed for a while The band’s “Myspace” network period took the focus instead, with new tunes like Sorry and NW5 first appearing here.

For the real comeback to the mainstream, a box set of Norton Folgate finally killed flash cat and the dancing M. The arrival of the new double album brought teaser campaigns and graphics to a new level online, (which continue to this day for the band), as the website transformed in a leather desk tidy look, with a secret M society section to join for bootleg gig downloads and exclusive tracks and videos, the first real Madness store of true regular note, galleries, occasionally a treehouse or a basement sprang up before disappearing again, and it had a dancing walnut once. Plenty of free live downloads, and the most regular news the band had ever put out themselves.

One more album on, and that desk has now finally been sold to an antiques dealer in Swaffham.  As in 2013 ipads, mpads, smart phones, smart tv’s, slightly intellectual toasters, laptops, 3d monitors, PC’s, MP3’s and ACDC’s,  5 dimensional immersion helmets and Rob’s old Amiga, (methinks the Amiga may melt having the Madness web site pointed at it – Rob) all want to access Madness.co.uk at the same time, and it has to fit with Madness’ presence on facebook, instagram, google plus, youtube, rss feeds, twitter and imesh search capabilities.  Phew that’s a lot to ask of a site!

How have Madness achieved this?  Well mostly the hardwork of the great team behind them. But if you look closely you’ll see Madness have accomplished the new site by hiding inside seven cardboard boxes. Yes that’s right, as you log onto the new web, you’ll see a birds eye view of the band running around quickly and getting the boxes on their heads into the right formation in order to conjure up the right look for the website which then loads.   Using blog based technology the minimalist design allows for anamorphic fit to most browsers, screen sizes, and format of device. Landscape photography engages most news stories with a better yearly scroll bar archive to all the old news from the previous sites incarnation and this one going forward.

A return to a page for all seven members allows them to utilize the site in future. Currently with most of the band now on official twitter or facebook pages, these links show us where to find the 7 mad men.   As well as links to the mad store, live dates, galleries, videos, all straight forwardly integrated interfaced.

Music sees an extensive shift to the free streaming music of all Madness self penned albums including the elusive THE album in their 1 disc original versions at this time.

Flooding youtube with official links to literally hundreds of songs, so fans use the official tunes now online, and stop promoting the bootleg uploaded fan ones.

Via the songs tab you can access lyrics to these tracks and comment on the website, about each song, which is a neat new hobby that fans should take up to reconnect to talking about the music. I feel it’s a nice touch.

Of the new website’s future we are told  “Still quite a few bits and pieces to go up… will definitely expand the Songs / Albums section. Any thoughts or comments (or mistakes!) you find, please send them over”, by the people building it, as they iron out any beta problems.

We look forward to the “house of fun” tab and the “free stuff” (currently giving never knew your name as a free song) tabs being reused.

Madness.co.uk has come a long way, in the small online world, and it remains linked forever.

Jonathan Young

 

 

TIME…

And finally, it’s nice to see the staff at Haydock Park preparing themselves for the band and their fans, who descended on the venue last night;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g0V19V_naE&feature=youtu.be

Next week in MIS – free beer!

Simon Roberts, Jon Young, Liz Hazelby, Rob Hazelby

(With thanks to Daren West, Sharon Staite and Darren Dicka)