Hello, and warm welcome to this week’s issue of the MIS Online bulletin.

The Madness Weekender’s not quite over, and we’re certain that a great many of you are still there, making the most of the final night in this long weekend of drinking, partying and great music.

On to next year’s event. Yes, seriously! With the weekend barely begun we were already receiving reports from those who’d just arrived, telling us that bookings for the Madness Weekender 2016 were already being taken!

Friday 18^{th –} Monday 21^st November 2016 are the dates for Weekender number 6, which will once again be held in Minehead. We know some of you have already booked your places after taking photos of your booking forms and uploading them to Facebook.

For those of you who were unable to get along to the event this issue features Madness’ set lists from both the Friday and Saturday night gigs, plus one from the Crunch! gig which took place on the Sunday afternoon.

A whole swathe of new Madness songs were aired in public for the first time, and we feature a few fan reactions plus mini reviews.

Going back to the subject of 2016 for a moment, and it wasn’t just Madness who were announcing performances for next year. This week also saw Suggs add a mass of tour dates for his One Man Show, which currently span April and May of 2016.

2015 may be coming to an end, but it seems that there’s already lots to look forward to next year. Check out our Showtimes section for the details.

Finally, while putting together this week’s “That Was The Week That Was” article we were reminded of a 2Tone tour video that Mick Jenner put together back in 2010 – five years ago this week. It’s still online and really worth the seven minutes of its running time. You’ll find the link in “That Was The Week That Was”

Now, sit back and enjoy the read!

Jon Young, Rob Hazelby, Simon Roberts, Paul Williams

 

 

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.

 

Madness

2015

No further gigs planned

2016

November

Friday 18^{th –} Monday 21^st – Madness Weekender 6, Minehead ** NEW **

 

Suggs

March

17^th – An evening with Suggs and Friends for Pancreatic Cancer. The Emirates Stadium

April

22^nd – Scarborough Spa Theatre ** NEW **
23^rd – Lincoln Drill Hall ** NEW **
24^th – Carlisle Sands Centre ** NEW **
25^th – Ilkley King’s Hall ** NEW **
27^th – Bournemouth Pavillion Theatre ** NEW **
28^th – Bath The Forum ** NEW **
29^th – Worcester Huntingdon Hall ** NEW **
30^th – Wrexham William Aston Hall ** NEW **

May

1^st – Crewe Lyceum Theatre ** NEW **
3^rd – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall ** NEW **
5^th – 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire ** NEW **

 

The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra

January 15th 2016 – Jazz Cafe – Camden Town London

 

The Silencerz Featuring Lee Thompson

November

28^th – Collet School – Hemel Hempstead

December

19th – Saffron Walden Town Hall – 9pm

 

Deaf School

November

27th – Preston 53 Degrees
28th – Newcastle, Think Tank  ** DATE MOVED, NOW DEC 11TH **
28th – Buckley, The Tivoli ** REPLACES ABOVE DATE **
29th –  York Duchess

December

9^th Liverpool – Kazimier
10^th Liverpool – Kasimier ** SOLD OUT **
11^th – Newcastle, Think Tank ** MOVED FROM 28^TH NOV **
12th – London, Hoxton, Bar & Kitchen

 

Near Jazz Experience

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/NearJazzExperience

November

24th – The NJE + Support + DJ @The Indo 133 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1DT – 8.30pm, free entry

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/NearJazzExperience

28th – The NJE + Louis Vause + DJs @Kino Teatr, 43-49 Norman Rd St Leonards, E Sussex – 8.30pm, free entry

More info at: https://kino-teatr.co.uk

 

 

HOUSE OF FUN – THE PLAYLISTS

During the two nights of gigs the assembled crowd were treated to over 40 tracks, many of them never heard in public before.

As in previous years, one night was kept aside for a greatest hits run-through, with a separate evening devoted to the airing the more unusual.

Friday night played host to just that – the more unusual, with a stack of never heard before gems.

Madness – Friday 20^th November 2015

• Keep Moving
• You Can’t Touch us Now
• I Believe
• Don’t Leave the Past Behind You
• Promises Promises
• Blackbird on the Wing
• Mumbo Jumbo
• Herbert
• Rockin in Ab
• Grandslam
• Whistle in the Dark
• Another Version of me
• Razor Blade Alley
• Given the Opportunity
• Mr. Apples
• Soul Denying
• House of Fun

 

MIS co-editor, Jonathan Young, was kind enough to post the above list to Facebook, and this quickly generated a masse of comments from the Madness fanbase.

“Bloody HELL!!! I only know 5 of those!!!”, commented Dan Fossard, with Adam Nicholls responding “Fantastic! So much new material! Obviously heard some on [the] Grandslam tour, but bloody hell… They really went above and beyond tonight.”

“Keep Moving at the top takes me back to the Mad Not Mad tour… 30 years? Whoosh, I’m getting old”, followed up Ian Taylor.

For those unable to get along to the event, or were too drunk to remember, Jonathan kindly put together a few mini-reviews of some of the new tracks;

“Whistle in the Dark is a spooky waltz. [It] sounds part musically like an old lost file fans might have heard tagged as theatres are dying…

Mr. Apples, Suggs says, is a song about an old fashioned pervert. It’s catchy and cockney. I reckon it’s McPherson/Barson, like Herbert is…

Soul Denying. This was soundchecked at Madstock 96, but never reached a live rendition until now. The lyrics were online on the old Madness.co.uk web site in the early 2000’s. This was once played live by Thommo’s band, Mr. Wheeze.

Blackbird on the Wing is slower, and has some spoken word and rain effects. It might be another song about Amy Winehouse. It certainly references Soho”.

Saturday’s play list was much more of a run through of the classics, with a sprinkling of the more recent.

Madness – Saturday 21^st November 2015

• House of Fun
• Embarrassment
• The Prince
• NW5
• My Girl
• My Girl 2
• Take it or Leave it
• Where did all the Good Times Go
• Sun and the Rain
• Dust Devil
• Los Palmas 7
• Tomorrow’s Just Another Day
• Lovestruck
• Bed and Breakfast Man
• Shut Up
• Girl (Why Don’t You)
• [Showtime!]
• One Step Beyond
• Wings of a Dove
• Baggy Trousers
• Our House
• It Must be Love
• [Encore]
• Madness
• Night Boat to Cairo

Our thanks go to Mandy Dickenson for making the Saturday list available. Well done in getting it signed by Suggs and Chris!

On the Sunday afternoon, those who were staying on and not due at work on the Monday morning, were treated to a full set from the legendary Crunch!

Crunch – Sunday 22^nd November

• Here he Comes
• Magic Carpet
• Always The Innocent
• Tap Dance
• Saving for a Rainy Day (on playlist, but scribbled-out)
• Daydreamers
• Going Solo
• Whistle
• Fur Elise
• Saints and Sinners
• You Got it!
• Pipe Dream
• Fight Amongst Yourselves
• Birthday Girl
• It’s OK, I’m a Policeman
• People

 

 

BUY IT

Madstock – CD / DVD Edition

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madstock-CD-DVD-Madness/dp/B013P0C9KK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1439655285&sr=8-3&keywords=madstock

Just over 23 years after the famous comeback gigs, and just a month before the live album’s 23rd anniversary of release, Madstock is back.

Last available on DVD in the guided tour boxset only, and last on CD via a crappy on demand print service option many years ago. For around £12 you can now get both together.

The CD contains Razor Blade Alley as a bonus track for the first time on CD from the weekend’s concerts, and collects tracks previously only available from the concerts upon the CD single of The Harder They Come. These 4 bonus tracks have been included at the end of the album, Chrissy Boy has pointed out they aren’t part of the Live Album’s original mixing by Clive Langer being sourced elsewhere and masters are impossible to find nearly 25 years on, so appear as the final bonus tracks on the album.

The album features a new montage of photographs from the weekend as it’s cover, much like the recent CD/DVD edition of Take It Or Leave it.

 

Grandslam T-Shirt Sale 

Did you enjoy this summer’s concerts but perhaps forgot to pick up a souvenir, especially if you went Silverstone where the F1 merchandise overshadowed taking home any Madness goodies.  The remaining Grandslam T-shirts are now just £10.

If you’re small you can get them in grey, and all three main sizes are still available in Blue.

http://madness.sandbaghq.com/home/navy-grandslam-t-shirt.html

Lincoln and Pompey specific football T-shirts are also still available at £15.

 

CRUNCH! Hats and Polo Shirts – Get Ready for Their House of Fun Return
** BACK IN FASHION **

Crunch beanie hats and polo shirts (most sizes available Small / Large / XL / XXL) get them now from the official band page on Facebook, which is run by the ever reliable Mr Swanns.

Order now for pre HOF delivery.  Last day November 16th.

If you’re going to the HOF Weekender you can have your itenm delivered directly  to you as Swanny will be there from the Friday afternoon.

£19.99 polo shirts delivered.   £17.99  collected at House of Fun.

Beanie hats £8

https://www.facebook.com/crunchbandofficial

 

Punch and Judy Madness Toy Theatre

A pop-up miniature theatre, in card form, featuring Punch & Judy. The collage by artist Peter Quinnell was commissioned by British band ‘Madness’ to celebrate their single ‘Lovestruck’ – it features characters from Music Hall, Punch & Judy and Madness videos. Folds down neatly to the size of a 7 inch single, it can be sent as a card. £8.95

http://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/index.php/toy-theatres/punch-judy-lovestruck-diorama.html

 

Madness Craft Beer

http://m.bhs.co.uk/h5/product?productId=20960250

An amazing gift for any Madness and Craft beer fan. This gift pack includes a mix of 2 bottles. Gladness Craft Lager and Lovestruck Premium Amber Ale.

Contents:

• 1 x Gladness Craft Lager 500ml
• 1 x Lovestruck Premium Amber Ale
• Madness Brewing Co. Pint Glass

 

 

OUR HOUSE PROPERTY SOLD

From: www.kilburntimes.co.uk

Harlesden property that featured in Madness ‘Our House’ video is sold for £565k

10^th November 2015

A property in Harlesden which featured in the video of 80s band Madness song ‘Our House’ has been sold days after going on the market.

The mid-terrace house in Stephenson Street was the setting of the 1982 award-winning single that featured the band playing their instruments in the living room.

The property’s current owner listed the £565,000 house using Madness lyrics throughout the description drumming up interest immediately.

You can find the full article with numerous Madness related puns at:

http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/harlesden_property_that_featured_in_madness_our_house_video_is_sold_for_565k_1_4305238

 

 

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 602 – Sunday 21^st November – Saturday 27^th November 2010

Those of you who’d pre-ordered your “House of Fun – The Story of Madness” books would no doubt be pleased to learn that it’d finally been released. All being well, your copy would arrive shortly.

On to the articles, and we started by passing the reporting baton over to Mick Jenner, who gave us the heads-up on a 2Ton Trail, which could be found in Coventry.

“On a recent trip to Coventry, I was pleased to find out that local journalist and 2Tone obsessive Pete Chambers had spent the last few years putting together a ‘2Tone Trail’.

With official support from local authorities, Pete has highlighted several places around the City that were influential in the birth of the 2Tone movement. From the youth club were many of The Selecter and The Specials would hang out as teenagers to Horizon Studios were a majority of the 2Tone music was recorded.

Each location has an official plaque on the wall, much like the familiar Blue Plaques we know and love, except these are black and white. Each unveiling of the past years has had a 2Tone presence from Pauline Black to Buster Bloodvessel.

As a fan of all things 2Tone, this was a fascinating tour around Coventry. An official 2Tone Tour leaflet is available and I clutched mine with great anticipation as I did the walk. I wasn’t disappointed.

I saw a few places where Madness played in those early 2Tone days too and just tried to imagine what it must have been like more than thirty years ago..

Having made a small video back in the summer tracing some ‘Madness Video Locations’ around Camden, it seemed obvious to make The 2Tone Trail as a sequel. I learned a lot from this small tour and hope that other 2Tone fans may enjoy it too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZtWMyfYuoo”

Back on to more Madness related subject matter, and we re-printed an article which had originally appeared on the Hebden Bridge Times webs site.

Calder Valley Youth Theatre had received what the paper described as the ultimate seal of approval – a letter from Suggs, wishing the group good luck with their current production of Our House. The letter, which was handwritten, was read out to all cast members, and was greeted with cheers from all.

We continued with our press re-prints with an article from the Yorkshire Post web site, where, in an interview with Suggs, our favourite frontman spoke of the previous 35 years, and on putting together the band’s first new album in around a decade.

Elsewhere, we featured an interview with John Reed, the author of the new House of Fun book. Regular readers would recall that a few weeks prior we ran a competition for a signed copy of John’s new book. To be in the running, all you had to do was send in some questions for John to answer. And in this issue John did just that.

Were you one of those people who still hadn’t ordered tickets for the forthcoming Christmas tour? It kicked off on the 26^th in Blackpool, so you really needed to get your skates on. This week we featured contact details for each venue, so if you wanted to get hold of tickets you just needed to pick up the phone and be armed with your debit card.

Next, we featured a short interview with Daryl Smith of Size 12 Records. Size 12 had recently re-issued the first 3 Madness albums on vinyl, and they’d now launched a web site for mail order sales.

Albums currently available to order on vinyl were One Step Beyond, Absolutely and 7.

We brought this issue to a close with the news that Suggs was planning to use a bran new Romany caravan when touring the following Summer. Very nice!

10 years ago…

Issue number 342 – Sunday 20th November to Saturday 26th November 2005

In last week’s edition of the MIS Stateside subscriber Joe Schipsi emailed us with details of the “VH1 Classic for Pay to Play for Hurricane Relief” campaign, and the line-up of classic tracks he’d made donations to have played.

With the campaign still in full swing, Joe had since been back in touch to explain how other US Maddies could get some of their favourite tunes aired, and at the same time make a donation to the more than worthy cause.

Moving on, and in an effort to keep the MIS Online web up-to-date with the latest technology we added an optional RSS feed for you to subscribe to. The RSS feed gave subscribers access to the latest (as well as back) issues of the bulletins, as well as information on all site updates as soon as they went live.

There were only a few RSS update links currently on the site, but we hoped that these would grow over the course of time.

Continuing on the subject of the MIS site, and we’d been pleased with the response our request for new material in last week’s issue had had. We’d received a number of offers of new material and whilst some of these we unfortunately were unable to accept due to copyright reasons, subscriber Michael Gleeson was currently packing up a whole batch of tapes for us to encode and make available to all of you.

We were still on the lookout for yet more material, so asked you to dig through your archive of aging videotapes, and see if there was something there that we were currently missing from the web site.

On to charity news now, and Madness turned out for a charity fundraising event in Wrexham, Wales, on Friday night as part of the BBC’s annual Children in Need Appeal.

Madness appeared in full caps, wooly hats and buttoned up coats mode, in order to cope with the descending british temperature, though sunglasses still also very much evident.

“It’s a lovely isn’t it boys and girls, so hot” quipped Suggs.

The small set consisted of:

Our House

You Keep me hanging on

Girl

Chase the Devil

It must be love

Next it was over to the Hendon and Finchley Times, which featured a lengthy interview with the one and only Lee Thompson. The interview finished off with a reminder that the next Lee Thompson and The Camden Cowboys gig would take place this coming Saturday.

Moving on, and we focussed on the messageboard over on the official Madness web site. Lee and Chris had both answered a number of questions over the past week or so, and we decided to re-print the most interesting ones for your reading pleasure.

We finished off this week’s issue with a reminder to those thinking of coming to the Astoria gig that tickets were pretty much sold out anywhere, and the only place currently selling them was Ebay.

Obviously, with only a few tickets up for grabs the asking prices were already start to rocket as demand increased.

15 years ago…

Issue number 80 – Sunday 19th November to Saturday 25th November 2000

Following last week’s lean edition of the MIS, you’d be pleased to know that things seemed to have changed this week with loads of little bits and pieces of info arriving in the MIS mailbox on an almost daily basis.

We were keeping our fingers crossed that this trend continued. If you kept sending the info in we’d keep printing it!

Some of you may recall some mention of a Madness stage show that was currently in the planning stages. Well, things seemed to me moving along if this snippet from the Daily Record was anything to go by;

“EIGHTIES legends Madness are writing a West End musical based on their hits. Singer Suggs met top script writers to come up with a storyline weaved around the band’s hits. But none of the group will appear in the show. A theatrical source said: ‘They want to capture the essence of Madness without it being a story about the       band. All the hits will be in there”.

Our thanks went to Iain Mason for digging that out.

Attention all Radio 2 listeners! Andy Clayden reported that the legendary Suggs would be appearing on Mark Lamarr’s Radio 2 show this coming Wednesday at 9pm. For those of you not based in the UK, you should have been able to listen to the show via Real Audio.

The Friday before this issue went out saw the BBC celebrate 21 years of `Children in Need` with its most extravagant show to date. As regular readers of the MIS would no doubt be aware, a special edition of A Question of Sport Meets A Question of Pop was staged. Team captains were Sue Barker (for the Question of Sport Team) and Jamie Theakston (for the Question of Pop) team. The all-famous Suggs was present, but we had no idea how well either of the teams did. If you knew, we asked that you emailed in with the details.

On to this week’s articles, and we reported on the Los Palmas 6 gig which took place on Wednesday 15th November in Brighton. 5 bands were on the bill with the LP6 finishing the evening.

Moving on, and we moved slightly off the subject of Madness, and instead reported on the knighting of Michael Caine, who would now be known as “sir” Michael. One Jonathan Young suggested that a re-mix with the word “sir” in the title should be on the cards.

It was back to Madness next as we announced that a new CD album in conjunction with Channel Five’s “Night Fever” had just been released. The album, entitled `Night Fever`, featured a photo of the legendary Madness front man on the front cover, whilst the back listed a varied selection of karaoke `classics` for you to sing along to over the forthcoming beer-induced festive period and beyond.

Continuing on a CD related theme and Andrew Langmead reported that the Ultimate Band List (www.ubl.com) had the newly released Madness singles album, “Madness – The Ultimate Collection” for sale. UK Maddies could buy the album for $18.94 including delivery, which was approximately £13.50. Andrew told us that this was a much better price than you could get it for from any of the UK sites as an import.

Elsewhere we had a quick rummage on Ebay and dug out a number of goodies that the collectors amongst you would no doubt want to add to your collections (if they weren’t in there already, of course!)

We rounded off this issue with a detailed review from Emma Southerby of the recent Los Palmas gig in Brighton. Despite only having 3 hours sleep we were still treated to a blow-by-blow account of the goings on. How’s that for being above and beyond the call of duty?

Rob Hazelby

 

 

TIME…

Next week we’ll be featuring a detailed account of the Madness Weekender, courtesy of Jonathan Young. If you were unable to attend the weekend, or were simply too plastered to remember what went on, we hope that Jon’s write-up will help to fill in some of the blanks.

If you attended the Weekender and would like to knock up a review please send it in to us. We’d love to publish it in next week’s MIS.

In the meantime, we know that there’ll be many Madness fans sad that the Weekender is coming to an end, but at the same time very pleased that they finally get to sleep in their own beds and catch up on some much needed shut-eye.

Until next week, take care,

Jon Young, Rob Hazelby, Simon Roberts, Paul Williams