Madness Information Service Online Newsletter Issue Number: 862 – Sunday 15th November to Saturday 21st November 2015
Hello, and a very warm welcome to this latest issue of the MIS Online newsletter – the last to go out before the 2015 Madness Weekender in Minehead lands with a thud!
We have an absolutely packed issue for you this week, featuring not one but two feature articles. Not only that, but our Madstock competition comes to an end, and the winner of our second copy to give away is revealed. We had a really great response from the MIS readership with this competition, and we’re pleased to feature the entries for your reading pleasure.
If that wasn’t enough, we feture details of the latest Retro Madness offer, and feature our usual round-up of forthcoming gigs, items to buy, and we take a look at 5, 10 and 15 years ago this week.
So, 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
November 2015
November 20th – 23rd 2014 – Minehead – The House Of Fun Weekender Five
The Weekender also features sets by Woody Woodgate, Crunch!, Clang and much, much more….
Suggs
March 17th 2016 – An evening with Suggs and Friends for Pancreatic Cancer. The Emirates Stadium
The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra
January 15th 2016 – Jazz Cafe – Camden Town London
The Silencerz Featuring Lee Thompson
November
28th – Collet School – Hemel Hempstead **New**
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
9th Liverpool – Kazimier
10th Liverpool – Kasimier ** SOLD OUT **
11th – Newcastle, Think Tank ** MOVED FROM 28TH 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 SHOWTIMES
THE BIG TOP PAVILLION
Friday
Darren Bennett 19.30
Madness 20.30
Saturday
Reggae aerobics 12.30 & 14.00
Fancy Dress (Madness Videos)
Darren Bennett 19.30
Madness 20.30
CENTRE STAGE
Friday
22.00 Cuban Brothers
00.00 Dub Pistols
01.00 Norman Jay
Saturday
22.00 Prince Fatty
23.00 Gentleman’s Dub Club
00.00 David Rodigan
01.30 Shy Fx
Sunday
14.15 Clang
15.30 Crunch!
17.00 Woody Woodgate.
19.00 Geno Washington
20.00 New Street Adventure
20.45 Tiro lark
22.15 Craig Charles Funk and Soul show
INN ON THE GREEN
Friday
16.00 Deano Mumford
18.30 Sister cookie
00.00 Mr Happy
Saturday
15.00 Bed and Breakfast man
18.00 Gorgeous George
00.00 Mr Happy
Sunday
14.00 Chris Sullivan
16.00 musical bingo
20.00 Mr Happy
22.00 Deano Mumford
REDS
Friday
Hollie Cook featuring Horseman 22.30
Chainska Barassica 00.00
Reggae roast 01.00
Saturday
Comedy
Kevin McCarthy 14.00
Garret millick 14.15
Junior Simpson 14.35
Micky dee 14.55
Eddie brimsom 15.15
Rich Wilson 15.35
Mick ferry 15.55
Andy Adkins 16.15
Music
The Amphetameanies 22.15
The Church 23.30
Sunday
Comedy
Kevin McCarthy 14.00
Garret Millick 14.15
Junior Simpson 14.35
Micky dee 14.55
Eddie Brimsom 15.15
Rich Wilson 15.35
Mick ferry 15.55
Andy Adkins 16.15
JAKS
Friday
Fat relic – 22.15
Tambu – 23.30
Silent disco 1.30am
Saturday
Clang group. 22.15
Lottery Winners 23.30
Darren Bennet 00.30
Sunday
Lovestruck Punch and Judy Prize Draw (final registration & Diorama photo’s) 12.00
(and prize giving, and beermats given out between bands and during the shows)
Hometown HIFI 13.00
The lnflatables 14.00
GRANDSLAM GAMES
Saturday
Sumofootball – 12.00 – 14.00 @ 5 aside pitches.
Darts – Saturday 15.00 – 17.00 @ Jaks
Sunday
Rounders – 12.00 – 14.00 @ Blue skies hotel outside
Pool – 14.30 – 16.00 @ Sports Bar
Bowling – 16.00 – 18.00 @ Sports Bar
Sunday Medals Ceremony @Centre Stage 18.30
BUY IT
Madstock – CD / DVD Edition
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
MIS FEATURE – DECIPHERING MUMBO JUMBO
It’s never easy working out the colourful lyrical language of Mr Lee Jay Thompson because of the clever poetical intertwining of words and images in his Writing. Working out then, what the songs are about often also requires pointers from the man himself.
So, cracking a song called Mumbo Jumbo was never going to be easy. But we’ve given it a shot. It’s clear then that this new album working title song, and indeed the title track for Friday Nights Butlins set of old, new and borrowed tunes, is a political song.
Clearly calling out the government’s loss of touch with the common man, and the utter bollocks involved in dealing with suits at number 10 or elsewhere in modern politics.
We’ve perhaps not got every word right in our transcriptionifyicationing of nonsensenicalnonsenseabable. But hey. We think we are 90% there on adjusted terms over time.
And perhaps you’d like to be able to sing a long a bit on Friday at The House of Fun. We’ll see you there.
Mumbo Jumbo
From the dawn of man
To the present day
You speak gobbledee gook …
To get your own way
Cutting up a melon
To manipulate
Serving up a supper
On a poisoned plate
Mumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
The masses who reject it
Showing you the door
Their peaceful demonstration
Is past the point, to ignore
Mumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
You represent the party
But never betray
Crumbling infrastructure
Comes falling away
Huddle together, raise your right arm
Stoke a little fear, back down on Maggie’s farm
Mumbo
It’s all Mumbo Jumbo
You propagate the notion that pigs will fly
Rustle up a little nonsense to divert the eye
Mumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
(solo)
Mumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
Speak a different language
No one else can relay
Talk in riddles
Only you can convey
Mumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
You propogate the notion that pigs will fly
Social services are stretched
But their hands are tied
Mumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
You promised us the pudding
But never the proof
A cathedral of procedure
Sodomise the truth
The masses who reject it
Showing you the door
Their peaceful demonstration
Is past the point, to ignore
Mumbo
It’s all Mumbo Jumbo
Unbelievable
Inconceivable
Sensational
Educational
Propaganda, ministers
Propaganda, ministers
It’s all..
Mumbo
Mubo Jumbo
Song Lee Thompson / Keith Finch / Madness.
Transcribed by Jonathan Young.
THE PUNCH AND JUDY PRIZE DRAW – SUNDAY FROM 12 @ JAKS
The MIS team bring a traditional seaside show
The MIS bring a traditional sea side side show to The House of Fun weekender. Well we are giving away some cool mad prizes to you while dressed in suitably silly hats anyway! That much is true. Punch and Judy are now stars of the Lovestruck beer bottle and the Madness Record store day 2015 Lovestruck 7 inch.
They are the theme for our prize giving event at The House of Fun weekender 2015.
“Since being on Madness beer bottles, Mr Punch has been a naughty boy and stolen some cool Madness items, now chased down by a Crocodile, a Policeman and worst of all his wife! We recover those goodies and give them to you the lucky prize winners attending our event at The Madness House of Fun Weekender. In Jaks bar Sunday from Midday.”
The Prizes
- A Lovestruck Record Store Day 2015 7 inch (With Punch & Judy insert pop up theatre, designed by Pollocks toy store Covent Garden and artist Peter Quinell) one of 1,000 records made available on Record Store day this year.
- Some Lovestruck bottled Madness beer.
- A large Lovestruck T -Shirt.
- An original CD promo of Lovestruck from the 90’s and a unique flyer image promoting the original single.
- More Madness beer items. A Gladness beer pump clip and a Madness Brewery Beer Towel
- A Punch and Judy Madness Lovestruck pop up card 3d theatre. Peter Quinells concept art version. This slightly differs from the final completed art work in a few interesting ways. This is a unique mock up one of only 10.
- A Punch and Judy pop up card 3d theatre. From Pollock’s toy store in Covent Garden, a completely different original Punch and Judy pop up card theatre display that they stock, one that inspried the idea for Madness to do such a thing in a record design this year.
There are also further impromptu prizes from The Ghost, The Devil and old Jack Ketch!
Over 100 fans are already registered online. But it’s not too late. You can still catch us from 12.00 Midday until 1pm to get your name on the draw list. See the policeman outside Jaks.
You have to be present at the show to win, no prizes will be kept for any names read out but are then absent, those prizes will be redrawn instantly.
A bank card with the same name as you are registered under may be required to be shown as proof of identity to our policeman when collecting your prize so make sure your facebook account matches your real name.
Also, come along and have a seaside postcard photo with the large Madness Punch and Judy Theatre.
The fun starts from around 12 mid day when we will be outside Jaks with a 4ft high version of The Madness Lovestruck Punch and Judy theatre Pop up theatre Diorama card (a large version of what was found inside this years lovestruck 7 inch) given to us by Pollocks Toy Store Covent Garden. And its your chance to get a photograph with the item. It makes a nice nutty frame moment. You can have a selfie, subject to demand during this hour and DD photography will be creating a gallery online. Thanks Darren. This massive version was part of Transport for London’s In bloom display this year at Covent Garden Tube.
After your last chance to register for the competition there, join us in our two band tea time show.
MIS Presents Live Bands
MIS Presents two bands this year in jaks bar from 1pm sharp on Sunday afternoon.
Ska Freshers Home Town Hi Fi at 1pm & Classic ska and reggae hit coversmen The Inflatables from 2pm.
Auctions.
The Large Punch and Judy Madness Lovestruck Pop up Theatre. We are also auctioning the item for Specialized. Let us know if you are interested.
The lovestruck vinyl test pressing was auctioned this year through MIS the winner, has now been sold, the winner will be announced at the weekender.
Bid away on the facebook event page if you want to take home the giant 4ft Diorama or email us Jonsmad@hotmail.com The final call on this auction will be made at The House of Fun Weekender where the winner will be announced during the show and must collect this that evening. After paying direct to a just giving page for Teenage Cancer trust. So you must be either at that weekender to take part or have someone there willing to collect it on your behalf, no later than Monday early.
The Punch and Judy Lovestruck Beer Mat.
Lastly you will really want to pop by our live bands show at The House of Fun Weekender early on, to get one of 300 free Lovestruck Beer Mat’s from us. A cartoon masterpiece depicting Mr Punch falling in love with lamppost while knocking back the Madness beer. But who’s that with Judy on the Bside?????? Find out at our show.
The cartoons are draw by veteran nutty cartoonist Sean Gaskin, who’s work you might know from The Dublin Castle, The 30th anniversary tribute album of Madness and previous MIS endeavours such as Miswas and Mad Inc. Thanks Sean.
See you there. That’s the way to do it.
Jonathan Young
MIS FEATURE – MEANIES MINEHEAD MADNESS MEANDERINGS
The Amphetameanies – bringing Scottish ska to Minehead
“Tribute bands?” says Gordy ‘Meanie, the scary-eyed bassist of Glasgow’s notorious ska ensemble, The Amphetameanies. “I f*cking hate them. Well, I mean, I don’t give two hoots about a U2 covers act, or whatever – because I don’t care about U2. But when I see an act doing Madness, trying to fill those shoes, I don’t… maybe its unreasonable, but it makes me want to throw stuff at them. Big stuff. Chairs, fire extinguishers…”
The Amphetameanies – commonly abbreviated to The ‘Meanies – are trekking down to the imminent House of Fun Weekender, bringing their brassy, bouncy blend of self-penned 2Tone and scratchy Scottish indie to keep the Saturday night party jumping up in the Reds venue after Madness finish their ‘all the hits’ set in the main room. And Gordy is trying to explain to MIS how his band came about.
“Yeah I suppose The Amphetameanies started as a direct, drunken reaction to all the pishwater cabaret 2Tone cover bands that were about in the 90s. We were almost a protest band… angry young girls and boys, trying to tip the cardboard pork-pie hat off the ska scene.
Me and Stan, who was to become our singer, were at a scooter rally… Southport it might have been… we’d rode there two-up, on a cutdown vespa, with a wee daft sports seat, and Stan’s a big lad, so I suppose we’d hit the sauce pretty hard from the moment we arrived, to erase the memory of being jammed groin to arse for 200 miles.
Then there was this Madness tribute band on at the do, and my blood was boiling from the outset. I’d learned bass by playing along with the Madness albums, and the tribute guy just wasn’t doing it right. And the singer…” he pauses, clearly still horrified by the memory. “Everyone thinks Suggs is easy to impersonate, but they forget that he’s quite economical with his wee tics – not jittering like he’s being electrocuted for the duration. And he doesn’t sing like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. At least not when he’s sober.”
The upshot of all this was that, talking long into the night on the scooter rally campsite, helped along by the stimulant effects of Buckfast tonic wine, the boys resolved to form a ska band that “wouldn’t be a shite”, and would write its own songs, with the modest ambition of adding something new and worthwhile to a 2Tone playlist that had been set in stone since 1981.
“That was 96 or 95, I think, in the period when Madness were just popping up every Christmas to tour a set of oldies, and the world was a duller place for it. What I’d loved about Madness was their ability to keep on surprising you with new songs, each one better than the last – watching them on Top of The Pops in that productive era was like watching Hurricane Higgins clearing a table. Top pocket – bang! Side pocket – whap! Top cushion and back down this end – ker-plunk!
When they lost the will to write, I started to lose the will to listen. There was maybe a touch of Field of Dreams about forming the ‘meanies – applying aggressive CPR to the Scottish ska scene in the hope that its wee heartbeat might echo further afield…”
The ‘Meanies quickly coalesced from the primordial soup of Glasgow’s 90s underground scene, which was just emerging from a phase of everyone wanting to sound like Sonic Youth or Dinosaur jnr… “a whole lot of detuned guitars and faux-yank accents” as Gordy remembers it.
“When me and Stan floated the idea of a ska band, it was such a change, such a stylistic revolution locally, that we were soon fighting folk off, everyone wanted a piece of it. We peaked at 11 members, then whittled it down to nine.”
Amongst those nine were talented young songwriters Alex Huntly and Mick Cooke (who have since enjoyed substantial success with Franz Ferdinand and Belle and Sebastian respectively) who were right up for flexing their muscles with all the possibilities that a three-piece brass section, two guitars, a Hammond organ and a boy/girl singing duo offered.
“From the off, Alex and Mick went mental, quietly in competition with each other really, to see who could write the most killer song and get it into the set. We had our first album written within a year, and by the time we arranged a deal to release it, we were opening the mainstage at T in the Park with Joe Strummer, Blur and The Beautiful South stood in the wings, smiling and nodding. Absolutely f*cking surreal.”
Around about 2002, Alex’s other band – “his wee experimental band, he always had one on the go” – abruptly took off and he departed the ‘meanies to take over the world. They filled the gap with lanky guitarist John Disco, formerly of the electro-pop trio Bis, allegedly the youngest band to ever appear on Top of the Pops.
“We’d known JD for years, and knew he was a big ska fan, so he just fit right in, and started writing tunes for us. We’ve really been lucky with our songwriting – it was a total accident that we got this range of talented folk onboard, and I’ve always liked that it mirrors Madness where, you know, there’s always been three, or four, or five strong writers, rather than one tortured genius and his backing band.”
But the ‘Meanies are no Madness tribute band. “Meanies, Madness, seven letters starting with ‘M’ and ending in ‘S’… do you like what I did there?” grins Gordy. “But beyond the basic ska underpinning, the ‘Meanies don’t sound much like them. We sound like ourselves. The most effective ‘tribute’ I could pay to Madness, a band that have meant so much to me over the years, was just to try to be as individual as they were. Write our own songs, about the stuff that matters to us, and don’t be anyone’s pale imitation.”
To date, the Ampheteameanies have released three long-players on CD and vinyl. Their first, ‘Right Line in Nylons’, was a fast and furious collision of wonky ska melodies and colourful language, earning plays on Radio One and rave reviews from Kerrang and Scootering Magazine. Their second LP, ‘Now! That’s What I Call…The Amphetameanies’, saw the punky scratch tempered with more pop sensibility and playful lyricism, although still peppered with gratuitous swearing. The ‘Meanies’ third album ‘Last Chance Bordello’, which has been described as “mature”, an adjective the band vehemently reject, was released earlier this year, and fell into the hands of one Mike Barson.
“Mike liked the album. I think that’s what got us the gig at House of Fun. Well, that and all the begging letters and bribes and stuff,” says Gordy.
“It is really quite a thing to be asked onto this bill. Deep inside my cynical old soul, there’s a remnant of the 14-year-old me that’s been doing the Snoopy happy-dance ever since. I sincerely hope that we don’t get pissed and make a total arse of the occasion, but what will be, will be. Nine old friends together for the weekend with just one hour of organised activity to keep us occupied and out of mischief. It’s going to be memorable, whatever happens.”
The Amphetameanies are playing Saturday night in Reds, at 10.15pm. The Madness Saturday night show is scheduled to finish in the Skyline Pavilion at 10pm, a five minute walk away. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to get served at the bar. You do the sums.
The Amphetameanies: ‘Nothing’s OK’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj_ptweLhWg
The Amphetameanies: ‘Say Something Special’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx-n46foGgU
The Amphetameanies: ‘Goodbye Boyfriend’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxECDJbVcUI
MIS COMPETITION – WIN COPY OF MADSTOCK
A Chance to View the Entries and See Who’s Won!
Ian Taylor
“My favourite Madness song live is… NW5
Because… it encapsulates everything that matters to me as a Madness fan…the tune that you feel you’ve known all your life, the meaningful lyrics, cryptic yet clever, emotive and making of motion. Most of all, it conveys a sense of past, present and future. As we dance to it in the ‘here and now’, we recognise this seemingly ‘new’ song is as firmly entrenched in the set list as anything from the heady days of 79 and 80. It is fresh yet authentic, showing off skills earned through experience but still representing modern Madness…which reminds us that every new album promises new old favourites. The delivery is always vibrant, the crowd welcome it with open arms and dancing feet and…yes, they can and do give us everything”
—–
Chris Histle
“My favourite MADNESS song live has to be GRANDSLAM.It got my feet stomping for the whole evening and made the atmosphere electric. WELL DONE LADS!!!!”
———–
Dianne Read
“I loved hearing Take it or leave it sung live at Alexandra Palace a couple of years ago. Hadn’t heard it for ages. Went home afterwards and dug out my Absolutely album. Brought back some memories, ie buying it on cassette when it first came out (I was 12) and then losing it before I got home!!! Had to save up and buy it again”
————-
John Mcglone
“My favourite Madness song live is Swan Lake….because… It gives you the chance to feign a headbutt on a total stranger then give them a hug afterwards ;-)”
————
Paul Russell
“I love ‘Night boat to Cairo’ because of the slow background build up, although changed recently for the shows without Chas. Just a bit of slow piano building, some guitar maybe a slow bit of bass, out of synch, out of sequence. You aren’t sure until you hear the bombshell of Lee’s sax. And once started full tempo, full bloodied, stomping, skanking, chaos, carefully orchestrated, defy anybody not to dance, the false taper before woods picks it back, Barso battering the life out of the keyboard, probably madness’s most fun track, especially live, not many tunes would sit as happily opening or closing the show, to tee you up or leave you wanting more.”
———–
Paul Mckay
“My fav song is My Girl
It never dates and reminds me of a ex girlfriend who used to moan at me for wanting to stay in and watch the footie “on TV every now and then”.
Like the lyrics she used to think “I had enough of her” .
I was quite happy for her to come round and watch the game but she got fed up as I wouldn’t talk!!
In the end I had a choice, footie or her….it was simple…I gave up watching the footie on TV and instead got a season ticket!!! I got dumped but fell in love with the FA Cup Winning Team”
—————–
Brendon Guy Boby.
“For me it has to be Grey Day. A very underrated single released song, very dub and somewhat downward to the nutty sound but that is what makes the song work, even more so than live and each live version even has a different instrumental ending mainly Chris’s guitar and I do have around 4/5 versions of the song live. The bass kicks beautifully when at a gig you feel it In the ground running up your legs into your soul and I last heard it live at Haydock 2013, I even private messaged Woody on Facebook after the show and told him that song is at best live and never drop it from the set LOL
I took my other half to her firstMmaddie gig “mad head” and spent months explaining to her why I love this song so much live and when she hears it she will “get it” and understand why, unfortunately Madness dropped the song from its set 
but to my surprise I found an old cd I made years ago with them versions of live grey day tracks on it I put it on and my other half was actually pointing out she likes how different the instrumental ends to each song and considering she had hated this song since the dawn of time, she finally “got it” got what I couldn’t explain but you could only witness by hearing it live Drum,Bass,Brass Guitar and Mike twinkle fingers on keyboard . Enough I’m off to cry into my coffee for my favourite live track has been dropped.“
————
Richard King
“I’ve been wondering a lot about favourite tracks and was thinking this was a really tough one. It’s always brilliant to hear something less common so I loved hearing “Believe Me” at the recent Grandslam gigs and “In the Rain” or “The Hunchback of Torriano” some years ago but then all usual tunes sound brilliant right from the clarion call of “One Step” and then moving into “Embarrassment”. However, when I was listening to Madness the other day the opening to “Night Boat” started me thinking that this song has to be the one for me. I found it very touching the first time I saw them play this when the bands friends and family along with the pearly king and queen started going for it on stage and since then I have always enjoyed this celebration at the end of their shows.
At the Grandslam in Brighton this year I got to organise a ska marching band that entertained the audience during the day. This was the second time I’ve had this privilege as there had originally of a very generous offer from the band when they realised we were fans to have us along for the day to Madstock in 2009 and it was fantasic to have the chance to do it again. We were thrilled this year when we were also invited to go on stage for “Night Boat”. My four year old son had wanted to join my marching band and this was his first gig. He took his drumming very seriously and had a great time. I couldn’t believe we all ended up on stage and Madness were lovely to us. As we waited in the wings to go on Chrissy boy looked over to one of the kids in our band who was playing the coconut shells and told her “that was my first instrument” onstage he later offered our harmonica player his microphone. The highlight for me was Suggs shaking my son’s hand and squeezing his cheek. They really are an unassuming and great bunch of people.
Madness are most definitely a band both for and of the people so seeing the celebrations and love for the band when they play “Night Boat” has to make this my top live track.”
————
Alisa hunt
“THE SUN AND THE RAIN…because I remember watching the BBC closing down concert..don’t know about sun but there sure was a lot of rain that night! Despite the downpour it didn’t manage to dampen the spirits of anyone there.. The sun and the rain is such an uplifting song with an infectious melody..
It was a spectacular evening full of nostalgia and quips from Suggs a truly memorable
Historical event, with an iconic English band, with typical British weather!!!!”
——-
Mark Nolan
“House of Fun is my fav live – cos I was 16 when it was No 1 – and I’m 16 going on 50 when Madness play it – I think we are all lucky to have grown up together and we are still all going strong – Welcome to the House of Fun !!”
—–
Paul Findlay
“One Step Beyond, the live version from Dance Craze.
It is pure Mad Energy at it’s very best and brilliantly finished off with the crowd stomping and chanting the name “Madness” to the very end!”
——————
Juliette Boo
“My favourite song live has to be sunshine voice because I’d never heard it live and only on take or leave it before that and when I was a teenager it was how I felt about Suggs and madness and secretly still do, but don’t tell my husband lol. It always makes me think of that picture of Suggs and Carl by the words Sunshine boys too. I love going to Butlins and getting to hear songs I would have only heard if I was around at that time in those circles of friends. Thank you Madness you always make me happy.
You are like sunshine to me. you are everything I need it’s plain to see. I love you madly. I need you badly. And that’s the way that things are gonna be”
———-
John Lawerance
“I like Shut Up. Because…
One of the only Madness songs to contain any real dedicated Madness movement; close your eyes and count to 3…..
Then hand in the air and outstretch fingers 1….2….3
It also differentiates those in the know from the first-time fans – and a chance to educate them for future us”
——-
P Oldroyd
“Drip Fed Fred, this is because it brings back memories of the late great Ian Dury. Although it was not a live performance of the song when Madness played the Albert Hall, seeing the band each raise their glass to the King of the Blockheads was a very moving event.
Disappear, always loved this song but when they played it at Alexandra Palace it rebooted it for me. Now whenever I hear it memories of that night come flooding back. It was not the last time I saw Chas with the band but it felt like a farewell, in hindsight it I guess it was.
How Can I Tell You, the first time I heard this performed at the original HOF Weekender it struck a chord with me in more ways than one. 2010 my son was born, the first night at Minehead hearing the lyrics Chas had written for his children felt like words I would say to my own kids. Now whenever I hear the song live I think of my kids who are just a little to young to come with me to see Madness live.
One Step Beyond, maybe a obvious song to pick as a favourite live song but as someone who was in the crowd for the first Madstock in 1992. That magic moment when Chas shouted out the rally cry never meant more than on that night. That and every other time I have been in the audience to hear it and join in. The sadness that i/we may never hear it again is outweighed by the happiness of all the times I did hear it live leading it into some amazing concerts I have seen the band perform all over ‘This Sceptred Isle’”
————
Dan Fossard
“Night Boat To Cairo. Not only is it my favourite song ever in the history of the universe but it is also the song that always gets the biggest cheer at Madness gigs cos they mainly play it last and everyone gets their skank on one last time.
For me it is especially good as it was the very first Madness song I ever learnt to play on the piano about, ooh, 30 odd years ago at least! Not only that but in recent years thanks to a certain Duff Kelly I (we- me and him) have been going to Madness gig dressed up in full on Night Boat video outfits with pith helmets and everything! We always get noticed at gigs and always get people wanting their photos taken with us which we always are happy to do. We once even got mentioned in the national press from a gig at the Astoria in London where review had spoken about the 2 lads down the front going mental in their safari helmets! :o)
Night Boat to me is the ultimate Madness song. It has everything. The classic off beat skank, the genius singalong lyrics, the rasping sax solo, the melodies. It even had violins! But what makes this extra special is not only the entire verse of instrumental at he start which (as far as I’m aware) no other Madness song has but it’s that initial PAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPP!!!!!!!!!!!! on Lee’s baritone sax that always get the huge roar at gigs and makes everyone’s hairs on the back of their arms stand up on end! That is worth the ticket price on its own. And the Madstock album version of it (from the Sunday) is, in my humble opinion, their best ever rendition of that song. That cheer when Thommo blows his sax is just epic! That note he plays was so deep the whole of Finsbury Park rumbled! The greatest moment in pop history and the greatest singalong of all time.
You can imagine my surprise when, after going to see Madness on a regular basis most of my adult life, and hearing that song played last almost every time, to rock up to a gig in Leeds on my birthday dressed in full on safari gear (Docs, helmet, shorts and short sleeved shirt in December I might add!) only to have the ultimate birthday present…. Night Boat To Cairo played first!!! FIRST!!!! What a treat! I was expecting One Step Beyond but then the Egyptian intro started with all those old film clips and I was thinking…. “Hello? What’s going on here then?” Pyramids? Cleopatra? Boats? Trumpets? Violins? Never seen this before at a Madness gig. Then lo and behold, Thommo walks onstage casual as you like, on his own, holding his sax, and I’m thinking… “NO, it can’t be? Can it?” And then (almost welling up on the spot) the unthinkable happens and he blows his signature foghorn intro! PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!!!!!!!!!! Then the curtain pings off and the band are there ready and waiting and everybody goes mental and me, feeling, fully refreshed on birthday beverages, goes into a frenzy of complete mayhem! Along with the 10,000 others and Night Boat begins. Imagine that?? Full revved up for a Madness gig, not knackered after a 90 minute set, not covered in sweat for once, just a very happy birthday boy absolutely going for it down the front with his best mate giving it some! Happy Birthday to me!!! As if seeing your all time favourite band in your birthday isn’t good enough (it’s the best present ever) but them playing your all time favourite song first is something so epic I cannot put it into words! It’s like opening the best ever present! Oh what fun we had”
———-
Del Weston
“My favourite Madness song live is My girl.
The boys these days play a slowed down intro version and it’s always done in a way that gives me goosebumps.
My girl has always been my favourite Madness song, but to hear it in the slowed down format is breathtaking.
For Madness fans that prefer a more typical faster song, you dont need to wait long until things speed up when they perform this song live.
Absolutely brilliant live”
————
Scott Lightfoot
“Night Boat To Cairo
Because no matter what kind of fan you are, as soon as you hear the sax, an instrument which is so associated generally with the band, there is an instant roar amongst the crowd. It can be used at the beginning or end of a setlist, either to welcome fans to the mad times ahead or to close off those mad times. Fabulous music stems from each instrument. The bass and piano go hand in hand, as do the guitar and sax. It is so easy to find yourself moving along to the drums. As I said to various strangers (yes I was little under the influence) at Durham “If you don’t dance, you haven’t got your money’s worth”. With a live performance of this song it makes the whole gig worth every penny, whether 3 songs are played or 18 songs are played. It has always had a solid place in a Madness setlist since 1979 and for that reason has a special place in my heart and ears.”
So, Who is the Lucky Winner?
We’d like to say a very big thank you to everyone who took part in our prize winning competitions for the two copies of the new Madstock album we had up for grabs. We really enjoyed reading through your entries, and we hope that fellow MIS subscribers have done also.
Our thanks also go to Holly Barringer at BMG, who without her generosity we wouldn’t have had two copies of Madstock to give away.
As we had so many great entries land in our mailbox it was extremely difficult to sift through the list and pick a winner. So, what did we do? Well, in the end we assigned each entry a number, and then we asked a non MIS team member to pick one of the numbers at random.
And so, it gives us great pleasure to announce that the winner of our second copy of Madstock is…. Juliette Boo!
Juliette, please email us your contact details over to robert@mis-online.net
Rob Hazelby
PRICE REDUCTIONS AT RETRO MADNESS
In an attempt to clear out a lot of stuff that we have in bulk, we’ve reduced the prices of 60 items to ridiculously low prices such as £3 for T Shirts and Polo shirts, £2 for posters etc but only for people going to Butlins, as this way we can deliver direct to people’s chalets Friday afternoon and avoid the postage costs. So if you do have space to include this in this week’s edition that would be fantastic, but no problem at all if not…
Retro-Madness Butlins Bargains …Official Madness items from as little as £1, T Shirts and Polo Shirts from £3 …We have massively reduced the price of 60 items on our Offers page to the lowest prices ever for anyone going to Butlins next weekend. Simply buy from our website any items you like from the 60 available, email or message us with your mobile phone number and we will deliver them to your chalet on Friday afternoon (20th November). If you aren’t going to Butlins please buy the items where they are listed at the bottom of that page where their prices include UK postage.
Chris & Em x
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 601 – Sunday 14th November – Saturday 20th November 2010
A really, really short intro got this week’s issue of the MIS off the starting blocks, and it was straight into “Bedders, Bowie, The Beatles and Beyond”.
What was this about? Well, after two nights of bass playing Mark Bedford was kind enough to tell us about his recent bass adventures. What were these adventures? Two nights of gigs playing alongside Terry Edwards and Green Gartside, all in aid of the Medicine Sans Frontieres charity. A very worthy cause indeed.
We rounded off this article with news of Bedders’ next musical outing, which would be at the Indo Bar, Whitechapel Road, on the 7th of December, as part of the Near Jazz Experience.
Moving on, and over the past few weeks visitors to the MadTube section of YouTube had been treated to rehearsals of a brand new Madness track. One that we hoped would be previewed on the forthcoming Christmas tour.
In this article we passed on the links to four video clips. The first captured the raw excitement and intensity of a Madness rehearsal, where you could witness the songwriting process in a day by day guide. This clip demonstrated the loops.
Clip two showed the recording process coming along. All the boys had to do was point the song in the right direction and it was surely another hit. Here, the band were practicing the intro with military precision.
Following this the band decided to tackle the first verse. You would have noticed that the band were going for something close to a Northern Soul sound. Finally, we brought you the chorus of the track. With this done and dusted, surely the band were on the home straight.
Only time would tell.
Book news next, and Jonathan took a look at a new book – Mad Bad and Dangerous, which featured numerous famous drummers. Yes, our very own Woody made an appearance!
“During this books’ look at the lives of drummers, about 40 drummers are spoken to. Woody is one of seven that are mentioned on the back cover. He appears, as far as I can see, three times in the text.
During a chapter about adversity, he talks about being extremely ill playing a belfast gig, and in relation to stamina a whole couple of pages is given over to the “oasis” double gig incident.
He pops up again with a couple of points during chapters about the cognitive process of memory and drumming, using a Baggy Trousers drum fill as his example, and talking about Bowie lifting my girl’s drumming. And in the drugs chapter he tells of a little San Francisco spaced out gig.”i
We brought this issue to a close with the new that The Skatalites would be performing in Bristol on the 26th of November, and that Catherine Tate’s previous year’s Christmas special, featuring Madness, would soon be available to purchase on DVD.
10 years ago…
Issue number 341 – Sunday 13th November to Saturday 19th November 2005
We were pleased to hear that everyone was enjoying everything we’d been putting up in the MIS downloads section, but we’d forgotten one important thing to put in the MIS last week. Our thanks had go to Rob Wheeler who provided the majority of the files in our latest update.
Without his help the availability of much of the new material you saw there just wouldn’t have been possible.
Now it was our turn to request something from you. Our backlog of material to upload to the MIS downloads section was starting to run dry. So, if you had any non commercial audio or video you’d like to share with others we wanted to hear from you.
If the downloads section was to grow then we needed your help.
On to the articles, and we kicked-off with some fundraising news from Philly based Maddie, Joe Schipsi. Joe reported that as part of the VH1Classic Drive to raise money for the Hurricane Relief Fund they were asking US based viewers to make a donation and submit a song request from their online list.
Deciding that he couldn’t have just one video, he made donations for a whopping 8!
Next-up…
Five decades of Radio One was being celebrated on the station’s “Colin and Edith” this week. It included a quiz of the same name where the callers battled it out in a 10 question spot on their favourite band from radio ones last 50 years.
Since the middle of the week the reigning champion of these battles had been a Madness fan.
It was a big well done to Scott Williams from Port Talbot (Working for Kwik Fit Mobil in Bristol), who was not only a big fan since the age of 4 but also the Suggs-a-like in the tribute band Baggy Trousers, from Wales.
On the first day Scott Knocked out raining champion, a Kaiser Chief fan who had been on top for four days. He only got 5 out of 10, Scott managed 7 out of 10, answering nine questions.
By Friday, the questions were getting tougher, and tougher, and unfortunately Scott could only manage four correct answers. With his opponent racking-up more points it meant that sadly Scott’s run was over.
Scott was probably not be aware, but news of his appearance on the show quickly reached the subscribers of the Madness Trading Ring, and by Friday’s performance a good chunk of the list were tuning in to see how their ambassador of the nutty word was going. Although his stint on Radio 1 only lasted 3 days, it proved to be a good opportunity at giving the youth of today a chance to hear the sounds of Camden’s finest.
Moving on, and we had to confess that we weren’t 100% certain of the full details in the next interview and article. It’d been through at least 3 translations into French and back again since Suggs and Lee actually spoke.
Their usual use of humour when answering didn’t make the meanings any easier to be exact about here. Nevertheless we gave a big thank you to JP of skanews website for doing the hard work part when translating this.
There were still some interesting and amusing points made in this interview, but we asked you not to take it all as absolute facts, and we had absolutely no idea what Suggs’s third to last comment actually meant. It was totally lost in translation!
Further on, and with this coming Friday (8th) playing host to the annual BBC Children in Need day, we discovered that Madness would be joining a host of other live acts including Goldie Lookin Chain, Texas, former S Club 7 songstress Jo O’Meara, Fame Academy winner Alex Parks, Rhyl boy Andy Scott-Lee, Steve Balsamo’s hotly-tipped new band, The Storys, and Wrexham-based R+B group Fade2, in the evening’s televised antics.
There was still more to come in this issue, as we finished things off by passing things over to Steve Saunders and Jon Young who gave us the lowdown on last night’s ‘Make Poverty History’ charity fundraiser event.
15 years ago…
Issue number 79 – Sunday 12th November to Saturday 18th November 2000
It’d been a bit of a lean week for Madness related news, but the online Madness community had been far from quiet after TMML subscriber, Leese Pearson stumbled across an article entitled “The Death of Pop` taken from The Daily Telegraph, which seemed to ignite views from a large number of subscribers.
We’d not put the article in this weeks edition of the MIS as it wasn’t really Madness related in the slightest. However, we did link to the article in question just in case you fancied a read for yourselves.
On a more Madness related note, news had reached us that on the BBC’s Children in Need Night this coming Friday, there was going to be a `Question of Sport V A Question of Pop Special`. If you couldn’t be bothered to sit through the entire show we suggested you stick a tape in the video recorder and set it to long play. The show was meant to be on around 8pm, but as with all these live events, the schedules never seemed to run according to plan.
You could tell Christmas was fast approaching when the shops in town start blasting out all those Christmas tunes over the tannoy system. Well, in a nice change from all that muzak that most stores are oh so fond of playing, Helen of the TMML told us that on a recent visit to her local chain of Argos, the legendary Suggs was in full swing with the classic `Sleigh Ride`. Ok, so it wasn’t major news, but we did say things were a bit thin on the ground this week!
Some non-Madness related news now, which we thought would be of interest to many of you out there. Simon Roberts reported that the legendary `Bad Manners` would be gracing our TV screens (in the UK) as part of a new advertising scheme for Virgin Finance. We’d not managed to catch the advert ourselves, but Simon Roberts told us that it featured old live footage of the band, and finished with Buster outside `Fatty Towers`, bankrupt.
Continuing on the non-Madness theme and Colin Hinchley told us that after some browsing around the Tickets Online website he’d spotted a gig on Monday 4th December at Camden’s Dingwalls for the legendary Blockheads, as well as top comedian Phil Jupitus. If you were in the area, this looked like something worth getting tickets for.
Before we got on with this weeks’ MIS, Adam Fowler reported that Suggs was no longer doing a slot on London’s XFM radio station. News gleaned by Adam from the XFM offices revealed that Suggs had decided to give it a bit of a rest and instead concentrate on TV and `other stuff`.
On to the articles, and we kicked things off with news on the Total Madness Mailing List web site re-vamp. Jenny, Alan and the rest of the organisers wanted to hear from you with ideas suggesting how the TMML web site could be improved in the forthcoming update.
Next, we took a look at issue 48 of the Ska News fanzine. Armed with our limited grasp of the French language, we gave it a massive thumbs-up, although, aimed at the French speaking market, we only recommended this to those who could speak the language.
We rounded off this weeks’ issue with a look at some of the most interesting Madness related goodies currently up for sale on auction site Ebay.
Rob Hazelby
TWEETS OF A DOVE / THAT FACEBOOK
Paul Tadman
“25 years ago to the day
“The Nutty Boys” first stepped on stage at the Fleece & Firkin, Bristol. How time flies. See you at Minehead!
Here is that first gig. Courtesy of Lee Swandale.
We met up at Liquidator Studios and loaded up a mini bus borrowed from Bad Manners and it was the first time I heard ‘Next’ by Alex Harvey – Thommo had put the sounds on, the nerves were getting hold of me I took another slug of the bottle of Malibu I was clutching onto… (I don’t like it, it’s beyond me why I bought it, probably the nerves again) the gig itself went down well I found the desk recording the other day, the set was played a bit slow but I guess all of us getting it right was the better part of it! I remember unloading the equipment wondering where all this was leading….. To the best of times…!”
TIME…
That’s almost it for this week, but before we go we thought we’d give you a heads-up on the 2016 Bristol Ska and Modfest, which takes place on Sunday 27th March (don’t worry, the Monday’s a bank holiday!).
At present the organisers are running what they call a “Super Early Bird Offer”, where tickets are £20 plus booking fee:
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bristol-ska-mod-festival-2016-tickets-16464384417
The full band line-up has yet to be announced, but so far is looking like this:
– From The Jam
– The Beat
– The Lambrettas
– 2Rude
– The Small Fakers
– The Emperials
– Big Boss Man
Some of the MIS team will be there, and it would be great to see you. More info at:
https://www.facebook.com/bristolskamodfest/
And finally, if you’re attending the Madness Weekender please send any snippets of news over to robert@mis-online.net. Rob will be monitoring the MIS mailbox over the course of the coming weekend, and will do his best to include anything and everything Madness Weekender related in next week’s issue.
Until next week,
Jon Young, Rob Hazelby, Simon Roberts, Paul Williams
(With thanks to Gordon Davidson, everyone who took part in
our Madstock competition and Holly Barringer at BMG)
The Author
