Madness brought their House of Fun to Brighton Beach - and by the end of the night, even the seafront seemed ready to put on a fez.
There are few places more fitting for a Madness concert than Brighton Beach. The sea, the promenade and the unmistakably English seaside setting provided an almost suspiciously appropriate backdrop for the evening.
The event was billed as Madrophenia, an obvious nod to Quadrophenia and Brighton’s Mod mythology.
By the time we arrived, David Rodigan had just finished his set. The brief changeover gave us enough time to secure an ambitiously priced Madri from the bar before Hot 8 Brass Band took to the stage.
The New Orleans outfit sounded much as their name suggests: hot, numerous and extremely brassy. Their set was essentially one long, exuberant journey through reworked cover versions, including Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, although it took a moment to locate the original beneath all the additional plumbing.
A sizeable part of the audience thoroughly enjoyed them, and their musicianship and energy were never in question. Personally, however, I found some of the arrangements slightly overdone, as though every gap in the original had to be filled with another flourish. Impressive, certainly, though occasionally exhausting.
From our fortunate position beside the main crowd barrier, the view of the stage was almost entirely unobstructed - a luxury not shared by most of the packed audience. Two large screens flanking the stage, along with a third behind it, at least ensured that those further back could follow what was happening without relying entirely on binoculars or the unusually tall person who inevitably appears directly in front of you.
Another welcome feature of On The Beach was the staff. Security personnel danced during the performances, chatted with those in the front rows and appeared to be enjoying the day almost as much as the paying customers. Everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and accommodating - something that should never be taken for granted at a large outdoor event.
There were no battles on the beach this time, although the plastic tiles covering the pebbles had become increasingly sticky as the evening wore on - a modest hazard for anyone planning particularly ambitious dance moves.
As nine o’clock approached, the Madness faithful became increasingly easy to identify. Some wore braces and black-and-white checks, others sported hats apparently purchased several head sizes too small, while the more committed had already reached for the fez. There was little doubt whom everybody had come to see.
Madness arrived and immediately demonstrated the difference between warming up a crowd and taking complete possession of it. Opening with One Step Beyond, they had the beach dancing within seconds.
Suggs remained an effortlessly entertaining frontman, delivering the songs with his familiar mixture of dry humour, theatricality and apparent disbelief that this particular occupation has somehow continued to work out rather well. Particularly enjoyable were the short introductions and stories attached to several songs, mainly during the first half of the set. The background to tracks such as Embarrassment and My Girl added a more personal dimension without slowing the momentum.
For a band whose history now stretches back half a century, the choice of songs struck a good balance between familiar favourites and less obvious selections. Tracks such as NW5, Lovestruck and Mr. Apples gave the set some breadth, while the major hits were sensibly saved to drive the second half towards its inevitable singalong conclusion.
Visually, there was always something happening. During Shut Up, Lee Thompson appeared in his customary burglar outfit, only to be set upon and theatrically roughed up by three men dressed as police officers - seemingly members of the expanded horn section. It was a particularly enthusiastic piece of community policing.
When not administering stage justice, the additional brass players were equally entertaining in gleaming gold jackets with small wing-like panels flaring from either side. They looked somewhere between a vintage soul revue and the world’s most glamorous police band - which, in fairness, was probably the intention.
Before It Must Be Love, one particularly brave audience member was invited onstage to propose to his partner. It was the second concert proposal I had witnessed this year, so perhaps we are now simply waiting for the first person to reply: “Ask me again after the encore.” She said yes, however, and we wish them every happiness.
Although One Step Beyond had set the crowd in motion immediately, the loudest reactions were inevitably reserved for the established favourites. House of Fun, Baggy Trousers and Our House turned the beach into one enormous singalong, while It Must Be Love produced the sort of communal chorus that made the large outdoor setting briefly feel surprisingly intimate.
The encore began with Madness before Night Boat to Cairo brought the evening to its suitably unruly conclusion. Thompson returned wearing the obligatory fez, by then joined in both spirit and headwear by a considerable number of fans.
Madness no longer need to prove that these songs have endured; the audience supplied all the evidence required. Their catalogue remains witty, distinctive and instantly communal, and the band still perform it with enough energy and character to ensure that the evening never feels like a simple exercise in nostalgia.
Madrophenia may have borrowed its name from another piece of British pop mythology, but the night belonged entirely to the Nutty Boys. For a couple of hours, Brighton Beach put on a fez - and it suited it remarkably well.
Setlist
One Step Beyond
Embarrassment
The Prince
NW5
My Girl
The Sun and the Rain
Return of the Los Palmas 7
Wings of a Dove
Lovestruck
Grey Day
Shut Up
Mr. Apples
Bed and Breakfast Man
House of Fun
Baggy Trousers
Our House
It Must Be Love
Encore:
Madness
Night Boat to Cairo
