Madness: Ladykillers Tour Review
Photo: Matt Stanton
Bournemouth International Centre – Monday 6th December 2021
Like everyone during that post-Covid period of weirdness last year, I was really looking forward to getting out and doing the things I loved again. Most of all, that meant going to gigs and out of those gigs, seeing Madness play live again was still the one that excited me the most.
My love affair with Madness has been a constant in my life since my folks bought me “Complete Madness” for my 5th birthday. It had just been released and “House Of Fun” was Number One in the hit parade (is it still called that?) at the time.
Last Christmas gig was the first time I’d seen Madness play live since the 2017’s “House Of Common” show so I was chomping at the bit. This would be my 16th slice of live nuttiness. Squeeze was tonight’s support – an absolute bonus as they’re another band I love passionately and have seen live several times. Their brisk, bright set was one of the best I’ve seen from them. They glided seamlessly through hit after hit after hit in a clean, crisp manner. Bouncing from “Take Me I’m Yours” to “Up The Junction” to “Hourglass”, they knew their role as the support act was not about road-testing any new material. Their energetic set resulted in one of life’s rarities – a standing ovation for the support act! The crowd seemed nicely warmed up and ready for Madness. Squeeze’s job here was done.
The opening to Madness’ set was fun. The house lights went down to reveal Suggs in an old-fashioned, red telephone box, pretending to be on the phone to his mum and telling her “We’re gonna have a party with just a few close pals!”. Upon leaving the phone box, he inevitably bellowed the immortal words – “Hey you!” – into the mic, leaving the crowd to finish the introduction to “One Step Beyond” (it’s never quite been the same since Chas left!) which climaxed with the curtain dropping to reveal the rest of the band and a set which looked like it belonged in an Ealing comedy from the 1950s, strangely enough given that this was “The Ladykillers” tour….
Anyone who has seen Madness play live a number of times since the 1990s knows that the opening 15-20 minutes of their set will more than likely include “One Step Beyond”, “Embarrassment” and “The Prince”. Weirdly enough, the crowd took a while to warm up despite Squeeze’s earlier endeavours – maybe it being a Monday night? – but this did not seem to bother Suggs who was on fine, chatty form between songs.
Madness MK II (post 1992) was well represented in the form of “Lovestruck”, “NW5” and “Mr Apples”. These are songs that deserve to be classics and remembered fondly. They probably would be better known and well-loved if they had not been preceded by such a relentless run of heavy, heavy hits by the band in the 1980s. Tonight’s set also included welcome outings for “Take It Or Leave It” and “Yesterday’s Men” along with new songs “Baby Burglar” and “If I Go Mad”, both of which would benefit from a few more listens. I have an insatiable appetite for new Madness material and always look forward to hearing any new stuff.
These two newbies were not as immediate as the material from “Can’t Touch Us Now” but it’s reassuring that the boys are still looking to work new stuff into their live set.
As I touched on earlier, something is slightly missing since Chas left the band. However, the chemistry between the remaining six members is so authentic, it’s almost tangible. Thommo has stepped manfully into the role of Suggs’ sidekick, Chrissy Boy and Bedders bring a semblance of reliability and order to the show whilst Barso oversees the whole operation from behind his keyboard and as ever, Woody is as solid as a rock on the drums.
Madness have essentially soundtracked my life – their gigs are like a kind of “This Is Your Life” for me, just without Michael Aspel and the Big Red Book. Each song has a memory or a person or a place attached to it. Tonight’s show was no different. Rousing renditions of “Madness” and “Night Boat To Cairo” brought the show to a euphoric close, ensuring everyone went home with a huge smile of their face and a buzz of anticipation for the next Nutty Boys tour.
Taken from Madzine (Issue One)
Madness: Ladykillers Tour Review
Written by Paul Lane
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