“Everyone enjoyed the band’s music in harmony, even if the crowd’s singing wasn’t quite as harmonic.”
On an unusually sunny evening in Edinburgh, over 8,000 fans flocked to Edinburgh Castle’s esplanade where they were treated to a night full of musical madness, brought to them by Madness themselves. Supporting them that night were alternative and indie band Kid Kapichi. While I didn’t catch their set this time around, their mottos and messages behind their anthemic sound is perfect for fans of Madness and beyond.
As they walked on stage to incredibly loud cheers and applause, Madness were introduced to fans new and old through a series of visuals with their names displayed. It wasn’t long before they began their orchestrated chaos as they ignited the energy with ‘One Step Beyond‘. Taken from the 1979 album of the same name, this record seemed to be the foundation for the night, with a wealth of their musical success coming from this debut. Other songs from this album later on in the set included ‘My Girl‘, and ‘Bed and Breakfast Man‘.
Vocalist and frontman Graham “Suggs” McPherson was something to admire and be entertained by. He strutted across the stage, oozing effortless originality and fun. Throughout the show, Suggs introduced the band again. Accompanying him on stage were Chris Foreman on guitar and Mike Barson on keyboard. The latter musician, Barson, is actually from Edinburgh so this hometown performance was definitely a special one for him. Also joining them on stage were saxophonist Lee Thompson, Dan Woodgate on drums and Mark Bedford on bass.
Madness’ most recent record, “Theatre of the Absurd presents C’est La Vie“, also played a large part in this set. The album’s title track was played early on, with attention grabbing visuals alongside it. ‘Hour of Need‘, ‘Run For Your Life‘ and ‘Round We Go‘ had equally encapsulating visuals and lighting.
Going back in time to Madness’ 1982 release “The Rise & Fall“, some of the group’s most adored tracks made their appearance including ‘Our House‘. The performance of another track from this album, ‘House of Fun‘, was a surreal thing to be part of. Sitting quite high up in the esplanade, I had the unique experience of watching a population of people, who wouldn’t otherwise dance, jump out their seats and begin to dance like nobody was watching. That’s the unique aspect of Madness, they bring out an inherent desire to move and sing along. If you’ve watched Gavin & Stacey, then you might remember the characters dancing along to this song in the living room. The same robot-style dance moves came alive in Edinburgh Castle, something I didn’t think I’d ever see.
Towards the end of Madness’ set, they performed other popular tunes like ‘Baggy Trousers‘ and ‘It Must Be Love‘. These songs brought everyone at the gig together in a way I rarely see. Thousands of total strangers singing about love in the beautiful surroundings of the historic castle is something I’ll never forget. Before Madness returned for their encore, a bagpipe player appeared and began playing ‘Flower of Scotland‘. Everyone’s lungs definitely had a work out as they sang along loudly to this patriotic portion of the set. Before calling it a night, the band played the song representing their name, ‘Madness‘ before final track ‘Night Boat to Cairo‘.
There will never be another band like Madness. Their vibrancy and powerful performing is something you have to experience for yourself. It’s difficult to explain in words what a Madness gig is like without literally describing it as such. Their eclectic, eccentric and energetic shows always throw together generations of varying age groups. They show that music truly has no age. Everyone enjoyed the band’s music in harmony, even if the crowd’s singing wasn’t quite as harmonic.