Madness review: One step beyond as Suggs and co roll out the hits in Cork
Madness play at Virgin Media Park (Musgrave Park) in bright sunshine on Friday. Picture; Larry Cummins
To paraphrase car visionary Henry Ford, you can have our hamstring-busting, two-tone ska-fest in any colours you like — as long as they’re black and white.
Well, to be fair, there were other colours. Mods and ska fans do summerwear too.
All hats off to Madness; red Moroccan fezzes, full ceremonial Indian feathers, Texan stetsons, black London bowlers, Oxford straw boaters, and Cockney pork pie hats all off too; they certainly know how to work a crowd.
“Hey you! Don’t watch that. Watch this. This is the heavy heavy monster sound of Madness,” says Suggs, and we’re off. ‘One Step Beyond’.
Everyone bouncing. Corkonians, more cockney than jellied eels. The caretakers at Virgin Media Park (Musgrave Park) will be working overtime with the aerators to revive their hallowed rugby turf after this pounding, stomping and ultimately joyous night.
“Do you like Queen?” asks Suggs, singing a line from ‘We Are The Champions’. “Do you remember Top of The pops in 1979? It seems like yesterday. It was.”
In a stadium better known for flanking, henceforth hereabouts shall skanking be top ranking in honour of Madness, the new Ballyphehane Kings.
For anyone unfamiliar with skanking, it’s that “running man” dance. Plenty of syncopated footwork, an upward kicking motion coupled with a bobbing arm movement.
“We had a bit of a cockup with the tickets, sorry about to anyone who got tickets to Boyzone. I don’t even know one of their songs to take the piss out of them. You know and we know that we are Madness.”
To see thousands of people doing it in synchronicity is eye-popping. If you love your shins, best keep moving. Slouches get slayed.
We played a gig here in Cork once a few years ago in a circus tent down by the river. The wind was blowing all over the place. I think the tent ended up in Kilkenny.
Straight into ‘My Girl’s Mad At Me’. It’s so uplifting to hear lifelong fans singing along to all the hits.
And what hits: ‘One Step Beyond’, ‘Embarrassment’, ‘My Girl’, ‘Baggy Trousers’, ‘House of Fun’, ‘Our House’ and ‘It Must Be Love’. Plus plenty of bouncing belters: ‘Night Boat to Cairo’, ‘The Prince’, ‘NW5’, ‘Shut Up’, ‘Wings of a Dove’ and ‘Mr Apples’.
Die-hard fans were blown away by Suggs, Chris Foreman, Mike Barson, Lee Thompson, and the rest.
Far more than a nostalgic reunion, this set features several tracks that sitting well with their classic hits, not least songs from their ‘return to form’ 2023 album
“Give us a wave all you at the back if you can hear us. And you lot sitting in the stand, all the Boyzone fans, you alright? Yeah, take the weight off your feet.” Into ‘Driving In My Car’.
What a blast. Total Madness.
A nod too to the well received opening acts. Local heroes The Frank & Walters were given all the love they so richly deserved, not least making their way along in front of the seated stand after their set, pausing to shake hands, chatting and having their photos taken with fans. And to Ocean Colour Scene, who still rock too.
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