MADNESS + THE SELECTER + THE BLOCKHEADS + CRAIG CHARLES + THE BEATLES DUB CLUB + HENRY WP – ‘ON THE BEACH’, BRIGHTON BEACH 23.7.26
MADNESS (Reviewed by Martin J. Fuller)
There aren’t many bands that can turn a beach into the biggest pub singalong in Britain, but Madness have never really played by anyone else’s rules. Headlining Thursday’s ‘On The Beach’ festival in Brighton with their ‘Madrophenia’ show, the Camden ska institution delivered 90 minutes of pure escapism, reminding a packed seafront why their catalogue has become part of the fabric of British life.
The show’s title is, of course, a knowing nod to the iconic ‘Quadrophenia’ film, much of which was shot in and around the very location where tonight’s concert took place, on Madeira Drive and Brighton’s iconic beachfront. It was a fitting backdrop, with Brighton’s Mod heritage dovetailing perfectly with Madness’ own 2 Tone roots, two distinctly British youth cultures that have long shared an unmistakable spirit of style, individuality and rebellion.
Before the band appeared, the crowd told its own story. Innumerable fez hats bobbed through the thousands gathered on Brighton beach, a sea of fans spanning generations old and young, all waiting for the familiar strains of opener ‘One Step Beyond’. When it finally landed, instantly the beach erupted.
Madness remain one of the few legacy acts who genuinely look like they’re still enjoying themselves. Six members of the original line-up continue to share the stage, something almost unheard of for a band approaching fifty years together. Suggs remains the effortlessly likeable ringmaster, Mike Barson quietly anchors everything from behind the keyboards, while Mark Bedford and Dan Woodgate lock into grooves that still feel as fresh as they did at the start of their career.
It was also particularly good to see guitarist Chris Foreman back on stage where he belongs after taking time away to recover from illness. His return to live performance last month added another welcome piece to the unmistakable Madness chemistry that simply can’t be manufactured.
From ‘Embarrassment’, ‘The Prince’ and ‘NW5’ through to ‘My Girl’, ‘The Sun And The Rain’ and ‘Return Of The Los Palmas 7’, the band never lingered too long in one mood. Melancholy, humour, nostalgia and social observation continue to sit side by side within Madness’ songs, often within the same three minutes. ‘Grey Day’ remains as poignant now as ever before, the mood lifted effortlessly into ‘Bed And Breakfast Man’, ‘Shut Up’ and the wonderfully insane ‘Mr Apples’.
Visually, ‘Madrophenia’ was every bit as entertaining as the music itself. Cleverly designed animations, comic book styling and perfectly judged visuals complemented each song without ever overwhelming it. Rather than simply relying on a back screen filled with generic graphics, Madness have created something that felt theatrical, playful and unmistakably theirs.
The live sound remains equally distinctive. Lee Thompson’s saxophone is still absolutely central to the Madness identity, its instantly recognisable lines cutting through every chorus with the same swagger they’ve carried for decades. Alongside the core six, the now familiar three-piece horn section gave the songs extra punch throughout the evening, while the additional percussionist, constantly switching between bongos and auxiliary percussion, helped hone the timeless sound that has always separated Madness from almost every other British pop band.
By the closing stretch, the party was in full swing. ‘House Of Fun’ sent another wave of arms into the air before ‘Baggy Trousers’ became the night’s defining visual, thousands of people bouncing across the pebbles in glorious unison, turning the seafront into one enormous playground.
Then came ‘It Must Be Love’. If there was any doubt these songs have transcended nostalgia, it disappeared within seconds. Every word echoed back from the crowd as Suggs barely needed to sing, the audience taking ownership of one of Britain’s greatest pop songs in a moment of communal togetherness.
The usual encore of ‘Madness’ and ‘Night Boat To Cairo’ provided one last euphoric send-off. Some bands survive on heritage, however, Madness survive because these songs still belong to people. Tonight, ‘Madrophenia’ proved to be a celebration of a uniquely British band whose music continues to soundtrack everyday life. Nearly five decades on, they remain exactly what they’ve always been: joyous, eccentric, entertaining and utterly irreplaceable national treasures.
Madness setlist:
‘One Step Beyond’ (Prince Buster cover)
‘Embarrassment’
‘The Prince’
‘NW5’
‘My Girl’
‘The Sun And The Rain’
‘Return Of The Los Palmas 7’
‘Wings Of A Dove’
‘Lovestruck’
‘Grey Day’
‘Bed And Breakfast Man’
‘Shut Up’
‘Mr. Apples’
‘House Of Fun’
‘Baggy Trousers’
‘Our House’
‘It Must Be Love’ (Labi Siffre cover)
(encore)
‘Madness’ (Prince Buster cover)
‘Night Boat To Cairo’
THE SELECTER (Reviewed by Ian Holman)
The Selecter’s association with Madness goes way back to 21st July 1979 when they were on the same bill supporting The Specials at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. This was The Selecter’s first ever live show. They later shared the stage extensively during the official sell-out 2 Tone Tour, which kicked off at The Top Rank Suite in Brighton on 19th October of the same year.
The Selecter’s six-piece line-up included original members Pauline Black on vocals and Charley ‘Aitch’ Bembridge on drums, as well as Neil Pryzer-Skeete (sax), Lee Horsley (keys), John Robertson (guitar), and Andrew Pearson (bass guitar). They were the main support for Madness tonight and performed a 30-minute set. They started with ‘The Avengers Theme’ and followed up with their marvellous top 20 hit ‘Three Minute Hero’.
Lead vocalist Pauline Black then asked, “Is there anyone in the crowd from Clacton?”, and continued, “Make sure you vote for Count Binface.” Following a couple of newer songs, ‘Frontline’ and ‘War War War’, they closed their set with three of their classic ska tracks. Pauline mentioned that the video for the first of these, ‘Missing Words’, was recorded in a telephone box near the Jubilee Clock Tower. Top ten hit ‘On My Radio’ was next, then ’Too Much Pressure’. The band swiftly left the stage to great applause.
The Selecter setlist:
‘The Avengers Theme’ (Laurie Johnson Orchestra cover)
‘Three Minute Hero’
‘Frontline’
‘War War War’
‘Missing Words’
‘On My Radio’
‘Too Much Pressure’
THE BLOCKHEADS (Reviewed by Ian Holman)
By the time The Blockheads took to the stage, the audience had built up quite a bit. After three sets that were DJ-based, it was now time for three live bands, with The Blockheads being the penultimate support act. They played a 40-minute set featuring eight classic songs. The Blockheads were formed in 1977, so they will be celebrating 50 years of existence next year.
The seven band members included three from the Ian Dury & The Blockheads original touring line-up. These were co-writing guitarist and keyboard player Chaz Jankel, guitarist John Turnbull, and keyboardist Mick Gallagher (who was previously with The Animals and The Clash, and has performed and recorded with Eurythmics and Paul McCartney). The others were Mike Bennett on vocals, Dave Lewis on sax, Nathan King on bass, and John Roberts on drums.
I thought The Blockheads were amazing with a set full of great, catchy, entertaining songs. They opened with ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’ and number three hit ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful (Part 3)’. The crowd were swaying for ‘Billericay Dickie’ and they sang a verse of ‘Sweet Gene Vincent’. The whole band sounded great, especially the sax player Dave Lewis. They saved their number one hit ‘Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick’ to close the set.
The Blockheads setlist:
‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’ (Ian Dury cover)
‘I Want To Be Straight’ (Ian Dury & the Blockheads cover)
‘What A Waste’ (Ian Dury & the Blockheads cover)
‘Billericay Dickie’ (Ian Dury cover)
‘Sweet Gene Vincent’ (Ian Dury cover)
‘Clevor Trever’ (Ian Dury cover)
‘Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3’ (Ian Dury & the Blockheads cover)
‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ (Ian Dury & the Blockheads cover)
CRAIG CHARLES (Reviewed by Ian Holman)
The crowd was starting to pick up by the time former actor and comedian, and now BBC Radio 6 Music DJ, Craig Charles entered the ‘On The Beach’ stage sporting a brown cowboy hat with a golden sheriff’s badge. He began his 50-minute late afternoon set with a mash-up of The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ (in honour of The Beatles Dub Club), Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ and James Brown’s ‘Get Up I Feel Like Being Like A Sex Machine’.
Although the majority of the set was 70s funk and soul and included Bill Withers’ ‘Lovely Day’, Stevie Wonder’s ’Superstitious’, and Marvin Gaye’s ‘Heard It Through The Grapevine’, there were also some more modern tracks. These included Skeewiff’s cover of ‘Man Of Constant Sorrow’ and The Third Degree’s version of ‘Mercy’. Also featured in what turned out to be a diverse set was The House of Pain’s popular track ‘Jump Around’ and the set closer, Romy’s ‘Enjoy Your Life’. There were no on-screen visuals during the set. There was some mid-song chatter, including a plug for his Saturday night BBC Radio 6 Music, Funk and Soul Show.
THE BEATLES DUB CLUB (Reviewed by Ian Holman)
The second act of the afternoon was The Beatles Dub Club, featuring DJ Chris Arnold with the Beatles Dub Club Horn Section. As a big Beatles fan, I was looking forward to seeing this performance, and I was impressed. The set featured genre-bending, high-energy reimagined Beatles classics. The horn section featured Steph Faulkner on trumpet, Sarah Loveday on trombone, Alex Ogilvie on alto sax, and Stu Blick on tenor sax.
As each song was played, the on-screen montage featured The Beatles as well as different members of the entertainment business talking about The Beatles. Madonna even featured on the montage during ‘Lady Madonna’. What was very noticeable was the way the visuals co-ordinated well with the songs being played.
Apart from Beatles songs, the mixed mashup of tracks also included Paul McCartney & Wings’ ‘Live And Let Die’ and George Harrison’s ‘Got My Mind Set On You’. The only downside was that, as this was an early-in-the-day set, the crowd was still quite sparse, although by the time the final track ‘Hey Jude’ was played, those that were in the arena were swaying their arms to it.
HENRY WP (Reviewed by Ian Holman)
The opening slot of the ‘Madrophenia On The Beach’ line-up was filled by local Brighton-based DJ Henry WP. Henry is also a guitarist in the emerging local psych-rock/no-wave band Francis Pig. Unlike most contemporary DJs, Henry is a strictly vinyl-only DJ. Although Henry has a vast range to his DJ sets, today it’s all 70s-based funk and soul, and what a great set it is too. There are no visuals on the screens and no mid-song chatter from Henry; it’s all about the music.
Starting off with the jazz-funk groove of The Blackbryds ‘Do It Fluid’ and the funk-infused disco groove of Tommy Stewart’s ‘Bump And Hustle Music’. In total, there are around 17 tracks played for the early arrivals to boogie along to. Talking of boogie, one of the songs from the set was Kool & The Gang’s ‘Jungle Boogie’, as featured in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 crime movie ‘Pulp Fiction’.
