Picture this: a beautiful warm, sunny day in the coastal town of Brighton, swarming with people buzzing about their daily lives enjoying a Friday in summer. Brighton itself is quirky and perfect for music fans with lots of record and music shops, bars and clubs, as well as independent music venues, and for the last 6 years they’ve amped it up and have been hosting huge gigs on the beach (yes, their stoney beach right on top of the water). It is the perfect outdoor summer’s day venue; live music paired with a sea breeze, what more could you want?
Each year the show boasts around 3 to 4 main headliners, with a couple of them doing multiple dates. This year so far we’ve seen Fatboy Slim headline, and yet to come are The Maccabees and Moby, however I was lucky enough to see Madness on what was their second headline date on Friday 23rd July. Madness presents Madrophenia: a day full of ska, reggae, soul and funk sounds, with added hints of punk and hip hop making it a perfect all rounder. Kicking off the afternoon was DJ Dustee Du Soul Casserole, who played tunes from all eras across all aforementioned genres for over 2 hours straight. Setting the tone for the day whilst fans slowly trickled in, tracks from bands such as The Specials, Bad Manners and Toots and the Maytals blared through the speakers and helped to warm up the crowd for what was yet to come.
Second on the bill were Kid Kapichi, a punk rock band from Hastings. At first glance, they may have seemed slightly misplaced on this line up, however they proved (and explained) why this was definitely not the case – after all, ska and punk are hugely similar in both attitudes and ethic, as well as the high energy delivery in which their art is performed. Singer Jack Wilson addressed the slight divide in genre and told the crowd he was sure they were wondering what they were doing there, “to 50% of you I hope you have a good time, and to the other 50% I apologise”. He went on to explain that they’d sent a demo of their song to Madness frontman Suggs, to which he responded saying he loved it and ended up featuring on it; Zombie Nation is very much an indie punk tune with hints of ska showing within the tempo. Despite the initial confusion that was evident among fans, the band definitely proved themselves and saw fans warm up to them throughout their set; crystal clear vocals and shredded guitar solos showcased what Kid Kapichi are all about as well as what they stand for, which I’m sure will earn them a whole new set of followers.
The middle of the day saw radio DJ David Rodigan bring his love of Jamaica and reggae to the stage. Having been a fan of Jamaica and all that comes with it since his teen years, 75 year old David exhibited pure passion and excitement when talking about reggae and playing his favourites for us. Ensuring the crowd had no choice but to sing along and participate in what can only be described as the largest karaoke session ever seen, tunes like Bam Bam by Sister Nancy and Uptown Top Ranking by Althea And Donna had the crowd up singing and dancing with their loved ones.
Hot 8 Brass Band were the penultimate act, warming us up nicely ahead of the main event. As the name suggests, they are an 8 piece brass band hailing from New Orleans, USA. Blending jazz, hip hop and funk sounds, the band covered and put their own twists on songs such as Ghost Town by The Specials and Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. This brought an even more feel good vibe to the day; watching a group of extremely talented musicians who are clearly the best of friends is nothing but pure joy.
Amongst a sea of fez hats, fans started to pack in like sardines ahead of Madness making their grand entrance. The band filtered onto stage in colourful, sparkly suits, before Suggs arrived in his classic ensemble of a black suit and sunglasses. With fruit machine visuals in the background, the band wasted no time launching into opener One Step Beyond which immediately got the crowd bouncing. The sound at this venue is absolutely immaculate so the brass players sounded crystal clear, paired with a bit of reverb on the microphone to ensure they sound exactly as they do on record.
Despite having been together for 50 years, it is so nice to see the friend and companionship the band members have with each other to this day. Having chats between themselves on stage as well as with the crowd brought a homely feel to the set, though the gap between songs was never too long; with a discography consisting of 13 studio albums, it didn’t have time to be! Fan favourites such as ‘My Girl’, ‘NW5’ and ‘Embarrassment’ were of course a part of the setlist, as well as ‘The Prince’ and ‘Shut Up’. Visually, the set was incredible, with animations to accompany and complement each song played which added a sense of humour to the show. The band nodded towards their political views during ‘Wings Of A Dove’, proclaiming ‘Free Palestine’ and asking why can’t we just “give peace a chance”.
The crowd was an eclectic mix of people of all ages and backgrounds, which is testament to the band and their music that has, and still is, standing the test of time. Age knew no bounds this night, as men and women in their 70s and above bounced around arm in arm with each other and strangers during ‘House of Fun’ and ‘Baggy Trousers’, to which the latter led Suggs to urge youngsters in the crowd to get an education if they have it available to them.
Towards the end of the set, a couple got on stage and we watched a man propose to his partner in front of 10,000 people. It was evident that this was going to lead into the wonderfully feel good ‘It Must Be Love’, which again saw family and friends swaying and singing every word to each other and back at the band. ‘Madness’ and ‘Night Boat to Cairo’ comprised the encore and sealed off what was the most fun and energetic show. There would’ve been no other place to host Madrophenia, with Brighton being the home of the 60’s Mod subculture that this event proved is still very much alive and kicking today.
