MADNESS - SOUTHAMPTON SUMMER SESSIONS // GUILDHALL, SOUTHAMPTON
MADNESS LIVE AT SOUTHAMPTON’S
SUMMER SESSIONS
MADNESS PERFORMING AT SOUTHAMPTON’S SUMMER SESSIONS
PHOTOCREDIT: CHARIS BAGIOKI
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Guildhall Square in Southampton was flooded with people of all ages – from older to babies – to watch the acts that were about to grace the big stage. First band on was rock-quartet Kid Kapichi, who have been taking the UK by a storm this year. Having successfully completed a UK tour a few months ago, the band was welcomed on stage by people shouting and singing along to anthem ‘It’s Coming Home’, where the spirits were high already high. The band, playing punk rock tunes mixed with alternative/indie sounds, instantly connected with their audience, as the singer (and later on singer and guitarist) Jack Wilson lifted everyone’s mood up. Intense drumming, sporadic keyboard melodies and a lot of energy on stage meant that the crowd around me was already jumping and dancing along. As hit ‘Let’s get to Work’ came on, everyone around me jumped and sang along.
Kid Kapichi continued their set with other fan favourites such as ‘Zombie Nation’, an upbeat rocky song, followed by the slower acoustic ‘Party at No.10’ which – as the band said – came from the ‘depths of covid’. This song was the most well-received out of all of them, as an anthem of a collective memory we all look down on. The band was extremely energetic through their set, setting the mood ahead of the headliners while also engaging the diverse audience in their own right, creating a big party at the front rows were I was watching them from.
After a break that felt like ages, with anticipation rising high, Madness finally came on stage. For those who have not heard Madness before, and have not seen them live, it is definitely a life-time experience. The band stems from the well-loved North London town of Camden, with ska and pop influences that merge 1970s sound and early 1980s groovy-ness together. With 10 (!) members on stage – six of which are from the original line-up of seven members – Madness has it all: drums, guitars, saxes, trombones, trumpets, tambourines, congas as well as any other percussion instrument one can put their mind in. The band has been earning UK number 1s since the 70s, with 16 songs reaching the UK top ten. On top of an impressive career, they are the maddest – wordplay cough cough – bunch of musicians to catch on a live set.
As the first song comes on ‘One Step Beyond’, their energy on stage is unmatched. Commanding the attention of the crowd and people around me dancing like there is no tomorrow, the band proceeds to play hoops with the tambourines and the mic stands, makes paper planes out of their setlist and represents a bullfight. The red sea of fezes around me also confirms that their fanbase is dedicated and their music can transcend generations. People keep dancing as ‘Madness’ comes on, and the masses flock closer and closer to the stage, asking for more.
The intricate set continued, with fan-favourites such as ‘Run for Your Life’, ‘House of Fun’ and ‘Baggy Trousers’ are performed. The sing-along around me is so loud, it conceals the vocals and the sax, but the band seem to be enjoying it. As the middle of the set, a cover of ‘Living on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi is jointly performed by the band and the crowd, as more football references are mentioned. And then, it was ‘time for the bangers’, as the band rejoined the disco decorated stage to perform ‘Our House’, ‘It Must be Love’ and finally, ‘Night Boat to Cairo’ come on. The singing along intensifies, the jumping and the shouting is peaking, and the crowd is asking for more as the night comes to a close. As expected, the high production gig really leaves a lasting impression on everyone, as I could hear people singing along on their way out of the venue when the band finished their set.