Who
Madness
Support
The Zutons
The Hoosiers
Where
Shrewsbury Quarry
When
15th July 2022
Price
£45.00
Who with
Barry, Ruth, Clive, Sue
Position
In the middle
Comments
I continued the pattern I'd set for 2022 with my third concert of the year, this time watching Madness for the second time after a near-13 year gap. Strangely enough this came after Pet Shop Boys, and PSB with Madness were also consecutive shows for me back in 2009. I'd been getting more into Madness as time went on and really was into some of these hits, but they also were becoming increasingly popular and I had no desire in watching them play an arena. The days of them playing Birmingham Academy now seem hard to comprehend. So when it was announced they were playing Shrewsbury Quarry I recalled it had been a good venue for Status Quo way back in 2011, and that the chance to see them outdoors without seats was far too good to miss. I coordinated with some work colleagues and we booked tickets the December seven months before, albeit separately so we had the flexibility to go apart if needed. I peaked a little early listening to their hits but as the show approached I forced myself to listen a few times more, building up my anticipation for the gig. Also the My Life Story documentary starring Suggs had further piqued my interest, although I had less luck persuading friends along to see the solo performance of Suggs in Telford in October called What A King Cnut, which I understand to be a combination of talking, stories and bits of music. As it's not what I'd class as a music show, I won't be reviewing it here sadly.

I checked everywhere I could think of but there were no running times for the show online whatsoever, making it a complete mystery when the bands would be performing. The Zutons and The Hoosiers were announced in advance as support, so I obviously wasn't getting to miss The Zutons. I was short on holiday allowance though so drove there after work, steering through lots of traffic around Shrewsbury to arrive at the McDonald's south of the town to grab some food. This also gave me the chance to get some petrol, as the following day I'd be driving to the East Midlands to commence a holiday of that area plus Lincolnshire. It all made for a hectic time but my boss got delayed at work and as it turned out I was the first to arrive in our group and missed nothing of note. I parked for free at Shrewsbury Abbey and felt good about it, as it was a really big show and free/available parking cannot be taken for granted. I strongly recommended my friends did the same and they were smart enough to listen. I was a bit ahead of them though so crossed the English Bridge into town, walking past the cathedral towards the Quarry, also known as the big park to the south of the centre next to the river. Sadly I didn't get a paper ticket but had no issues getting in with the E-ticket at all, taking the chance to wander around the site. It was large and fairly busy already, and I had to walk in quite far then take a left turn to find all the toilets and food stalls. I'd already eaten but must admit that a pick n mix store looked pretty tempting, but no one else was using it as their reputation for being rip-offs is secure enough in normal shopping centres, let alone at concert prices! Similarly I could see the ice cream van behind the sound desk was charging outrageous prices, and it was nice to see that they were getting little custom as a consequence.

I also spied that a smaller tent for beer cans was much quieter than the main bars, but by this point my friends were parked up and on their way, so I headed back towards the entrance. I agreed to meet them by the medical tent as it was impossible to miss, and if I had left work early I'd have gained absolutely nothing, so things were going great. The crowd weren't interested in the food but inevitably were going mad for the piss beer, and there also was long queues for the merchandise store. A lot were wearing fez's and some in full suit and ties, as well as plenty of Madness-style hats. Whether they are called trilbys, fedoras or pork pie hats is of little interest to me, I regard hats as just things to stop my ludicrously sensitive skin from getting sunburned. It had been a pretty warm day and in fact England was to see all-time record temperatures in the days after this, but for once I was safe without a hat and had even decided to wear a coat for the convenience of pockets. Few were in t-shirts, and the faith in the English weather was clearly low. But it was an evening show, and for sure I never felt hot. The Hoosiers took to the stage a little before my friends appeared but I took very little interest in them, having dismissed them as bed wetting music. The crowd seemed rather indifferent to them also, but they weren't actively offensive, just of no interest. I used my zoom facility to take a few photos, which established that there were six members, but I really wasn't paying attention. By now my friends had arrived and we'd met up without issue. It was two friends and their partners, and it was great that we all were attending with no drama or issues. Always good. I recommended the beer can tent but by now the queue was much longer, and also very slow to move as they inexplicably weren't keeping the cans close by to speed things up! I got two cans of Rekorderlig and felt pretty shafted that they were small cans. One Wild Berry and one Strawberries & Lime just wasn't worth it, but at least they weren't actively horrible like the alternative of Carling.

Annoyingly I was still in this queue when The Zutons took to the stage, but they weren't in a hurry to get to the hits. Two others of my group followed my advice and we went to the area in front of the sound desk, which as usual was both the ideal not-too-busy spot and the place with the best sound. The other two took forever to get food and only returned after The Zutons had finished. I'd retained an artificially high opinion of The Zutons thanks to their supporting Macca at Anfield in 2008, as well as feeling inclined to talk them up after hearing what Amy Winehouse did to ruin the glorious Valerie. I can't say I'd heard any songs since, but The Zutons certainly had some classics in their arsenal. And they didn't disappoint either, playing almost everything I could have expected. It looked like they hadn't aged a day, and the omission of Dirty Dancehall was a pretty trivial complaint, as without the meaning of it being the City Of Culture/Liverpool, it didn't make as much sense. I shot my first video for Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?, capturing a minimalist dark stage with just a few white lights. It sounded a bit plodding but it's a decent enough song, and I shot a fairly long vid. The classic Zutons logo with a little lightning flick was the backdrop, and was white lined with red. I presumed Valerie was the finale and shot a video for it, albeit a very jerky one as I was trying to zoom in. The video sound was great though, and I could see that many of the crowd were getting into it, albeit politely. I saw that the band had six members, with the lady and also the drummer in red. The singer was unchanged with long hair and all in black, and sadly my camera went weird and missed the intro of Valerie. Yet everyone knew the song and I really struggle to understand how anyone could argue that Amy's appalling cover version was remotely a match. I thought this would be it so was delighted when they played the obvious omission of You Will You Won't. I shot another video and the lights were livelier, and I think that appreciation that they were playing the hits as well as recognising quite a few of them earned respect from the crowd. The band were introduced and well-received, and although I can't account for their development since 2004-2008, they certainly remained an excellent live band and totally solid support act.

I crushed the cider cans and put them in my pockets so I wouldn't have to leave my spot for a bin, and by now we were all together and agreed that not bringing deck chairs was the smart choice. Also our position made it extremely easy to find each other, and being central minimised the pushing past, although there was inevitably a bit of it. The worst part was when some security randomly decided to clear a small area in front of the mixing desk, but then changed their minds and let the crowd enjoy it anyway. Even when not impinging on my enjoyment directly, I can't help notice people being twats and calling them out for it. I felt very smug about my choice of spot, especially when walking out after the show and seeing how many thousands were sitting far, far behind us. Another source says the arena can hold 10,000, and it really is wonderful how with a bit of know how and planning, you can secure a fantastic position without much pushing and shoving. We now were waiting for Madness and it didn't take too long at all, with them appearing a little after 8.30pm. I can see from my previous photos that the rounded stage looked the same as it had done for Status Quo, but the production values were much more impressive here, with not only two side screens but a video backdrop on the stage too. Astonishingly, Quo had had neither! I'd heard that this was Madness's first time in Shrewsbury, and in researching after the show I saw that the rather silly-named Chas Smash had since left the band. He was the guy I'd identified as "Suggs's "twin" from the last show and was a major stage presence, although as I paid most attention to Suggs I can't really say how much he added to the sound. It was a great shame that one was missing, as otherwise I was watching six of the seven "classic" Madness members, all of whom had been with the band since 1978 or earlier. Given that was approaching 45 years ago, it's impressive how many of them are still together! Suggs maybe doesn't grasp maths so well when he indicated they'd been together 40 years, but anyway, I'm jumping ahead. Let's start at the start.

And there is only one way to start a Madness show - One Step Beyond! At the very start we had red curtains projected onto the screen a little like Twin Peaks, then this was weirdly replaced with the Pearl & Dean theme in full. If it's a reference, I don't get it! Suggs and the band appeared, all dressed smartly and it was at this point I wondered where his "brother" Chas was, but I didn't think too much about it until finding out after the show he was missing from the line-up. They all looked smart and were sporting at least two hats amongst the group, with Suggs wearing a suit and a yellow shirt. I've always found it strange that a band who call themselves the nutty boys and present themselves as being naughty like to dress so smartly. I think it was just the fashion at the time, and they've stuck with it as it's their most famous image? Suggs offered the opening lines to One Step Beyond as I shot a echoey video, and he didn't get quite the singing back at him that he probably expected to the intro. But the band continued anyway, bursting into the song, projecting the three words One Step Beyond onto the screen throughout. My video went blurry at one point during the quiet bit, and as I noted at a few moments during the show, the songs were slowed down sometimes, most likely as a concession to age and the feasibility of performing them well. There were three horn players who looked like they were having a blast, and the video screen for much of the show was a classy black and white display. Next up was Embarrassment and I made a joke to my friend about them playing "bloody new songs" which went down a treat! I shot a close up video and it's a solid song, albeit not their best and an obvious one to get out of the way early in the show. This was followed by The Prince, opening with images of Prince Buster on the screen and some old spinning vinyl records. I always thought that The Prince was a cover but in fact it was a tribute to him, whereas One Step Beyond and Madness were cover versions of his songs. Solid choices that work really well, but obscure. Definitely worked out though, Prince Buster and Madness are closely intertwined and go well together.

Next up was NW5 and I was a little worried that many wouldn't know it, but that didn't seem to be a problem. The Liberty Of Norton Folgate album was what drove Madness back onto the path of being creditable artists rather than simply a nostalgia act, and it was released a little before my first watch of them in 2009. I suspect they booked the smaller Birmingham Academy just before the success of the record, and that - coupled with their skills as a jukebox act - have since elevated them back to the big league. The screen featured a purple screen map of London and frankly it was wonderful that Madness reached such a peak so late in their careers. Over 30 years after they started, this was heralded as their best ever album! To my shame I've never delved too deep beyond the hits, but knowing Madness have at least some quality behind the obvious moments was a good feeling. My Girl was preceded by a probably made-up story of Suggs bumping into Johnny Depp, who was drowning his sorrows because "my girl's mad at me", a reference to the recent Amber Heard trial. I shot another video and the backdrop was still black and white, but Madness were clearly steering the show expertly, opening with a barrage of classics but saving the even bigger tunes for later. The crowd sang along well and Suggs took a moment out to investigate his audience, being pleased to see some young faces and even some women amongst us. He said all girls were seeing Spandau Bollocks in the 80s and didn't attend Madness shows, and it's certainly easy to imagine that Madness crowds in their heyday were similar to Oasis for attracting the cretins. Which would be a shame, as the band are strongly anti-racist and anti-Brexit (as they were very outspoken about at the time), so clearly come from a more enlightened and intelligent place than first impressions might suggest.

The Sun And The Rain wasn't quite as mighty a hit but kept the ludicrous barrage of tunes going, and it was accompanied by some dynamic colour footage of Singing In The Rain. Perhaps the surprise highlight of the night was Wings Of A Dove, which was backed by singing that made this their Wake Up (Arcade Fire) or Hey Jude moment. I shot a fourth video capturing slow-moving doves on screen and some amazing singing along amid blue and red lights. This was followed by Return Of The Los Palmas 7, which was the first tune I was doubtful they deployed back in 2009. This moment of overlooked hits finding their deserved place continued with Lovestruck, which was one of the first Madness songs I noticed, being quite entranced with it upon its release in 1999. It's very silly, but yet it works and stands up to repeated listens. I shot another video featuring inevitable lamp posts on screen, and now it was back in the set after being absent in 2009 I did think it deserved its place alongside the other hits. The crowd seemed to know it too, but they were a little more lukewarm to it than the older tunes. Polite enough though. This glorious run of hits came to a sad end with a lockdown song called If I Go Mad. It sounded reasonably good for sure, but after so many consecutive classics, it was a bit of an annoyance to break up the run. I shot another video for Shut Up, which is a decent enough tune and I'm gradually starting to view it as a top Madness song. My 2009 review didn't even mention it so it just wasn't on my radar then, but now I appreciated it and shot a nice video, capturing one of the group (I think) dressed as a policeman and the "1 2 3" on screen for the moment in the lyrics. More of a surprise treat was Bed And Breakfast Man, which they announced as being from their first album and not having been played as a while. It sounded amazing and I think it featured a crown onscreen, and by good fortune I knew it from a London live set in 2018 I'd recorded.

Mr Apples was - apart from the new song - as obscure as the set got, but I knew it and the crowd were enthusiastic and positive throughout in any case. Suggs apologised for making his bandmate who starred in the video look weird by putting him in unusual circumstances. And now came the insane bit, which I can't remember happening last time but my 2009 review assures me it did indeed happen the same way before! Madness launched into the brilliant House Of Fun, and I shot another video, capturing balloons and crowd footage on the screen and generally people moving and loving it. They followed this with Baggy Trousers, which was a bit slower than the record but I shot another video, noting lots of jumping around and yellow lights. I used to see this couplet of hits as inferior to Our House, but over time I've come to love them more. And - utterly insanely - this was followed by Our House! It's probably a good thing that I hadn't recalled this special event from last time as it made it a surprise, but it's a bit ludicrous, and probably a long-held trick that Madness deploy to get the crowd into raptures. Suggs was jumping around enthusiastically to Our House, and if he is sick of his own songs, it sure didn't show. The main set then finished with the gorgeous It Must Be Love featuring a heart onscreen. I shot another video and this was the one I posted to Facebook the next day, albeit largely so I could follow it with a It Must Be Loughborough joke! The crowd singing along was a lovely moment, and I'm always surprised to note it's a cover version - from someone called Labi Siffre? It is such a Madness song, it's hard to believe it was ever anything else.

Madness left the stage but returned pretty promptly for the encore. They wrong-footed me by opening the return with a tune I'd totally forgotten about - Madness! Again it's a Prince Buster cover and was responsible for giving the band their name, and the word Madness was flashed onscreen in red too. I shot another video and the crowd were going wild - what a song! I think there also was some screen footage of Boris Johnson and a Tory Party Donors bus arriving at Downing Street to make a political joke, but it was done lightly and given how bad a PM he has been, I doubt anyone could take offence in any case! I think we all predicted the finale though, as Suggs briefly donned a tea towel before launching into Night Boat To Cairo! This time the headscarf was done much more quickly due to modern sensibilities, and Suggs teased by asking us if it was just cultural appropriation or just a tea towel. No one was offended though, frankly the offence with this kind of nonsense is people who imagine other people are offended and get offended at the idea of imagined offence. It's all a bit silly really. I shot another video and the screen featured some animated Egyptian mummies and footage from Cleopatra, before the band left the stage and the red curtains onscreen returned. We walked out fairly fast as Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life was being played, it feeling like an early finish and in fact being around 10.05pm. By the time I got back it was late enough, so it all worked out. The cathedral was lit up but not the abbey (the exact opposite of last time I think!), and due to the crowd dispersing as we walked along, leaving the car park was no drama whatsoever. Again, Driving In My Car was inexplicably omitted, which is extra frustrating, even more so as I see they do sometimes play it! But it's a pretty small gripe really, it's just that when the set comes so close to perfection, the drawbacks are magnified. I'm surprised to have written so much as besides a few notes on my phone I then went on holiday and only am writing this up a couple of weeks later. I'm really glad I saw Madness again, and that I bided my time until it was a proper outdoor show rather than an arena tour.
Setlist
One Step Beyond
Embarrassment
The Prince
NW5
My Girl
The Sun And The Rain
Wings Of A Dove
Return Of The Los Palmas 7
Lovestruck
If I Go Mad
Shut Up
Bed And Breakfast Man
Mr Apples
House Of Fun
Baggy Trousers
Our House
It Must Be Love
Madness
Night Boat To Cairo

Mark: 8.5/10