Madness, Edinburgh Castle, review: Suggs and Co feel the love with almighty party
A barrage of hits kept the crowd on their feet
Clearly there are fond memories in Madness of their last central Edinburgh concert in 2009, at what Suggs referred to here as ‘Hogmanee’. It was, he says, so cold that he ignored the official requests not to swear on air. There were no such problems at the first of this year’s Castle Concerts, though, and Madness were the perfect band for the occasion, with a barrage of hits to keep fans on their feet.
The set began with a triple salvo of One Step Beyond, Embarrassment and The Prince, the band playing with the kind of fluent energy which comes from retaining six of its original seven members. The black-suited Suggs’ voice encompassed the tenderness of My Girl, the sneer of Shut Up and – in the mid-set period of more recent songs – the straight-up rock of the state-of-the-nation Run for Your Life, which opened like the theme from Magnum PI.
He remains a slick and infectious frontman, playfully boasting about elbowing Taylor Swift and Drake out of the way to last year’s number one album C’est La Vie, and introducing as “sons of Edinburgh” keyboard player Mike Barson and one of the backing horn ensemble. “I was born and brought up in England,” said Suggs before The Sun and the Rain. “We don't like to talk about money, politics or religion. What we talk about is the weather.”
Guitarist Chris Foreman had no problem breaking that taboo before his party-piece cover of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, though. “Alas, poor Tories,” he said, mimicking Shakespeare. “You shouldn't kick people when they're down, but hip hip hooray. I believe you're Tory-free up here?”
For anyone who felt like celebrating, Madness delivered an almighty party, crescendoing with a straight run through House of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Our House, It Must Be Love, Madness and finally Night Boat to Cairo, the two-song encore signalled with a lone piper blasting Flower of Scotland. “Thank you Edinburgh,” said Suggs, reflecting the crowd's own emotions. “We're feeling the love tonight.”
David Pollock
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