A humorous comment once suggested that seeing Suggs ambling towards your abode was the inaugural sign of insanity. However, in Galway Airport, the cue is more suggestive – a giant screen draped with a crimson velvet curtain and The Boomtown Rats resonating across the marquee.
Once the theatrical preamble is over and the curtain lifted, the band, sporting bowler hats, dapper mobster attire and boyish grins, steps into the spotlight. With his arms outstretched, imitating airplane wings, Suggs fixes his gaze on the audience and roars the introduction to One Step Beyond, commanding, “Hey you, don’t observe that! Observe this!”
Now in his early sixties, this London-native garnered his moniker by blindly selecting a name from a jazz musician encyclopedia, landing on Peter Suggs. The evening’s performance, however, is more deliberate and captivating. Early-set classics reel the crowd in. From One Step Beyond to Embarrassment, transitioning seamlessly to the band’s debut single, The Prince — a track reluctantly acknowledging its 45th anniversary.
A Madness gig in Galway review: Iconic tunes elate as the band’s inaugural single hits its 45th year.
At concerts, apparel often offers a shared connection. Taylor Swift’s events resemble a sea of friendship accessories, leather footwear and cowboy headgear, yet Madness has cornered the market for fez hats and loose trousers for years. Abundant also are the nods to the Blues Brothers, with fathers stylishly dressed in their Sunday’s finest Crombie coats and dark shades rounding off the ensemble.
A sense of emulation is palpable, as everyone aspires to look like those on the stage. A Madness performance offers the diverse experience of a Sopranos episode, compelling the viewer to focus on differing characters. To the right of Suggs, saxophonist Lee Thompson proves a captivating presence that is challenging to ignore.
Thommo gets into the character of Benny Hill during his performance, wearing a bobby’s helmet and pretending to hound Suggs relentlessly. Unexpectedly, a tambourine flies into the audience during Wings of a Dove, which they promptly hurl back at him. The band’s most immature members, the brass section, linger awkwardly during songs that don’t require their input. If they’re superfluous for consecutive songs, they retreat backstage only to reappear with little bottles of Peroni beer.
After executing a sequential barrage of their classic hits, the concert experiences a slight lull in momentum, but still manages to maintain its energy. The musical group delivered their 13th studio album, and unusual as it may seem, their first to reach the top of the UK charts, in June. Naturally, they showcase several tracks from this release during the live performance, and while they’re enjoyable, the lack of familiarity could account for the subdued response.
The performance builds to a climactic conclusion. With only thirty minutes left, everyone clears the stage, leaving only guitarist Chris Foreman, now sporting an outlandish fur coat in purple with polka dots. Chris announces, much to the audience’s dismay, that the next song will be their last, proceeding to belt out a rendition of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On a Prayer. Thommo can’t help but express his disapproval, declaring it shouldn’t be permitted.
Following this, nostalgic classics come in quick succession, namely House of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Our House, with a special mention to It Must Be Love, which prompts all 5,000 concert-goers to begin windmilling their arms with glee. The concert is brought to an end with the highly anticipated appearance of the fez and a rendition of Night Boat to Cairo, transporting everyone safely back to their homes.