Madness - July 9

After early incarnations as The Invaders and Morris and the Minors, Madness hit the charts on the back of the ska boom and Two Tone movement in the early '80s with their single 'The Prince', an homage to dancehall legend Prince Buster. A staggering run of hit singles ensued, including 'One Step Beyond', 'My Girl', 'Baggy Trousers', 'Embarrassment', 'House of Fun', 'Our House', 'Wings of A Dove' and 'Michael Caine'.

Like The Specials, the band had the knack of encompassing kitchen sink Little England Mike Leigh-style melodramas within the course of three minute pop nuggets, distinguished by Suggs' irresistible cheeky-chappie phrasing, blaring sax and saloon piano.

After a hiatus, the band have undergone a revival on the back of re-releases and the ecstatically received Madstock gigs in Finsbury Park, plus the Our House musical, based on the band’s songs. They officially reformed in the late '90s for the Wonderful and The Dangermen Sessions Vol 1 albums, and re-established themselves as one of the most beloved live acts on the circuit. A night out with Madness is brilliant entertainment. Unmissable!

DID YOU KNOW?
• Both Madness and UB40 spent 214 weeks on the UK singles charts over the course of the decade, holding the record for most weeks spent by a group in the 1980s UK singles charts.
• Rolling Stone awarded the band’s classic second album Absolutely one out of five stars, deriding them as "the Blues Brothers with English accents".
• Suggs once described the band’s 1985 album Mad Not Mad as a "polished turd".
• During 'One Step Beyond' at the band’s 1991 Finsbury Park reunion, the 75,000 crowd pogoed so hard they caused a seismic event, according to seismologist Alice Walker.