“Oh, what fun we had” indeed.
Walking down Margate seafront you could tell cockney legends Madness were in town thanks to the red fez-wearing crowds.
The iconic ska band headlined the Dreamland stage on Friday, June 14 as part of this year’s Margate Summer Series – as well as their own C’est La Vie tour.
They are off the back of a No.1 studio album in the UK with Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie, knocking the likes of Drake out of the way in November.
But before they sauntered onto the stage, rock band The Lightning Seeds warmed up the boisterous crowd who were more than ready to belt out their timely rendition of Three Lions.
The bars which surround the main stage were packed between the performances but the queues moved quickly.
Suggs and co, who had their heyday in the 70s and 80s, started their performance with what else but One Step Beyond followed by Embarrassment and The Prince.
In between songs Suggs performed as a stand-up comedian and the crowd lapped up every second of it.
Their newer songs such as Run For Your Life and C'est La Vie were featured as well as NW5 and The Sun and the Rain, released in 2007.
Like any ‘older’ band there is a sense that the crowd, who were mainly in their 50s, wanted the hits they knew every word to and the more recent songs did fall a bit flat.
This is not because they weren’t good or performed well, but rather that most of those in attendance simply didn’t know them.
Around halfway through the performance, there was a pause – just after Run For Your Life – due to someone being ill.
But after the break Madness came roaring back with Bed and Breakfast Man and Shut Up before heading into the encore of their truly massive hits.
They left the best till last, with the lights now beaming in the dark, and finished off the entertaining night with House of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Our House, It Must Be Love and Madness.
Before heading off the stage Suggs played with the crowd, asking if they were still here, before sending the audience into a frenzy with my personal favourite – and what seemed like the song of the night – Night Boat to Cairo.
You can find a full list of Dreamland’s upcoming summer concerts here and, if you are seeing any live music at the venue over the coming months, you can find our guide to parking, train timetables and more here.
You can also find ticket and venue information on the Dreamland website.
