WHEN a band as wonderful as Squeeze are the support act ,it’s worth getting to the venue early to make sure you don’t miss a moment of what is sure to be a great night.
Between them Squeeze and Madness have written some of the most instantly recognisable songs of their generation and you just knew that they would play a good portion of them tonight.
Squeeze who tour as a headline act in their own right delivered a great set that was well received by a BIC that was already filling up to capacity.
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After a short break the lights dimmed before a single spotlight is trained on a bright red telephone box at the side of the stage containing the one and only Suggs making a telephone call to his mum explaining that he is has a few friends round in Bournemouth and he has to go.
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He duly emerges and the band go straight in to One Step Beyond, Embarrassment and their first ever hit The Prince. These three songs set the tone for the rest of the evening, which is up tempo, upbeat and definitely up there with the best gigs I have seen this year.
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The stage production is excellent with a combination of London terrace street backdrop and well-designed light show both contributing to the evening but it is of course those nutty boys themselves that are definitely front and centre in delivering a twenty two song set.
The band never put a foot wrong as they delivered firm favourites My Girl, House of Fun, Baggy Trousers and Our House which nearly took the roof off while lesser-known numbers like Baby Burglar and new song If I Go Mad were welcome additions to the evening.
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My favourite Madness song Bed and Breakfast Man made an appearance toward the end of the evening with a couple of choruses of Woolley Bully thrown in for good measure.
Main set closer It Must Be Love went down a storm ending the first part of the night on a real sing along high and made me rethink my earlier best song statement.
A short encore ended with Night Boat To Cairo that once again had the crowd dancing up to the very last note and beyond as they made their way out into a night that didn’t seem quite so cold and miserable.
Madness are definitely a tonic for the soul and just what is needed right now. Let’s hope it’s not another two years before we see them again.
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