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MADNESS
Arts Centre, Poole
WITNESSING a Madness celebration is not dissimilar to eating a pomegranate - once the tasty flesh is chewed off there is a whole lot of rubbish to spit out.
Madness' flesh comes in the shape of 'Embarrassment', 'My Girl' and 'Baggy Trousers' - all immediately timeless pop classics, but much of the rest is tacky pure plastic dustbin lining. So thin, so groundless, so empty.
Rescue comes quickly. This, the first night of a four-gig mini-tour, is a showcase for new material, while old numbers are thrown in to keep the crowd amused. No doubt the nutty lads will be off into the studio when the tracks are well - enough rehearsed for national consumption.
Excellent new songs 'Brand New Day' and 'Shut Up', amongst others, have so much more depth and feel to them, both being heavily Bedders' bass - orientated. One stop beyond the old Madness is a stride in the right direction before they get bogged down in a restrictive formula and slip under.
Still fun, fun, fun, though Chas Smash's comments come across incoherently through bad microphones and there seems to be less horseplay than usual as the music, for once, takes the upper hand.
Chas and Suggs are the true stars, dressed in bright, ill-fitting check suits while the other five faceless individuals wear dull and unimaginative garb. Chas and Suggs are the heroes, the clowns, two lads to relate to, to imitate to worship. The adulation from a full house preceding and following every number certainly proves this.
Madness' set, kicking off with 'The Return Of The Los Palmas 7', gave over an hour of pure pop for now skinheads (and associates). It ended with two planned encores. You don't really think they would leave without catching the 'Night Boat To Cairo' do you?
But although thoroughly enjoyable, Madness seem to have lost some sparkle, a touch of spontaneity appears to have disappeared, it all looks too much like professionally organised gay abandon. But I hope they are able to hold their position because a decline would be totally undeserved.
- Contributed by Lee 'Loobyloo' Buckley
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