Right old knees-up on the Hoe

MADNESS, madness, they call it madness. And it certainly was on the Hoe as NW5’s greatest export created the mother of all knees-ups.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

From the front barriers to the beer tents people were skanking and stomping as Madness turned Plymouth Summer Sessions into a Saturday night party.

Arriving on stage to the Thunderbirds theme, it was lift-off as One Step Beyond got the jamboree jumping, and it didn’t let up. Dressed in their sharp suits and hats, Madness were as much natty boys as nutty boys, and talking of hats, the audience was awash with them: fezzes, trilbies, and pork pies.

There were also lots of DMs, Harringtons and black-and-white checks. Plymouth had really made the effort. It was worth it.

Jaunty renditions of Embarrassment, The Prince, new track C’est La Vie, NW5, My Girl, and The Sun and the Moon tested the stamina of a jubilant crowd. They were up to it though.