It was absolute Madness on Plymouth’s Hoe of fun, for day 3 of the TK Maxx Plymouth Summer Sessions, with the crowd arriving in the early afternoon to enjoy an eagerly anticipated line up of live music. From the gates opening at four, in the sun, Madness hoodies and Fez hats lined the front barrier.
At just after five o’clock, Cumbrian music legends Hardwicke Circus played a perfect thirty minute set, easily winning the crowd over with their wry humour, Springsteen-esque lyrics and a sound that has been compared to the E-Street, Motown, The Killers and The Jam. ‘Night Train to London', apparently written in an Avanti West Coast train toilet, with Suggs (presumably on the phone) was a huge hit, as well as nod to that night’s headline act. Boxer Tyson Fury, was the subject of the second best audience-participation moment of the night in ‘The Ballad Of The Gypsy King', with a reverent crowd providing a da-da-da bass to the song. I would happily see a solo show from these lads.
The band I was most keen to see, The Lightning Seeds, strolled onto the stage just after six o’clock, playing hit after hit as the seagulls soared over Plymouth Sound; the post-work crowd were clearly enjoying chips and ice-cream at the festival. Amongst ‘Lucky You' and ‘Marvellous' local Liverpudlian John Lennon and The Beatles received a nod with Ian Broudie weaving in lyrics from ‘Imagine' and ‘All You Need is Love' in his enigmatic vocals. Their stunning 45-minute set ended with “Life Of Riley” and, of course, ‘Three Lions', featuring the most popular audience participation song of the night with the chant of “It’s Coming Home”.
Time for another set change on stage, but the people around us, near the barrier, had few intentions of moving too far. Conversations continued amongst music fans who had travelled across the UK as well as Devon and Cornwall, to listen to the music. Unfortunately, the upbeat feeling of the crowd dimmed during a 50-minute set from The Zutons, with the second Liverpool band of the night failing to ignite the same energy as the first two bands did.
As the sun set over Plymouth’s waterfront, and the crowd surged forward, securing spots that had been held for five hours, strengthening connections made between new friends, at just after 9 o’clock the headline act of the evening bounded onto the stage with their usual entertaining style in a Thunderbird nod. Madness opened with ‘One Step Beyond' and the crowd-of-all-ages went wild, dancing and revelling in the music from one of the UK’s best loved bands.
The ska-loving audience bounced and jumped along with the band members, led by the legendary Suggs, as they played hits including ‘Baggy Trousers', ‘House of Fun', ‘The Sun and The Rain' alongside songs from their latest album, “C’est La Vie”. One of the best songs of their set was ‘Mr Apples' delivered with aplomb. Suggs’ vocals were swapped out for a brilliant cover of ‘Highway to Hell' and the band got back together for ‘Our House' and ‘It Must Be Love' as the night sky provided a stunning backdrop to the stage-based mayhem and lights show. Madness closed out their set with the iconic ‘Night Boat To Cairo', just as the rain started to fall
Tickets for the final day of the TK Maxx Plymouth Summer Sessions are still available, featuring Blondie and headline act Sting on the line up, to close out the four-day music festival.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s Plymouth Summer Sessions announcement.
Venue: Plymouth Summer Sounds, Plymouth Hoe Date: 15th June 2024
