Madstock Festival, London - July 17, 2009

[Toby]

The Pogues were phenomenal last night as were madness - what a show!! Saw the Blockheads & Jerry Manners too.

That was the finest performance I have seen by the boys for many years the sound was awesome Mr C belted out a fantastic 1000s!

Many thanks chaps - I had my 11 year old boy on my shoulders near the front all night (& doesn't my body know that now!!!) we were right at the front for the pogues show and he loved it

Got home around 2am - worth it!!

[Zuzana]

Simone J posted a handful of nice images from Madstock at Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simone_joy ... 496775683/

[moose]

...........& Jerry Manners too......

Would that be Jerry Dammers

[TheKing]

Anyone got a setlist for the Madstock gig?

[Aidan]

Madstock was a great gig - there is no getting away from that. Even the rain did'nt spoil it.

Madness played an absolute storming set which seemed to go on forever, featuring much of their new (according to Suggs) 9 million selling album masterpiece 'The Liberty of Norton Folgate' as well as lots and lots of old favourites.

Last year at V was the first time I had seen the Pogues perform at a festival and they played a belting set, the good thing about the tent there was that if you wanted to see the Pogues you were in there, if you didnt you were'nt. Yesterday was a bit different as there was a Gold Circle barrier which basically held mostly fez wearing madness fans so they could get nearer to the headline act. It wasnt until the end of the Pogues set with a few very well known numbers that the crowd at the front became energised in the slightest. I was not in the gold circle and standing to the right hand side of the stage we did manage to get a little Pogues appreciation society going. I found it hard to go and see my favourite band :

a. where they have to win over a crowd.
b. I can't get near the front.
c. there is'nt really a pit happening.
d. the sound is dampened down to highlight the main act.
e. when I get distracted by negativity towards the band going on around me.
f. .......where they are a support band !!!

I heard people slagging the Pogues, there was one guy near me who kept shaking his head and raising his middle finger to the band. Thank god you dont get this on their own tours !!

The Pogues played a brilliant set and I appreciate them for being together every time I get to see them. Thanks fellas for another cracking gig.

[dave box]

Totally agree with all the above points! Gold circle is a fairground rip-off! Pogues sound was quiet to say the least! i got the impression they were slightly in a rush to finish? i had a argument with a security guy who asked me to move away from the entrance to the circle to which i politely asked if i could come inside( there were dozens of people coming out!) i was told i could pay extra at the gate if i wanted to come in so just stood outside and blocked the gate to piss them off!!!!

As far as the gig it was hard to enjoy due to the money grabbing c**nts who put these show on! ( give us your money but we wont allow you to have a good time!!)

After "body of an American" i retreated to the beer tent to watch the rest of the show then on the last note of "Fiesta" got the fuck out of there! No idea how Madness were and frankly don't care!

Roll on xmas...............!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ps Phillip - Fantastic "Thousands"

Dave Sutherland

[philipchevron]

Madstock was a great gig - there is no getting away from that. Even the rain did'nt spoil it.

Madness played an absolute storming set which seemed to go on forever, featuring much of their new (according to Suggs) 9 million selling album masterpiece 'The Liberty of Norton Folgate' as well as lots and lots of old favourites.

Last year at V was the first time I had seen the Pogues perform at a festival and they played a belting set, the good thing about the tent there was that if you wanted to see the Pogues you were in there, if you didnt you were'nt. Yesterday was a bit different as there was a Gold Circle barrier which basically held mostly fez wearing madness fans so they could get nearer to the headline act. It wasnt until the end of the Pogues set with a few very well known numbers that the crowd at the front became energised in the slightest. I was not in the gold circle and standing to the right hand side of the stage we did manage to get a little Pogues appreciation society going. I found it hard to go and see my favourite band :

a. where they have to win over a crowd.
b. I can't get near the front.
c. there is'nt really a pit happening.
d. the sound is dampened down to highlight the main act.
e. when I get distracted by negativity towards the band going on around me.
f. .......where they are a support band !!!

I heard people slagging the Pogues, there was one guy near me who kept shaking his head and raising his middle finger to the band. Thank god you dont get this on their own tours !!

The Pogues played a brilliant set and I appreciate them for being together every time I get to see them. Thanks fellas for another cracking gig.

While my own perception of the gig inevitably differs, given that I was on the other side of the so-called Gold Circle, there wasn't really a sense that we had to win over the Madness fans and, indeed, there were quite a few Pogues fans in there too. But it would not surprise me to learn there was a degree of hostility in some areas of the crowd, because this is a crowd with a history of being inhospitable to guest artists as Morrissey found to his cost a few years ago. However, the promoters did us no favours by initially billing the gig as MADSTOCK featuring MADNESS and very SPECIAL guests. Unfortunately, this created a frenzy of false expectation among some Madness fans that they would be seeing, for the first time in 30 years, Madness and The Specials share a stage. When the principal guests turned out to be ourselves, it created a bit of bad feeling towards us, especially on the Madness equivalent of Medusa. In time, Jerry Dammers was added to the bill and presumably this calmed the troubled waters a little, but perhaps the harm had been done. But honestly, it was fine - most people were just there to have a good time and that's what they had. Incidentally, I did spot the little pocket of activity you generated beyond the Gold Circle and was glad of it.

[bhanlon5]

I came over from the states to see the show and I thought the band was excellent, the crowd was a mixed bag but I think most people had a good time. Can't wait for the fall US tour.

[James]

Don't remember it at all, sadly.

[Fionn MacCool]

Don't remember it at all, sadly.

you were steaming big ships alright. How was the head Sunday? I wasn't feeling great at all so I doubt you were any better!

[willie]

fantastic gig at madstock, you stole the show! and great to finally see philip chevron on stage. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

[MissWalshy]

Don't remember it at all, sadly.

you were steaming big ships alright. How was the head Sunday? I wasn't feeling great at all so I doubt you were any better!

Did you guys meet in the Swan?

James you were alright when we headed into the gig.

I can't begin to say how much I hated the gig just yet. Ok, hate being a HUGE word but being restricted to the barrier cause of lack of "golden circle" really hurt.. and shouting as loud as i can to 1000s and a madness fan saying the pogues were shite to me just ruined me. ugh ugh ugh. Band were great, Madstock....... never ever again. i lie, i would go again if i had 100 pogues fans standing with me. was so strange. strange. ok. i'll stop now.

[MissWalshy]

Hold on a minute, Sunday?? surely you mean Saturday Fionn? Doofus.

[James]

Don't remember it at all, sadly.

you were steaming big ships alright. How was the head Sunday? I wasn't feeling great at all so I doubt you were any better!

Did you guys meet in the Swan?

That's what I've heard. The sequence of events goes; in the smallest pub in the world next to Vicki park, running toward Pair of Brown Eyes with you lot dragging behind, seperating from the pack, beer tent. ...Wake up Saturday morning on a wall with my jacket under my head, no oyster, no bank card and apparently coming down off something. Five miles past my house in the wrong direction. Had to walk it in the blistering heat with no money to buy a drink. I've had more hellish experiences but ah never mind. The important thing is I never fucked up any new friendships before they had a chance to start.

Come to the boogaloo on Thursday! I'm on my jacks otherwise.

[MissWalshy]

Mate, I was cracking up laughing as I read that ! Great stuff.. a true Pogues experience.. shame you can't actually remember the gig though ! You were deffo drunk as I didn't see you again once we headed into Victoria park. hahahah!!!

How can we go on Thursday when we've got no tickets !