Midsummer Madness

You don’t have to be a pop aficionado to appreciate the mark that Madness have made on the music scene.

Decades after they burst onto our TV screens and into our hearts with their bowler hats, mastery of the 2 Tone sound and catchy tunes such as My Girl, Embarrassment and the glorious House of Fun, their songs remain guaranteed dancefloor fillers.

As much a part of British culture as fish ‘n’ chips or a cup of tea, the original Nutty Boys from London’s Camden Town are celebrating almost half a century as national treasures, so it seems fitting that Suggs (real name Graham McPherson) received a knighthood in January 2022 –or did he?

“Arise Sir Mad Ass!” he laughs. “You wouldn’t believe how many people fell for that. Truth be told, it was a video I did to promote a Madness gig in Brixton on Jubilee Day. I was actually sat in a field in Highgate Woods!’

Becoming a ‘Sir’ isn’t something that interests Suggs. His aim is solely to give fans a gig to remember – something Madness will be doing when they hit Albert Park in June.

“I love seeing people having a good time,” he admits.

“I see four generations of one family singing along to It Must Be Love and you can feel the emotion. God love the great

British public!”

Suggs puts the Madness appeal down to them being “just normal blokes”.

“I get stopped in the street a lot and I’m always happy to say hello. Making music is a privilege, but it’s also my job and I don’t get carried away.”

Now 62, Suggs is as full of life and vigour as a man half his age.

“Well, me knees are going,” he laughs. “But I’m happy and I never get stressed out. I still get joy from music – and yeah, I never get bored with playing the hits.”

Though Madness have spent years touring, Suggs admits they are buzzing at the thought of coming to Teesside.

“I can’t recall playing Middlesbrough before, but I’ve heard it’s a cool place –well freezing actually!” he roars.

“I took my grandkids to see Chelsea play against Liverpool recently. They were wearing T-shirts. I said ‘We’re going up north, put a coat on!’ They wouldn’t have it and by half-time they were begging to go home.”

Speaking of the beautiful game, Suggs has had a few run-ins with Boro devotee and local celeb Bob Mortimer over the years.

“Me and Bob both had songs out when Chelsea played Boro in the FA Cup final in 1997.

“I wrote a song about Zola and Vialli (Blue Day) and he did a song with the Boro team (Chris Rea’s Let’s Dance). I met him again recently on Would I Lie To You and couldn’t get a word in edgeways – I just sat back and laughed. He’s nuts,” he says affectionately.

So as south prepares to meet north, is Suggs willing to forgo pie and mash in favour of a parmo?

“A what?” he laughs, as I explain the Teesside delicacy.

“Oh yeah, now I know, I’m gonna try one. Central Park – I’ll be putting my order in!”

And as he packs his case in preparation for the Madness 2023 European tour, it seems there’s no stopping Suggs.

“I’ll keep going as long as I can. It’s revitalising, seeing that crowd go wild –unbridled joy someone once said, and isn’t that what life is all about?”

Madness play Middlesbrough, Albert Park on Friday, June 9, 2023 - myticket.co.uk/artists/madness

Level X, a huge family entertainment centre at Captain Cook Square, is the first in a string of exciting developments set to open in Middlesbrough this year.

Families can enjoy the first electric karting experience of its style in the UK – with a 250m-long indoor track incorporating interactive elements like speed boosts and ‘missiles’ to slow down other racers. Think Mario Kart, but in real life!

It’s the centrepiece of the state-of-theart entertainment centre, which will open inside the former TJ Hughes store this spring.

Decorated with trendy neon lights and graffiti art, the huge venue also offers crazy golf with electronic scoring, 12 lanes of bowling, pool tables, virtual reality zones, arcades, dodgems, karaoke and a wide range of food and drink.

Graeme Smith, chief operating officer of Level X, said: “We’ve been all around the world for the last two years looking at different concepts, looking for the best gaming experiences we can bring to the UK.

“We opened our first Level X site in Glasgow just before Christmas and now we’re taking our second site – which is our biggest – to the next level, with the first interactive go-kart track of its style in the UK.

“We’re excited to be the first venue to open at Captain Cook Square in Middlesbrough, and we can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve got to offer.”

Level X is a new concept from the Lane 7 group, the company which previously ran a bowling alley in a much smaller site on Albert Road.

Since its launch in 2013, the Darlingtonbased firm has operated venues in Newcastle, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Speaking to Business Live last year,