Shrewsbury Quarry to become House of Fun for ska legends Madness

The band, famous for hits including Baggy Trousers, Our House and It Must Be Love, will be gracing the town centre this Friday.

Excitement is building ahead of the gig, where they will be supported by The Zutons, best known for their smash hit Valerie.

Madness, led by frontman Graham 'Suggs McPherson, are fresh from ‘The Ladykillers Tour’.

The group is the latest big act to perform at the Quarry, but this will be Madness' debut headline performance in Shrewsbury, set amidst 29 acres of lush parkland and encircled by the picturesque loop of the river Severn,

Speaking about the upcoming Friday night fixture, Madness said: "We hear there is real magic in the waters of the River Severn and we can’t wait for it to work on us and all the Madheads that come and see us at The Quarry. Bring it on.”

Helen Ball, town clerk for Shrewsbury Town Council, said she was excited for a big weekend of music in Shrewsbury - with the Let's Rock festival also taking place. But she warned revellers to be prepared for the hot weather.

"From speaking to the organisers, they're happy with ticket sales. It's always good to bring big names to the town, with Madness and the Let's Rock festival. Madness, Wet Wet Wet, Billy Ocean. That's my era of music!

"The weather is going to be extremely hot, so I would say to people to make sure they are prepared. Have lots of water, take a hat and sunscreen. Even though there are lots of trees in the Quarry, they don't provide a lot of shade so it's often three, four or five degrees hotter than what is predicted."

Madness are perhaps one of the most prominent and best-loved bands of the last 50 years. Formed in Camden Town, London in 1976, their journey since has taken them from ska-band upstarts to globally acclaimed superstars.

Finding initial success in the late 1970s and early ‘80s as frontrunners of the two-tone Ska revival, the band would soon go on to find universal fame through a string of 15 UK top 10 charting singles, with their crowning glory the seminal UK No.1 House Of Fun.

With a trademark “nutty” sound and lyrics that capture the very essence of British life, cuts like Baggy Trousers, One Step Beyond, Embarrassment, My Girl, Driving In My Car, and Our House and countless others have transcended the generations and immortalised Madness as icons of popular culture.

A testament to their enduring popularity, Suggs and co. were invited to perform on top of Buckingham Palace as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympics in 2012 to a global audience, while also setting the record for the biggest-ever viewing for the BBC’s live New Year’s Eve broadcast in 2018.

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their landmark debut album One Step Beyond last year, Madness remain one of the most exhilarating and entertaining prospects on record and the stage.