This week Gigseen are bringing you another fantastic concert to enjoy at your own leisure. Our Gig of The Week featured concerts are completely FREE all week - all you have to do is register at Gigseen TV, sit back and relax as we bring you Madness.
Each week, A Closer Look At... is intended to help you find out a little more about the featured artist and their concert. Or, if you're already a die-hard fan, it's a chance to remind yourself of the talent and spectacle on offer! So if you're wondering why you should subscribe at Gigseen to watch this concert...here's a couple of reasons..
Along with The Specials, Madness were one of the leading bands of the ska revival of the late '70s and early '80s. As their career progressed, Madness branched away from their trademark "nutty sound" and incorporated large elements of Motown, soul, and British pop. Although the band managed one crossover American hit in 1983, the band remained a British phenomenon, influencing several successive generations of musicians and becoming one of the most beloved groups the country produced during the '80s.
The origins of Madness lie in a ska group known as the North London Invaders, which was formed by Mike Barson, Chris Foreman, and Lee Thompson in 1976. By 1978, the band had changed their name to Morris and the Minors and had added Graham "Suggs" McPherson, Mark Bedford, Chas Smash, and Dan Woodgate to the group. Later in 1978, they changed their name to Madness, in homage to one of their favorite Prince Buster songs. The following year, Madness released their debut single, a tribute to Prince Buster entitled The Prince, on Two-Tone Records. The song was a surprise success, reaching the British Top 20. Following its success, the band signed a record contract with Stiff Records and released another Prince Buster song, One Step Beyond, which climbed to number seven.
Madness were also pioneers of the musical genre known as 2-Tone, which fused elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae and New Wave. The 2 Tone sound was originally developed by young musicians in Coventry, West Midlands, who grew up hearing music from the West indies in the 1960s. Other bands involved in this development included The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Bad Manners, and The Bodysnatchers.
The term, '2-Tone' was coined by The Specials' keyboardist Jerry Dammers, who — with the assistance of Horace Panter and graphic designer John "Teflon" Sims — created the iconic Walt Jabsco logo (a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, pork pie hat, white socks and black loafers) to represent the 2 Tone genre. The logo was based on an early album cover photo of Peter Tosh, and included an added black-and-white check pattern.
You can listen to some of their biggest hits, below.
Watch our Free Gig Of The Week, 'Madstock 1998', here!