In the 1980’s a new musical movement was taking place along the banks of the river Medlock. Madchester and the legendary Haçienda were birthed from these banks and are now staples of modern music popculture. Now, two of the scenes king-pins, James and the Happy Mondays, return to its shores: older, sober and ready to play a sold-out arena.
As the lights dim in the Manchester Arena, the opening bars of the iconic ‘Kinky Afro’ sweep through the grand setting as the Happy Mondays take to the stage to perform a blistering Greatest Hits set. It's a sight to see 20,000 strong bellowing the words to 'Step On', 'Loose Fit' and 'Wrote for Luck', each track sounding as fresh today as when they were released. The sights of Shaun and Bez grooving their way through the set is a flashback, if only briefly, to those mythical Madchester days.
Following this is the main event, as James quietly come on stage frontman Tim Booth stands tall and bellows the opening bars to ‘ZERO’: “We’re all gonna die”. An oddly melancholic opening to such a euphoric event.
This melancholia doesn't last long though as the band quickly launch into a litany of hits. Tracks such as ‘She’s a Star’, ‘Born of Frustration’ and ‘Come Home’ (the latter bringing the re-introduction of Bez and his trademark freaky dancing) bring the sold-out arena to their feet. A sea of arms waving in unison, the charge being led by Tim Booth, grin on his face all the while.
The emotional crescendo of the night comes with an epic performance of ‘Sit Down’. Dedicated to Booth’s father-in-law who tragically passed away last year, the emotional weight gives the track a new sense of levity, especially with its crowd-led piano lead in. There isn’t a dry eye in the house.
Soon after is a blistering four-track encore. ‘Beautiful Beaches’, ‘Getting Away with It’, ‘Laid’ and ‘Sometimes’ all receive a rapturous ovation, with all being met with adulation before leaving stage returning heroes.
Both James and the Happy Mondays are legends in Manchester and they received nothing short of a legend's ovation here. Not one track falls flat, with the response to each song echoing through the Manchester Arena. If only for a night, Madchester was back, baggy was back, bucket hats were back. And the sense of joy and euphoria that came with it was most certainly back.
