Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets & Stereo MC’s close UK tour in Brighton

HAPPY MONDAYS + INSPIRAL CARPETS + STEREO MC’S – BRIGHTON DOME 14.4.24

It comes as no surprise to learn that tonight’s tour goes under the banner of ‘The Been There Done That Tour’, with the fact that the trio of acts haven’t actually released an album of brand new material since 2014. The Happy Mondays last album ‘Uncle Dysfunktional’ came out in 2007, the Inspiral Carpets last album ‘Inspiral Carpets’ came out in 2014 and the Stereo MC’s last album ‘Emperor’s Nightingale’ dropped back in 2011. So what is it all about then?

These special run of 16 shows across the land, which draws to a close this evening at Brighton Dome, are obviously paying homage to the work of a trio of ‘90s British music icons and gives the chance for their fans to witness the like minded bands performing their hits and choice cuts. In fact it’s the Happy Mondays’ first headline tour for almost five years. Their previous appearance here at Brighton Dome was on 7th November 2019 and we were there to review it – check it out HERE. The Inspiral Carpets last Brighton headline concert was at the Concorde 2, on 23rd March last year and yep we were there – Review HERE. The previous Stereo MC’s Brighton gig was on 11th March last year, unfortunately we missed that on account of seeing future No.1 album band The Last Dinner Party at the Green Door Store (Review HERE), but we did review the Stereo MC’s previous Brighton gig on 7th December 2019 (Review HERE).

First up tonight at Brighton Dome are Nottingham’s Stereo MC’s who first achieved mainstream success when their 1992 single ‘Connected’ became an international Top 20 hit. Taken from their smash hit Top 10 album of the same name, ‘Connected’ was followed by hit singles ‘Step It Up’, ‘Ground Level’ and ‘Creation’, firmly cementing Stereo MC’s place in Hip Hop/Electronic Dance history.

The outfit entertains us with a six tune 34 minute set which runs from 7:43pm to 8:17pm. As always ‘The Head’ aka Nick Hallam is utilizing the band’s sound via the electronics and laptop, vocalist ‘Rob B’ being the focus of the band is revving up the energy out front, backing vocalist Cath Coffey is belting out lyrics and Tansay Halil-Ibrahim is on percussion which includes tom toms, drums and drum pads. They kick off with the first of four cuts from 1992’s ‘Connected’ album, this being ‘Pressure’ which sees Rob whipping the crowd up and utilizing a vocals effects unit plus a tambourine. Selection two is ‘On 33’ from their 1989 ‘33 45 78’ album, which is followed by ‘Ground Level’ from the ‘Connected’ album. So far so good, but not top drawer, that is until the arrival of smasheroonie and my fave tune of theirs ‘Connected’, which certainly hit the mark. So much so in fact that both sets of two front of house security staff were all dancing to it! This was great to see and highlighted the fun atmosphere on the night.

The Stereo MC’s performance had gone up a notch, but myself and my colleague weren’t prepared for what was to follow, with the arrival of 1990’s ‘Elevate My Mind’ from their ‘Supernatural’ album. During this tune Cath’s vocals were truly amazing and seriously on par with ‘Love Sensation’ by Loleatta Holloway, you know that famous sample nicked by Black Box for ‘Ride On Time’. ‘Elevate My Mind’ live tonight was even better than the recorded original and the booming backbeat got hordes of fans dancing. The momentum continued with the arrival of their final song, a bangin’ version of ‘Step It Up’ from the ‘Connected’ album with its “To the left to the right; Step it up, step it up it’s alright” earworm lyrics. The quartet were rewarded by deafening applause at the conclusion of their set. They had certainly laid down the gauntlet for the evening. Fabulous stuff!

Stereo MC’s:
Nick Hallam aka ‘The Head’ – DJ, producer
‘Rob B’ (Robert Charles Birch) – vocals
Cath Coffey – vocals
Tansay Halil-Ibrahim – percussion

Stereo MCs setlist:
‘Pressure’ (found on 1992 ‘Connected’ album)
‘On 33’ (found on 1989 ‘33 45 78’ album)
‘Ground Level’ (found on 1992 ‘Connected’ album)
‘Connected’ (found on 1992 ‘Connected’ album)
‘Elevate My Mind’ (found on 1990 ‘Supernatural’ album)
‘Step It Up’ (found on 1992 ‘Connected’ album)

connected.co.com

After a 21 minute live music hiatus, we were back in action with the Inspiral Carpets who were one of the most popular bands to emerge from the late-’80s/early-’90s Madchester scene. Following their 1989 Indie chart-topping singles ‘Find Out Why’ and ‘Move’, the band released their breakthrough hit ‘This Is How It Feels’, which began a run of four UK Top 20 albums, ‘Life’ (No.2), ‘The Beast Inside’ (No.5), ‘Revenge Of The Goldfish’ (No.17) and ‘Devil Hopping’ (No.10). The band originally operated from 1980 to 1995, but then made a comeback from 2003 to 2016 and then again two years ago. This evening’s lineup is made up of guitarist Graham Lambert (1980–1995, 2003–2016, 2022–present), lead vocalist Stephen Holt (1983–1989, 2011–2016, 2022–present), keyboardist and backing vocalist Clint Boon (1987–1995, 2003–2016, 2022–present), drummer Kev Clark (2022–present) and bassist Oscar Boon (2023-present).

We are presented a 44 minute 11 song set which runs from 8:38pm until 9:22pm. Their intro tape of ‘The Storm’ by World Of Twist signifies their arrival. They get straight to it with their 1989 ‘Joe’ single which does sound rather like the Stranglers, which is swiftly followed by another rockin’ tune in the form of ‘Butterfly’ from their 1989 ‘Trainsurfing’ EP. Although vastly different from the last two Stereo MC’s tunes, I must flag up that this particular section of the night with the final two Stereo MC’s tracks and first two Inspiral Carpets were for me the combined best moments of the whole night! I had actually forgotten how good the Inspiral Carpets early releases were and was quite taken aback this evening. Although not as immediate, tune three, ‘Weakness’ from their ‘Island Head’ EP had a decent delivery and reminded me of the ‘Eloise’ period Damned work. The quintet continued with the slower ‘Two Worlds Collide’ from their ‘Revenge Of The Goldfish’ album from 1992. This was like listening to the solo work of Hugh Cornwell but with added harmonies.

Tune five, the lads were very proud of as they told us that they had worked with The Fall and thus played the Mark E. Smith intro solid fast version of ‘I Want You’ which had seen them appear on ‘Top Of The Tops’ as it reached No.18. Their 1990 ‘Commercial Rain’ single rocked on by and then they gave us the first of two cuts from their 1990 ‘Life’ album, this being the ‘She Comes In The Fall’ earworm, which ended with a Cozy Powell style drum solo. “Now this one’s for Brighton” Graham stated and they dived into ‘This Is How It Feels’, which was their second highest charted single, which peaked at No.14. For this track, I noticed one of their road crew who was positioned far stage left (our right) was standing and hitting a tambourine with a drumstick for that exact sound. After this track had concluded Graham uttered “Here’s a fast one for you!” and they launched into their 1989 ‘Find Out Why’ single, which was another set highlight, especially noteworthy was Clint’s organ work and Kev’s drums. Their penultimate number was their ‘Dragging Me Down’ hit single (No.12) anthem found on 1992’s ‘Revenge Of The Goldfish’ album, which obviously was enjoyable and they closed their account with 1994’s ‘Saturn 5’ from 1994’s ‘Devil Hopping’ album, which benefits from a NASA countdown at the beginning and this track sounded like a mashup of the Stranglers and the Beatles. A great way to conclude an enjoyable set. A band I would love to see live again!

Inspiral Carpets:
Graham Lambert – guitars
Stephen Holt – lead vocals
Clint Boon – keyboards, backing vocals
Kev Clark – drums
Oscar Boon – bass

Inspiral Carpets setlist:
‘Joe’ (a 1989 single)
‘Butterfly’ (from 1989 ‘Trainsurfing’ EP)
‘Weakness’ (from 1990 ‘Island Head’ EP)
‘Two Worlds Collide’ (from 1992 ‘Revenge Of The Goldfish’ album)
‘I Want You (Mark E Smith version)’ (from 1994 ‘Devil Hopping’ album)
‘Commercial Rain’ (a 1990 single)
‘She Comes In The Fall’ (from 1990 ‘Life’ album)
‘This Is How It Feels’ (from 1990 ‘Life’ album)
‘Find Out Why’ (a 1989 single)
‘Dragging Me Down’ (from 1992 ‘Revenge Of The Goldfish’ album)
‘Saturn 5’ (from 1994 ‘Devil Hopping’ album)

www.inspiralcarpets.com

The in-house soundsystem was cranked up and delivered New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ in full and half of The Chemical Brothers ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ just before the Happy Mondays arrived on stage. These choice cuts certainly put the crowd in the zone and so the Madchester legends graced us with their presence after their intro tune played out. The band are famed for signing to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records in the late ‘80s, and for blending their love of funk, rock, psychedelia and house with the sounds of the UK’s emerging rave scene. The band became icons of Britain’s biggest cultural phenomenon for a generation when they crossed over into the mainstream with the release of their third album, 1990’s platinum-selling ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills And Bellyaches’. The Happy Mondays’ reputation as one of Britain’s most influential and loved bands was recognised in 2016 when they won the Ivor Novello Inspiration Award.

On stage tonight we have vocalist Shaun Ryder along with his chum ‘Bez’ aka Mark Berry on maracas which are really used as a prop as we can never hear them as they are held a long way from any mics as Bez does his trademark dancing across the front of the stage. The powerful vocals of Rowetta are greatly received and the lineup is completed by Mark Day on guitar, Gary Whelan on drums and finally musical director Dan Broad who is on keys and laptop. Their first selection for the final night of the tour is the heavy hitting ‘Kinky Afro’ from their ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album after which Shaun informs us that it’s Bez’ 60th birthday, a statement which is rectified a few songs later. He isn’t 60 until the 18th April. The second of five consecutive tunes from their ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album is up next, this being the less immediate ‘God’s Cop’, which is followed by ‘Donovan’ with its wah wah guitar and solid basslines.

We have been on the crowd barrier for the duration of the night and have an unobstructed view of everything on stage, this includes Bez’ footwear, which was of some concern for many of us at the front, on account of Bez dancing around the stage, but he could any minute become a cropper if he was to fall over his untied right shoelaces. Finally the message got through and the offending item was tied and the imminent danger ceased. Meanwhile, whilst this is all going down, behind Bez Rowetta and Shaun are having a duet on vocals on ‘Dennis And Lois’. The almost ‘Sadeness’ (by Enigma) sounding ‘Loose Fit’ was the final of the handful of cuts from the album. Next up were a couple of tunes from their 1988 ‘Bummed’ album, the first of which being ‘Performance’ with its funky bass, which was inspired by the 1970 film of the same name starring Mick Jagger. The second cut was ‘Mad Cyril’ and Shaun elaborated on how much the ‘Performance’ film effected a young impressionable 16 year old Shaun Ryder.

For ‘Tart Tart’ from 1987’s ‘Squirrel And G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)’ album, guitarist Mark Day came to the front of the stage and joined Bez for a while, whereas Shaun was entrenched halfway from the front. He next says “This is a remix” and the Happy Mondays launch into the first of two tunes from 1989’s ‘Madchester Rave On’ EP, this being ‘Rave On’ with its drums and bass guitar combination sounding a tad like Donna Summer’s ‘Love To Love You Baby’, and the keys were nicely prominent as well and Rowetta adds to this via a tambourine. The second track from the EP was the slower Belgian New Beat styled ‘Hallelujah’ with its impressive thudding keys and guitar combo. Their ‘24 Hour Party People’ single from 1987 was played next, which the guys brag was from their first album which was produced by John Cale of the Velvet Underground. The final number of the main set was ‘Step On’ (with its timeless riff) from ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ with its legendary “You’re twistin’ my melon man, you know you talk so hip man; You’re twistin’ my melon man, call the cops” lyrics. For this Bez dons a comedy police helmet and they are joined for a while by a young lady who has a go on maracas. We cried for more and were rewarded with ‘Wrote For Luck’ from their ‘Bummed’ album which tonight was filled with rumbling bass and keys and making it almost sounding tribal. Shaun, whose voice box is on the blink, says his farewells and Bez finishes off on vocals and at 11:01pm they are done. Despite my initial cynicism of the bands offering nothing new, myself and my colleague had (like everyone else) a truly fab Sunday night out in Brighton.

Happy Mondays:
Shaun Ryder – vocals
Mark “Bez” Berry – percussion, freaky dancing
Rowetta – vocals
Mark Day – guitar
Gary Whelan – drums
Dan Broad – musical director, guitar, keys

Happy Mondays setlist:
‘Intro’
‘Kinky Afro’ (from 1990 ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album)
‘God’s Cop’ (from 1990 ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album)
‘Donovan’ (from 1990 ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album)
‘Dennis And Lois’ (from 1990 ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album)
‘Loose Fit’ (from 1990 ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album)
‘Performance’ (from 1988 ‘Bummed’ album)
‘Mad Cyril’ (from 1988 ‘Bummed’ album)
‘Tart Tart’ (from 1987 ‘Squirrel And G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)’ album)
‘Rave On’ (from 1989 ‘Madchester Rave On’ EP)
‘Hallelujah’ (from 1989 ‘Madchester Rave On’ EP)
‘24 Hour Party People’ (from 1987 ‘Squirrel And G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)’ album)
‘Step On’ (from 1990 ‘Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’ album)
(encore)
‘Wrote For Luck’ (from 1988 ‘Bummed’ album)

www.happymondaysofficial.co.uk