Madness is bringing their cheeky ska-pop show to Newmarket Nights this summer

They burst into the charts as part of the burgeoning 70s 2 Tone scene before cementing their status as bona fide pop royalty. More than 40 years later, Madness are still as popular – and bonkers – as ever, and they’ll be playing to another packed-out crowd when they bring their cheeky ska-pop show to Newmarket Nights this summer.

The ‘Nutty Boys’, as they became known, ruled the charts in the late 70s and early 80s with quirky, infectious radio favourites such as Baggy Trousers, Embarrassment, Shut Up and House Of Fun. And their unwavering commitment to being as serious about being silly as they are about the serious matter of songwriting means they’re in demand as much as ever.

“The race meeting thing is such an amazing phenomenon,” said Madness frontman Suggs as he looked ahead to the band’s Newmarket Nights appearance on July 17. “I remember the first time, a long time ago now, when our manager said ‘we’ve got this idea of having a little meeting and a band on afterwards’.

“I’m thinking ‘what if the old man’s done all his dough? He’s halfway there and back again – is he really going to want to go and see a band?’ But that’s the sort of role we fit. Regardless of what’s happened, we’re going to have a good time. It’s a great privilege – it’s something we started out doing and still do.”

The Newmarket show is just one of a number of big outdoor gigs they’ll be playing at home and in Europe this summer – quite remarkable for a band which can trace its roots way back to 1976. And their longevity, says Suggs, is down to the fact that they’re all mates and they like having a chuckle.

“It’s extraordinary,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of contemporaries from when we started out, and a lot of them split up. “But we were all friends from school. The premise was always to have a laugh and enjoy yourself.

“It’s not that we weren’t serious about making music and songwriting and all of that, but getting along and having a good time is what really keeps the old boat afloat. It’s always been the same. When we started out playing in pubs, if you didn’t entertain, you wouldn’t be asked back.

“It’s a reciprocal thing. The way the audience dig what we do energises you. People really enjoy what we do.”

The music industry could be brutal back in the 80s – one minute you could be the hot ticket, the next you were yesterday’s men.

Madness know that scenario well enough. Changing styles and trends led to their split in 1986, seemingly drawing a line under their crazy capers forever.

“We were the biggest band of the 80s then in about 1986 we started to not be,” said Suggs. “Our keyboard player left, he was a very fundamental part of the band and we packed up for a bit, thinking that was that. I was retired when I was 26!

“Then in 1992 someone asked us to do a festival in North London called Madstock and 70,000 people turned up! Suddenly the tide can change when you think it’s all over. And from then on, we ain’t looked back. Apart from having all the hits – that’s something no one can take away and it’s not like every band has had 25 top 10 hits or whatever – people pay their fiver or £500 or whatever to see you and if you perform, they’ll ask you back.

“And we’ve always been performers as much as musicians, so I think that’s been part of the longevity.”

The band’s videos during their heyday were legendary. Costumes, props, band members flying through the air… you never knew what was going to come next.

“I think one day there’ll be a section in the V and A Museum,” joked Suggs. “They’re works of art, those videos. There was no MTV or anything. Our record company boss said ‘you’re so theatrical, why don’t you make little films?’

“We’d sit around coming up with the most ridiculous ideas and then he’d go ‘we can only afford a van, an armchair and a car falling out of the sky’ and we’d work out what we could actually afford to do in two days. But there was this costumier in Camden Town called Berman and Nathan’s who did all the big films that let us take anything we wanted.

“It wasn’t a fancy dress shop – they had real copper’s uniforms. Can you imagine the fun we had in North London? ‘Ello, ‘ello, ‘ello, what’s going on here then?

“Especially when we burst into The Clash’s dressing room in Regents Park and you could hear the sound of doors slamming and toilets flushing! They never spoke to us for five years!

“I think when we fizzled out in the 80s it was because we’d run out of things to dress up as. We’d been flowers, coppers, exploding traffic wardens, cowboys…. It was a unique phenomenon. We were all quite extrovert.

“Some bands found it quite embarrassing to make a fool of themselves but we always felt you had to take being stupid as seriously as being serious. So we really got into it.

“Because there were seven of us, if you wanted to get on Top of the Pops, you had to do something extraordinary to get in the video in the first place, so we were trying to outdo each other all the time. But we were having fun! There weren’t no stylists or people telling us how to behave.

“When you see us laughing and joking, we are literally laughing and joking at ourselves and I think that resonates in the way the music does when you’re playing live. You can see when it’s authentic.”

With that zany showmanship still very much in play, the bookings keep coming and the fans keep turning up in numbers.

“Our sax player, Lee, said the other day – it’s like that song from The Eagles,” said Suggs. “You can check out any time you like but you can never leave. When will it end? When will the audience stop asking us to come back?

“We were supposed to have a quiet year this year but they keep asking us back! I’ve got a friend who’s a promoter. He had us on last year and he said ‘to be honest Suggs, I’ve got this bill and they’re all really boring! We need you to come along and liven it up!’

“No one could have foreseen this. We couldn’t have. But it’s the phenomenon of being in a band. You start off messing around and you think ‘oh this song’s not bad’.

“Then you get a gig in a pub and think ‘brilliant, that’s it, we’ve made it’. Then you make a record and it goes on and on and on.”

Newmarket Nights features a summer-long programme of top acts performing at Newmarket Racecourses after an evening of horse racing. This year’s programme also includes Five (June 19); Basement Jaxx (June 26); Aitch (July 31); Jessie J (August 7); Craig David TS5 (August 14) and Kaiser Chiefs (August 22).

For further information, including to book tickets, click here.

The visit was intended to check that all laws and regulations are being met

Around 70 caravans at a Traveller site were visited by South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) on Wednesday, June 10. The visit was to ensure regulations at Smithy Fen, Cottenham, are being met.

Smithy Fen is a well-established Gypsy and Traveller site, with a planning condition at individual plots that caravans should be lived in by Gypsy and Traveller people.

“Caravans at the site also need to comply with The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 which regulates caravan sites across the UK and gives local authorities control over where and how caravans are used,” a spokesperson for SCDC said.

“This legislation considers health, safety, and living conditions for people staying in caravans. It includes areas such as spacing between units, water supply, drainage, toilets, fire safety and electrical systems.”

The spokesperson said language support was provided and police were present to provide support. Information gathered from the visit will now be assessed and if breaches are identified, the council said it will follow “lawful and proportionate” processes to address them.

Councillor Laurence Damary-Homan, Lead Cabinet Member for Environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We want to make sure the site is safe for everyone, and where it is not, make sure we have the necessary information to try and take action.

“The Council is committed to engaging with all residents in a fair and respectful way, and this fact‑finding work will help gather the information needed to support safe, lawful and inclusive communities.”

Cllr Damary-Homan continued: “The next step is to review all the information gathered. Any future actions will be guided by the findings of the visit. We remain committed to ensuring that authorised sites are safe places to live.

“The timeline to take any appropriate action is governed by the legal process – we must ensure we thoroughly assess the information we have gathered and follow the necessary steps to get the best outcome that is fair and right by all our residents.”

After a dramatic day in the Championship yesterday, the final second round game of the weekend sees Tyrone host Mayo in Round 2A.

A place in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final is the prize for the winners.

The losers won’t exit the Championship, but they’ll have to navigate an additional game to make the last eight and head into tomorrow morning’s Round Three draw.

As Donegal have already played Kerry, the losers of today’s game would have a one in three chance of facing the Kingdom next weekend.

That alone, plus the extra week of rest and recovery, should be enough incentive for Tyrone and Mayo this afternoon.

Trying to predict which versions of each team we’ll see in Omagh is another matter.

The Red Hands finished fifth in Division Two, but they appear to have turned a corner in the Championship.

After taking Armagh to extra-time in the Ulster preliminary round, they defeated Connacht champions Roscommon in Dr Hyde Park in round one.

Mayo lost to Roscommon in Connacht before claiming a hard-fought one-point win over Monaghan last time out.

They’ll be AFL prospect Kobe McDonald can continue to impress while a lot of the pre-match focus will centre around whether or not Darragh Canavan will be added to the Tyrone squad having been named as a standby player on Friday.

Mayo, under the interim management of Stephen Rochford, were seven point winners over Tyrone at this venue in the 2025 Championship.

This is a real acid test for both teams to ascertain how much, if any, tangible progress they’ve made since last May.

We’ll have all the build-up and team news ahead of throw-in at 3.30pm.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton, has outlined a radical policy proposal, stating his party would evict all foreign nationals from social housing should they gain power.

Writing in his inaugural Substack essay on Sunday, Mr Farage asserted that Britain has become a “two-tier state against white people”.

He also reiterated his commitment to “repeal the Equality Act” under a Reform government. To support his claims, Mr Farage referenced the murder of student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, claimed to have been the victim of a racist attack. He concluded that the “British state is no longer working for everyone in this country”.

His essay, titled “Britain is a Two Tier State – Against White People”, makes a series of points about how he claims “there is nothing fair about the way white people have been treated by their governments”.

Housing, healthcare, education, policing, the military and the workplace are all listed as being adversely affected by what he describes as “deeply anti-white racism”.

“Across public and economic life, the power of the Government has been brought to bear on tackling ‘inequalities’, in a narrow and specific sense,” Mr Farage wrote.

“Anything which is seen to disadvantage a minority group is cracked down on.

“Anything which benefits a minority and damages the white British is likely to be left alone.”

On the topic of housing, he said that during the last century, “rules which gave priority to local people and ties to the area were stripped away”.

He said that, under a Reform government, foreign nationals in social housing would be given a three-month grace period to relocate to private rented accommodation, or lose their right to remain in the country and be liable for deportation.

Appearing on Sky News, culture secretary Lisa Nandy said Mr Farage “should take his nasty hate and anger and division somewhere else, frankly”.

“I think people want hope,” she added.

“They don’t want more anger, they don’t want more division, they don’t want more hate, and I wish he’d just take it somewhere else.

“There are serious challenges that this country faces.

“People have not felt listened to or heard.

“Living standards haven’t improved for too long.

“People want better, they want more.”

Mr Farage wrote that he was launching the Substack so he could set out his views in his own words to avoid them being “twisted and misrepresented”, promising to publish a “long essay” each month.

Reform MP Suella Braverman said she was “very proud” to read Mr Farage’s piece, adding: “I believe that white people are treated more unfairly than non-white people.”

Appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News, she said: “The tragic murder of Henry Nowak has to be a wake-up call that white people were told by the police to be treated differently to non-white people, and saying that is not divisive.”

Ms Braverman, who defected to Reform after leaving the Conservatives and standing down as home secretary, said she was the first Tory minister to give a speech outlining problems in the Equality Act, “daring to challenge the status quo”, and this was one of the reasons she left the party.

“We’re saying that the institutions, the laws, and the high-level policies in this country treat white people less fairly than non-white people,” Ms Braverman said.

Nandy added she hopes Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wins next week’s Makerfield by-election.

“I hope he comes back to Westminster to help us bring the issues that matter to people right up front and centre as part of this Government,” Ms Nandy added.

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Pollice announced this weekend that the reports had centred around Old Station Park in Horwich, with several cases of anti-social behaviour having been raised.

In response, officers say they have plans to increase their patrols around the park and they have encouraged members of the public with any information or concerns to contact them.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Officers from the Horwich neighbourhood policing team have been made aware of a number of issues involving anti-social behaviour on Old Station Park.

“Abuse towards members of the public using the park will not be tolerated and action will be taken against any individuals identified as being involved.

“Plans are in place to increase patrols in the area.”

Old Station Park has previously been at the centre of concerns about anti-social behaviour.

In December last year United Utilities said they believed an “unknown third party” had damaged water drains leading to flooding.

Anyone with any further information or concerns can call police on 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency.

Alternatively, members of the public can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The day drew in huge crowds, who – unperturbed by the wind – enjoyed eight races on Saturday (June 13).

Now in its 55th year, the annual event raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

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Speaking about this, Amy Hebdon, Macmillan relationship fundraising team manager, said: “We had such an incredible field of jockeys again this year, spanning all ages and experience.”

Eight races were held on the day – including the Ernest Cooper Ride of Their Lives charity race (Image: Newsquest)

She added: “I am always blown away by their dedication, bravery and perseverance as they prepare for this challenge whilst also holding fundraising events, raising thousands of pounds of vital funds for Macmillan so we can be there for people living with cancer in Yorkshire.

“Macmillan Cancer Support receives no government funding and relies almost entirely on donations – we simply couldn’t help the growing number of people who need us without the support and generosity of the riders and their supporters.”

Kind-hearted volunteers were on hand to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support on the day (Image: Newsquest)

The day’s races included the Ernest Cooper Ride of Their Lives charity event.

The special race, which has been held at York Racecourse for the past 14 years, sees 12 amateur riders take part in a one-mile challenge, raising at least £4,000 each for the charity.

Coming in first was Roya Nikkhah, Royal Editor for the Sunday Times, riding Epictetus.

She was joined by six participants from Yorkshire, including Danny, a strength and condition coach at Jack Berry House in Malton, who despite training almost 100 jockeys for the Macmillan Raceday, only got in the saddle himself last year.

Angelika and Peter stopped off for the races on their way to Scotland from Germany in their campervan – and said they “loved it” (Image: Supplied)

The 43-year-old, from Scarborough, works for the Injured Jockey’s Fund – helping to rehabilitate riders and wished to thank the Macmillan nurses who supported his father through throat cancer.

He said: “The jockeys have been saying I need to learn to ride for years, so I thought it was about time I took up the challenge and experienced the thrill of horseracing.

“Working with jockeys all this time has given me a thorough understanding of the extreme physical and physiological demands placed on them and now it’s time for me to experience it myself.

“I’ve also seen first-hand how amazing Macmillan nurses are after they helped treat and support my dad to make a full recovery from throat cancer in 2018.

“They supported him through the entire process and are nothing short of extraordinary.”

One hundreds and forty volunteers helped collect additional funds for the charity (Image: James Barton – Macmillan Cancer Support)

More than £115,000 was raised for Macmillan through the Ernest Cooper Ride alone.

The total amount raised was aided by a first-of-its-kind abseil down the four-storey Knavesmire Stand, ticket contributions and donations gathered by 140 volunteers over the two days.

A thousand free tickets to the event were also provided to cancer patients and their families by Macmillan.

For more on this and the incredible work the charity does year-round, please visit here.

For a long time, the race seemed to be heading the way of one of the Mercedes drivers, as Russell converted his pole position into a lead from Hamilton and Antonelli at the start and the two raced in that order for almost the first half of the race.

The divergent strategies of the three cars became apparent as soon as Hamilton pitted on lap 11 to change his soft tyres.

Russell and Antonelli had started on the medium compound, but Mercedes chose to bring them in after Hamilton to protect track position, even though the team’s radio communications made it obvious they knew they were on a different strategy.

When Hamilton pitted for a second time on lap 27, Antonelli began to pressure Russell for the lead, closing right up on his team-mate and trying a couple of times to pass into Turn One.

But the two drivers were warned not to waste too much time fighting, in the context of their battle with Hamilton.

Russell stopped for a final time on lap 36, Antonelli a lap later, handing the lead to Hamilton, who still had one stop to make.

Hamilton’s job initially looked like it was to lose as little time as possible to the advancing Mercedes on their fresher tyres, before pitting, dropping to third, and trying to catch them again.

But Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin broke down at Turn Nine on lap 40, and that led to a VSC being deployed to recover the car safely.

Under a VSC, cars have to slow down and maintain their gaps, but as they are travelling slower, it means a pit stop costs relatively less time than under racing conditions.

Hamilton had a 14-second lead, and that was enough margin to stop under the VSC and come out still in front.

It put him in a strong position, out front and with tyres that were eight laps fresher. Only a problem now could cost him a victory and the car ran like clockwork to the end for Hamilton’s 106th grand prix victory and Ferrari’s first since Mexico 2024.

There were two small ironies. Hamilton’s win was Ferrari’s first in Spain since 2013, when the man who delivered it was Alonso, whose retirement caused the VSC that delivered this next one to his old arch-rival.

And the post-race interviews were conducted by Nico Rosberg, Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate, with whom he had also had an acrimonious relationship when they were in the same team – and 10 years since the pair crashed together on the first lap of this race when competing for the title.

Offices were called to York Road at about 4pm on Saturday (June 13) after reports that numerous people were fighting with weapons. 

Upon attending the scene, a man was seen brandishing a red crowbar and fled the area – before later being found by police. 

A 38-year-old was arrested on suspicion of affray and remained in police custody for questioning yesterday evening. 

Cleveland Police said officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the disturbance and have been carrying out extensive CCTV enquiries.

PC Warnock, from Hartlepool’s response team, said: “We believe there were several other people involved in the fighting during a time when the area was very busy with traffic and pedestrians.

“I want to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who witnessed it take place, has dash cam, mobile or phone footage to get in touch with us.

“You can do this by calling 101 or visiting our website and quoting reference number 113967.”

Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.