Madness – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, June 2026
If there’s ever a list of ultimate British summer bands, Madness are right at the top of it. And, even if a British summer doesn’t always mean sunshine and sangria, the Nutty Boys have a knack of making an open air gig shine.
So, when they were announced for a two-date return to The Piece Hall in 2026, me and the wife were in. We’ve seen them a few times over the years, and we always have a good night. This one was going to be no different.
It was a Friday night, the weekend had officially started, and the Yorkshire weather actually decided to play ball for once. Halifax was, as always, in a great mood and by the time we’d got there the town was already awash with people sporting red fez hats, checkered braces, and massive grins. The drinks were flowing, and the stage was set for a proper party.
“Friday night crowd ready to let loose”
We walked through the gates just as Hollie Cook was starting her support set. It was my first time hearing her, and her smooth reggae sounds were perfect as a bit of Halifax sunshine dipped into the venue. It created a really nice atmosphere, putting everyone in the right mood before the main event.
By 9pm sharp, those fez hats and the two-tone ska gear was dominating The Piece Hall. And, everywhere you looked, fans had gone all out with the classic mod Harrington jackets, pork pie hats, and black-and-white checks. With a start-of-the-weekend crowd ready to let loose, you could tell we were in for an absolute belter.
Bang on 9pm, the boys walked out didn’t muck about. The familiar, chaotic countdown of ‘One Step Beyond’ blasted through the speakers, and the entire courtyard just erupted.
Lee Thompson’s saxophone was on fire from the very first note, driving a rhythm that instantly got all 6,000 of us moving. They followed it up quickly with my favourite ‘Embarrassment’, and ‘My Girl’ and ‘The Sun and the Rain’. And I tell you what, these boys might all be in their 60s now but they haven’t lost a single step over the decades.
“The entire floor was skanking”
By the middle of the set, the place was just a big party zone. Madness gigs always bring out a brilliant mix of people, and tonight you had multiple generations dancing side by side, strangers singing at each other. Lots of people losing inhibitions and throwing themselves back into their heyday when they were likely to be following Madness in the charts. It was a beautiful sight.
When the opening chords of ‘House of Fun’ struck, the entire floor was skanking, bobbing up and down in that classic ska style. The rhythm, the lights…you couldn’t help but join in and smile as the whole of The Piece Hall threw themselves into the music. It’s exactly what Madness give you – a full 90 minutes of great tunes and great times.
They kept the classic anthems coming thick and fast. ‘Wings of a Dove’ sounded immense in the open air, and by the time they reached ‘Our House’ and ‘Baggy Trousers’, the crowd was losing its mind. They finished the main set with a truly brilliant, mass sing-along version of ‘It Must Be Love’, which left everyone happy.
“Another bumper night”
Nobody was ready to go home though, and the band quickly returned for a fantastic two-song encore. They smashed through their namesake cover of Prince Buster’s ‘Madness’ before finishing on a triumphant, high-energy ‘Night Boat to Cairo’. A brilliant end to the show.
As we finally filtered out of the gates, Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ started blasting over the Piece Hall. Naturally, the entire crowd joined in, and a huge circle of people started dancing around. That totally summed up the feeling of this one: Another bumper night.
This was my fifth time seeing Madness. What started out years ago as just going along once for what I thought would be a good night and maybe a bit of a laugh has turned into a proper necessity every time they tour. Yes, it’s always great fun, but it’s also a welcome reminder of just how brilliant, timeless, and underrated these guys and their songs actually are.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
