ShareMadness with special guests Squeeze performing their Hit Parade UK Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday 13th December 2025.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
You know that it is nearly Christmas when the Nutty Boys make an appearance as they did at the Motorpoint Arena on Saturday night when they brought an early festive party atmosphere to a packed crowd, as they blasted out dozens of their hit songs which have been enjoyed over the years and which form the basis of Hit Parade, their new definitive hits package.
But before the crowd were treated to Suggs and Co, it was another trip back in time as Squeeze took to the stage to get things started. A nattily dressed lead singer Glenn Tilbrook and fellow song writing icon Chris Difford, took the crowd on a tour of the band’s fifty year old back catalogue.
Opening with Pulling Muscles (From The Shell), they motored through a thirteen song set that included hits such as the beautiful Up The Junction, the country and western tinged Labelled With Love before they upped the tempo with Cool For Cats. With the crowd singing and dancing along to the likes of Goodbye Girl and Slap And Tickle, they rounded off their set with an extended version of Take Me I’m Yours which allowed each of the band’s eight members to shine with a solo performance.
Content to be Madness’ special guests this time around, when they headline at the Arena next year, it will be another trip down memory lane for this appreciative crowd.
In front of a bank of giant screens Madness took to the stage and continued with the fun that Squeeze had started. For nearly half a century they have consistently knocked out pop-ska hits that have entertained generations of fans, and from opener One Step Beyond with its iconic ‘hey you, don’t watch that, watch this…’ intro, the fez wearing crowd went wild.
Embarrassment and the The Prince had the crowd on their feet, where they stayed as the band delved into a few lesser heard songs such as Cardiac Arrest, and The Return of Los Palmas 7, intermingled with newer additions to the set list such as NW5, Lovestruck and Mr Apples, all of which went down a treat.
With Suggs mostly talking his way through the songs, saxophonist Lee Thompson and pianist Mike Barson remained a musical force driving Madness on as it was hard to defy any of the crowd not to sing and dance to hits such as My Girl, Wings Of A Dove, House Of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Our House and their cover of It Must Be Love which closed the main set.
The encore was a ska infused cover of Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, before closing with Madness and a final glorious Night Boat To Cairo that saw balloons and confetti hailing down upon a really happy crowd.
