The catalyst for this routine roll-call of "House Of Fun" and similar early-'80s vaudevillian pop is the West End musical of the title where, like Abba and Queen before them, the Madness songbook has been Lloyd Webbered. At least the new tailor-written "Sarah's Song" and "Simple Equation" sound like vintage Suggs and co (circa 1982's The Rise & Fall), though how "Night Boat To Cairo" is worked into the show's plot is anyone's guess.
Rating: 3 / 10
Nick Cave - The Ultimate Music Guide, on sale this week!
First Look - David Bowie: Five Years
Bill Wyman on playing with The Rolling Stones: 'Never again'
Bruce Springsteen: "I get roughed up crowdsurfing… people try to pull chunks out of me"
The National: "Trouble Will Find Me is like The Band and Air in the same room"
The Clash announce major new box set
Watch Laura Marling cover Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark"
Queens Of The Stone Age announce '…Like Clockwork' tracklisting and release date
I would have bought the issue of Melody Maker in which I first read about Bruce Springsteen on my way into the art school in Newport, where in March 1973 I was in my last term, only a few months away from moving to London and not long after that fetching up on MM as a junior reporter/feature...
