Ska-pop legends Madness set to play gig in Cumbria this summer (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Ska-pop legends Madness set to play gig in Cumbria this summer

6:00pm Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in News By Daniel Orr, Reporter

MADNESS have pledged to play a Cumbrian race venue after their attempts were foiled at the final hurdle in 2012.

The kings of British ska-pop want to go One Step Beyond last year, when they had to cancel their appearance at Carlisle Racecourse after torrential rain caused the site to be waterlogged.

So the chart-topping Nutty Boys have signed up again to play there on Saturday, July 6.

Led by Suggs, the seven-piece supergroup, who performed live to the world during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and Olympics closing ceremony in 2012, will headline the Cumbrian racecourse's 2013 Stobart Summer Festival.

The group issued a statement, which said: “A day at the races, British summer time — sounds suitably nutty to us.”

Tickets are now on sale from www.carlisle-races.co.uk or on 0844 579 3002, priced from £25 for adults.

Admission on the evening will be from £30, if still available, as a crowd limit of 9,500 has been set at what is expected to be a sell-out event.

Tickets include entry to both an evening race meeting followed by an open-air trackside concert by Madness, whose biggest hits include Our House, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love.

Richard Clements, Carlisle Racecourse's general manager, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to bring Madness to Carlisle at the second attempt after the disappointment of last year's cancellation.

“They are a national treasure. We had sold more than 7,500 tickets in advance last time and we expect demand to be extremely high again because it's superb value-for-money entertainment to see Madness after an evening's racing for as little as £25 for adults.

“Of course, all ticket holders received a full refund last year and we have since worked really hard to get Madness here in 2013.

“Millions of people saw them perform on the roof at Buckingham Palace last summer and at the Olympics closing ceremony when they proved what a great high-energy live act they are. We can't wait to finally see and hear them here at Carlisle Racecourse.”

Madness have enjoyed 15 Top 10 UK hits and sold more than six million singles in their 1980s heyday when they were Britain's most successful band.

Ticket prices are the same as they were for the show in 2012 when England's wettest year since records began put paid to it.