For one of my closest friend’s birthday, she invited me to Epsom Race course to have a few drinks, make some silly bets and see Madness play live. Being a close friend, I would have gone to the event no matter what it was, but hearing that Madness was due to play, I was over the moon.

With Madness having 11 albums under their belt and having been around for decades, Madness has become the forefront of British culture creating movements and controversial songs that have pleased the public frequently. As well as being one of the only bands to be given freedom to play on top of Buckingham Palace, Madness to me, are the don of British ska rock.

Seeing them live, they combined classic tracks such as “House Of Fun” and “One Step Beyond” as well as new songs from their released album in 2012, “Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da” which pleased all members of the audience.

Despite all fans being highly supportive of their music and loving their style, I and my friends received a frosty reception because of our age. Many people surrounding us commented that “we were too young to appreciate them”, which I thought was rude and snobbish. I fully comprehend we were not present or even born, at their time of success and so may not recognise their musical career to a certain extent, but surely we should be able to enjoy their music freely, for the sake of enjoying good music? If I saw young people beside me at a gig with one of my favourite artists, I would be pleased that the artist’s music is still influencing an audience present in modern times, influencing a number of ages, as well as highlighting to me, that their music is continuously evolving and irreplaceable.

Anyway, I urge you to listen to this track: