Music / Happy Mondays
Review: Happy Mondays, O2 Academy
The Happy Mondays came back to town, once again touring their greatest hits. It’s what they do these days, climb up on stage, play the old favourites and everyone goes home happy.
It sounded like a rave at the start, a good one at that and for a good while. It looked like one too. The always impressive light show of the O2 was bright and colourful and grew in intensity until the DJ, who had some in the crowd dancing already, made way for the lads from the North to take to the stage and do the job they’ve been doing since the ’80s.
is needed now More than ever
Everybody took their places before the boys came out to a huge applause. They’re an influential band with a strong following and rightly so. Shaun Ryder seemed to know the all the words to his anthems, almost as well as the crowd who were old and young, in bucket hats and Monday’s merch under their anoraks. Between songs, the hard living front man mumbled incoherent Northern waffle, audibly illegible and punctuated with expletives. Whatever he was saying the crowd agreed with. Shaun is a likeable front man and what he lacked in energy he made up for in status; and besides, Bez was there to do the actions. Despite his physical appearance, Shaun’s still Shaun, he’s never going to change so don’t worry.
Bez looked happy to be there, waving around his iconic maracas and moving along to his signature groove. Prancing around and swinging his arms about like a demented primate and grinning like a lunatic, patrolling the stage like the guardian angel of dance. More bands might benefit from a character like that, who’s skillset isn’t obviously apparent but without whom, well it doesn’t bare thinking about. Mondays wouldn’t be so happy.
Town was lively that Saturday night and at venue it was chock-a-block. Spectators populated the balconies, filling any available space, hoping to get a glimpse of the working-class-hero, and it was not cheap to get in. They saved some classics for nearer the end and just like that it was over. I’d expect they’ll be back, and when they are be sure to pay them a visit and show some love for the band which was a milestone in contemporary British pop culture.
Images by Phil Riley
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