House Of Common — Bank holiday madness

Bank holiday madness

Monday mornings are always a struggle, but not when it's a Bank Holiday! And not when there's a fantastic new festival to look forward to. For the very first time, Madness brought their, well, madness, to South London – curating a festival on Clapham Common consisting of acts handpicked by the band themselves. Many reggae, ska, and general good-time seekers may have opted for Notting Hill Carnival, little did they know just what they were missing.

On a balmy day on the common, revellers set to enjoy a nostalgic journey back to the first influx of Caribbean music to England. Throw in some fantastic DJ sets and it was the perfect bookend to your Bank Holiday weekend.

As you'd expect, the festival mostly attracted the generation that grew up with Madness and the music associated with them – however there was a mix of all ages, and with all the activities on offer, the festival attracted families too.

It was a lot busier than you'd expect from a brand new festival – the sun always helps – but the draw of seeing Madness was probably enough. There were picnic blankets throughout, with everyone enjoying the summer sun and work the next day a distant thought. The place was buzzing with the sounds of music and enjoyment, alongside the smells of the vast array of food on offer. The vibe was super chilled and everyone was in good spirits (or full of spirits in some cases).

Norman Jay's 'Good Times' set re-enforced the fun-time, chilled atmosphere. As you walked around the grounds you couldn't help but embrace the slow paced, rhythmic beats that surrounded you. Lee 'Scratch' Perry, the legend and innovator himself, did what he does best and the crowd loved every minute of it.

Moving away from the Main Stage, we thought we'd see what the Our House Stage had to offer. It was a polar opposite, but was superb. Ms Dynamite transferred all her positive energy to the crowd, who were hyped for all the massive hits that were delivered. Her son even came on stage and joined in! Too tempting to miss, we had to see David Rodigan – and he didn't disappoint, continuously providing tunes perfectly fitting to the mood. We moved back over to the enclosed tent where Mike Skinner was creating a party atmosphere with inflatable balls flying all over the place and his supporting crew turning it up to the next level.

It was then time for the act many came to the festival for. Madness. With the crowd high with anticipation, the set started off typically lively with 'House of Fun' – however, the middle of the set fizzled out somewhat with many new tracks, unknown by the crowd, but it picked up when 'One Step Beyond' came on, and continued in that vein after – as you'd expect.

There was nothing showy about House of Common, it wasn't trying to be something that it's not. The festival was a celebration of reggae, dub, ska and all music associated with this – it brought together the best acts and attracted lovers of this music. There aren't many music festivals like this, and it's a welcome addition to the calendar. Bring on next year.

Phototography: Luke Dyson