Tim Hughes finds the Happy Mondays have aged surprisingly well, on this the 25th anniversary of their seminal album Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches

  • Happy Modays
  • O2 Academy Oxford
  • December 6

“This is going fast” says Shaun Ryder, gruff frontman with the Happy Mondays, as he powers through a live rendition of the band’s classic album Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches. “But then so have the last 25 years.”

He’s right. To those of us crammed into an intolerably sweaty O2 Academy on Sunday night, it seemed like only yesterday that Shaun, his brother Paul on bass, guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis and drummer Gary Whelan switched on a scene with this genre-defining slab of ‘ravetronica’.

Of course the other reason Shaun may not be able to recall much of the intervening years may have been his penchant for the naughtier, moreish, things in life. That’s all in the past though. Tonight we see our Shaun clutching not a fag or a beer, but a bottle of mineral water. Actually we don’t see much at all. With the lighting so low, he’s just a silhouette striding around in his shades with that trademark Salfordian swagger.

The only one we really see is Bez – darting about the front of the stage, maracas in hand, staring like he’s seen a ghost, and lapping up the love of the crowd. It wouldn’t be the Mondays without him.

As for the tunes, they sound fresh, urgent and still a bit dangerous. Shaun’s voice has largely held-up and the rest of the band are on fire – not least vocalist Rowetta, who’s high-pitched warbling gives the show some soul.

It’s easy to forget how great these songs are – brilliantly composed too.

Step On and Kinky Afro are a perfect anthemic distillation of indie-rock and dance; the latter’s sublime chord progression being a thing of beauty. Likewise that moment in Donovan where Ryder’s elongated vowels give way to a scuzzy wall of funk-rock.

God’s Cop – their ‘tribute’ to former Manchester Chief Constable James Anderton, is a perfect mesh of rap, rave and punk, while Dennis & Lois is mind-warping indie-dance – the sound of all-nighters in northern warehouses. And it all sounds amazing.

Best though comes last: Hallelujah – that shrill intro giving way to a propulsive acid house beat topped with sleazy guitars and Shaun’s even sleazier vocals. The room is a sea of arms.

For a few minutes the past quarter-century didn’t happen at all. And Hallelujah to that!

5/5