Gerry Brooke looks back on performances by Madness and The Cult and reflects on the showbiz life of Phil Silvers

The stars to see this autumn week in 1985 had to be Madness, a two tone, ska influenced, band still going strong today.

“A touch of kaleidoscopic nuttiness came to Bristol last night as the Madness bandwagon rolled into town,” wrote the Post’s Graham Jenkins.

“Ably led by frontman Suggs the madcap outfit skanked and jerked through a 90 minute set that plugged their new album, Mad, Not Mad.

“Despite their new smoothness the Two Tone veterans gave the punters just what they wanted – all the hits.

“But the packed hall was made to wait as the 11 man, one woman show opened with Keep Moving and then wove its way through less well known numbers.

“At last they launched into the instantly recognisable My Girl.

“Confident that their favourites were going to deliver their gold disc goods, the seat bobbing spectators sang along.

“In between the stage gymnastics the insane outfit asked for requests and were met with the cry of One Step Beyond.

“That wish was granted in a thundering encore that saw two huge balloons released into the crowd.

“Mad? Maybe – but you would have been crazy to have missed the show.

The other band worth seeing in Bristol this week were The Cult.

The Post’s Nick Prior found himself at The Studio in Frogmore Street to catch a slice of the action.

“Such was the fervour of The Cult’s black clad fans last night” Nick said, “that the balcony, floor and stage wildly pitched in time with the beat.

“The undoubted star of the show was frontman Ian Adstbury who wears his 1960s psychedelia influences on his sleeve – and everywhere else for that matter.

“ His astonishing voice often saved the band from dipping into sub Hendrix and Led Zeppelin posturing.

“Another vital ingredient was Billy Duffy’s jagged, thumping guitar work.

“The Cult completed a memorable performance, which included their big hit, Rain, with tongue in cheek renditions of the 1960s classics Louie, Louie and Wild Thing.”

If music wasn’t your cup of tea then how about going to see media savvy Chay Blyth.

The international yachtsman was in town to open a new office development off Brunswick Square (with appropriate nautical names) and to unveil a scale model of HMS Swift, a fully rigged 18th century brigantine.

Earlier in the year he had made an attempt on the Blue Riband Atlantic crossing record on board Virgin Atlantic Challenger.

Another celebrity in town was astronomer Patrick Moore, here to promote his new book about Halley’s Comet.

One star that we wouldn’t be seeing any more of, in the flesh anyway, was comedian Phil Silvers who had kept us all amused as the fast talking Sergeant Bilko in the much loved US TV series.

Silvers, we were told, had died in his sleep in Los Angeles, aged 73.

Starting out as a vaudeville singer when he was just 13, the comedian had made his film debut in 1941.