Bringing the Madchester Experience to Worthing

Madchester Experience: Photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Black Rabbit Productions and Manchester In The Area Present:

The Madchester Experience – The Factory Live – 23 May 2026.

THE MADCHESTER EXPERIENCE – ALL THE SONGS THAT DEFINED AN ERA

“A reincarnation of the MADCHESTER era bringing the Pills & Thrills to you… Played LIVE by the fantastic Madchester Experience”.

Madchester Experience: Photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Setting the “Scene”

Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that emerged in the English city of Manchester during the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance movement. Indie dance (also referred to as indie rave blended indie rock with elements of acid house, psychedelia, and a helping of 1960s pop.

Madchester

Madchester Experience: Photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

The term Madchester was coined by Factory Records’ Tony Wilson and was popularised by the British music press in the early 1990s. However, the origin of the term can be traced to a script meeting between Factory Records video directors Philip Shotton and Keith Jobling, known as “the Bailey Brothers.” They coined Madchester while developing a script and later suggested it to Tony Wilson. Subsequently, Wilson instructed the band Happy Mondays to rename their EP from “Rave On” to “Madchester Rave On.” The Happy Mondays’ lead vocalist, Shaun Ryder, recalled: “It was our video directors, the Bailey Brothers, who came up with the term ‘Madchester,’ but we said, ‘Great, yeah, go with it,’ because Manchester was mad at the time.” The logo was also created, and the rest, as they say, is history!

The Madchester Experience

Taking their audiences on a trip back to the 90’s indie era with the attitude and bucket hats and the fashion to boot! The Madchester Experience set about to recreate the iconic sounds of those now legendary BRIT bands such as James, The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, Oasis, The Verve, The Farm, The Charlatans, Stereo MC’s and many more…

It was a warm Saturday night, the start of an almost unheard of May heatwave unleashing itself across the UK. A busy Factory Live crowd congregated outside, chatting and drinking cool refreshments in the late evening sunshine. Show time! The crowd moved indoors to a smoke filled venue.

The Set

The four piece took to the stage giving the crowd a wave as they took their positions. Hallelujah is the opening track for the night, a seminal 1989 track by the Happy Mondays, famously serving as the title song of their Madchester Rave On EP. Perfect opening shot from the Madchester Experience.

A song from The Farm Groovy Train was followed quickly by a Stone Roses number Sally Cinnamon. The songs so far perfectly put down by the band. The Happy Mondays were up next with Kinky Afro.

This outfit had the crowd swaying and singing from the get go. These guys don’t claim to be a look-alike tribute band, they do have that sound and they just play the songs from that era. However up next was an Oasis track, and the lead singer adopted the look, poise and uncanny sound of Liam Gallagher on vocals for Cigarettes & Alcohol. Brilliantly performed as he set around the stage clutching a tambourine.

Now if the Manchester/Madchester refinement is what you need, then look no further than these guys as we were treated to Step It Up and a rockingly (is that a word?) good live version of the EMF track Unbelievable. They sizeable crowd loved that one as we joined in with the drops. We were now well into a 90’s filled set. A new guitarist powering out, some intestine aligning dance groove bass lines, with a superb display of thumping on the drums, it all came together to provide a magnificent display.

A Video – a medley

One of the set highlights for me started with that jangly piano/keys intro. It was time to twist those Happy Monday melons, Step On. I guess there was a backing tape or the keyboards were off stage, no matter. The guys put it all into this and a special shout to guitars and bass, the bass line was loud and totally on point, well played guys you nailed that one!

I am not going to give away the full set list, you are going to have to see them play and find out for yourself. I really can’t think of a big hitter that they missed out from their set list. You really can’t go to a gig and hear all of those songs performed live on one night!

Madchester Experience: Photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

The crowd was relishing this as we then went into an Oasis double, Stand By Me and Wonderwall. Both songs encouraging massive audience participation.

More great tracks followed and the guys closed the night down with Sit Down, by James. James scored the biggest Madchester hit, making number 2 in 1991 with a re-recording of Sit Down.

A fantastic night from Black Rabbit Productions with The Madchester Experience. The sound and lighting was to the usual top notch standard for The Factory Live, although the smoke machine must have been on overtime!

Madchester Experience: Photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

The Madchester Experience are on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/themadchesterexperience

And Finally

Thanks to: The Madchester Experience

Thanks to The Factory Live and Black Rabbit Productions.

Words, Videos and Photos for Scene Sussex by Ian “The Lens” Bourn.

No AI or filters used, it’s pure and straight down “the lens”!

CONGRATULATIONS to The Factory Live: Prestige Awards , an organisation launched to celebrate businesses and individuals that consistently offer excellent products and services to local residents, has crowned The Factory in Worthing as South England ‘Live Music Venue of the Year’ for 2025-26, a second consecutive win for the intimate venue on the South Coast, who were also awarded the title in 2024-25. Well deserved guys! Loving the changes being made outside the venue!

Black Rabbit Productions hosted the evening. They work hard promoting live music on the south coast. They are a promotion company with years of experience putting on music shows. Tonight was superb. They have some great gigs lined up, a great time is pretty much guaranteed with these guys. You can find Black Rabbit Productions on the WWW https://www.blackrabbitproductions.co.uk/

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All original pictures / video – copyright to IANB/MEDIA WORKS/ SCENE SUSSEX – Ian “The Lens” Bourn 2026.

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