TWENTY Four Hour Party People and all that jazz as Tyneside wooed, oooo’d and ahhhh’d over Madchester’s finest.

They brought the sound, their adoring fans, young and old, turned out in their droves at the O2 Academy on Friday night as the Happy Mondays, ably fronted by Shaun Ryder, Rowetta and Bez, rolled back the years.

It was certainly a case of ‘Twenty Four Hour Party People’ for all in attendance as we were taken back to the eighties and nineties, the dance-rock all-stars owning the stage, and the crowd very much owning them.

From the off the sound of Rowetta floated across the Academy like it had never been anywhere else, the synchronicity she has with Ryder, and their combined lyricism showing a lifelong understanding as they celebrated the thirty years since the release of ‘Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)’ and the fans loved it.

Tracks such as Loose Fit, Kinky Afro, and Hallujah where met just as equally; Rave On, Staying Alive and Rave On, among numerous others from their impressive catalogue of funky music kept the party going all show long.

No matter what track was belted out the crowd hung on every word, floated on every sound, and bounced them right back at the stage – Bez milking every second of the adoration flung their way.

When asked about sharing a festival with Guns N’ Roses backstage though, Bez, proudly announced: “We out rock n’ rolled Guns N’ Roses,” now there’s a statement.

In keeping their Madchester sound very much alive the Mondays didn’t break the rules, they wrote them – they are, very much, the party people.