A WORLD-FAMOUS ska band are set to play a special one-off gig ahead of a North-East festival this summer.

Madness will perform at Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield, County Durham, on August 18 heralding the start of a weekend of music.

The appearance will set the stage for the return of music festival Hardwick Live the following day.

The legendary band will be heading to the region as part of a world tour which will see them appear as far afield as Australia and Singapore, performing some of their major hits from the past right up to their most recent releases.

Over the decades Madness has enjoyed huge success with huge hits including Baggy Trousers, Our House, My Girl, House of Fun and One Step Beyond.

In the process they have gained a following from fans across the globe.

John Adamson, of organisers Ramside Estates, which owns Ramside Hall, said: “It’s a massive coup for us to have Madness performing at Hardwick Hall for what we know will be an incredible performance.

“The group is selling out wherever they perform so we know that there’ll be a huge audience in the North-East of people wanting to see them.

“And we will also be making some very exciting announcements in the coming weeks about the line-up we have for Hardwick Live.”

Ramside Estates has joined forces with Newcastle-based promoters SSD Concerts to stage the two musical events.

Steve Davis, of SSD Concerts, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to be working on this project alongside Ramside Estates and we’re looking forward to bringing one of the North East’s most popular festivals back with a bang.

“We wanted to do something special to get the party started and bands in this country don’t come much bigger than Madness. We couldn’t have asked for a better act to open the weekend and we can’t wait to announce details for the Saturday line up.

“All we can say at this stage is that music fans will not be disappointed and Hardwick Live 2017 will be an event to remember for many years to come.”

  • Tickets for Madness go on sale at 9am on Friday.
  • They cost £45 each for adults, £15 for teenagers aged between 13 and 16 and £6 for children aged three to 12.
  • For more information visit www.hardwicklive.co.uk/madness