This year has seen Madness remind us they are national treasures by performing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June and the Olympics closing ceremony in August.

But as all devotees of the band know, December is the traditional time for Kentish Town’s ska-pop legends to tour the UK, bringing light to the lives of their increasingly portly, porkpie hat-wearing public in the dark days before Christmas.

In Brighton demand for tickets was so great that a matinee show was added, allowing a whole generation of rude boys to bring their offspring to hear some of the greatest pop songs of their youth.

Guitarist Chris Foreman has lived in the city for the past six years, and in the finale of Night Boat To Cairo his children were jiving at the edge of the stage with the Pearly King and Queen of London.

On a set representing a traditional theatre, Suggs and co appeared as timeless old musical hall entertainers, with a video backdrop imaginatively animating the odd new song they dropped between their many classic hits.

Baggy Trousers saw dads dancing on the balconies, while their kids looked excited enough to be sick over the edge.