I've seen Madness live so many times but their Cardiff Christmas gig was extra special

Madness are no strangers to Wales that's for sure having gigged everywhere from Cardiff Castle - read that review here - to Swansea's Singleton Park but whenever they perform in the run-up to Christmas the show is extra special.

Suggs and co were in the Welsh capital on Thursday night at the Utilita Arena as part of this month's Hit Parade UK tour to celebrate the release of their new career-spanning greatest hits album.

And with it being just a week away from Christmas, the band and their fans were full of festive cheer. The first time I saw Madness live was at this very venue exactly nine years ago and what an introduction it was.

Almost a decade on and this gig was every bit as good and there's one reason for it - they inject fun into their performance.

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After a warm-up set from fellow '80s favourites Squeeze, Madness burst onto the stage with their go-to opening number, One Step Beyond and as soon as those first memorable chords were struck the fans were already in a frenzy.

Genial frontman Suggs, wearing a dark suit and his trademark dark glasses, loves a banter with his fans and tonight was no exception. As the gig got underway, he told us: "It's Christmas, it's Cardiff, it means only one thing - Madness!"

As the title of the tour would suggest, we were treated to hits from throughout the years, including Embarrassment, My Girl, House of Fun, Mr Apples and Wings of a Dove.

Big screens provided a vibrant backdrop to the tracks with video clips, colourful text and animation and at one point there were even large coloured balloons floating around the arena.

It's now more than 40 years since Madness burst onto the scene and Suggs joked that it was good to see their fans were "still alive" - and, more to the point, that they were "still alive" too.

While Suggs may have been soberly dressed, members of the band pulled a festive punch wearing sequinned blazers while there were plenty more sequins dotted around the arena as well as hats topped with twinkling coloured lights as fans embraced the festive season.

After a rendition of arguably their most popular hit - It Must Be Love - Madness left the stage only to return for an encoure which ramped up the Christmas feels with a cover of Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday before they rounded off the night with some finale favourites like Night Boat To Cairo.

They may have been around for more than four decades but Madness never fail to entertain their fans and this show was no exception.