The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) today announced early details of the entertainment planned for the 2017 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens (7-9 April).

Legendary British pop band Madness will get the party started as 2017 marks another expansive entertainment lineup for the Sevens with the HKRU set to thrill an expected 120,000 visitors to the tournament with seven days of fan experiences during HKSEVENS Rugby Week.

Madness will headline one of the highlights of the annual week-long rugby party – the HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert, sponsored by Marriott Rewards, on Thursday 6 April, at the Sevens Village directly across from the Stadium.

Also on stage at the HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert will be an original member of Mods gods The Jam, bassist Bruce Foxton. Foxton is joined by guitarist/vocalist Russell Hastings – in their From The Jam show, which has also been touring the globe to much acclaim.

Madness got the world grooving with a string of hits in the 80s – and they’ve continued to delight global audiences ever since with timeless classics such as ‘House of Fun’, ‘Baggy Trousers’ and ‘Our House’.

Robbie McRobbie, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Rugby Union commented on the entertainment line-up saying:

“Over the past forty years of the Hong Kong Sevens, our fans have come to rely on us to always go ‘One Step Beyond’ so to speak, and we have definitely done that again for next year’s Sevens. Madness and From the Jam are guaranteed to keep the world’s best rugby party hopping over Sevens weekend.”

Famed for their electric live shows, Madness will set Sevens week well and truly into swing. The legendary British rockers are somewhat familiar with playing to stadium audiences, having performed at the 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony.

They also played at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert in the same year as they experienced a creative renaissance that has led to some of their finest work. This purple patch began with 2009’s critically acclaimed album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate, and continues through their latest album, this year’s Can’t Touch Us Now.

"Every year, Madness opens out in a different way than I thought it would,” lead singer Graham “Suggs” McPherson said recently

“It’s getting bigger every time, and it’s starting to get scary because none of us knows what we’re unleashing, I don’t want to end up a gigantic popular-rock-star, but its heading in that direction, for some peculiar reason,” McPherson added.

The Jam exploded on to the UK punk scene in 1977 with their ferocious sound and Sevens fan can expect to be treated to classic The Jam hits such as ‘Going Underground’, ‘Town Called Malice’ and ‘The Modern World’.

The HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert is sponsored by Marriott Rewards. Tickets are now available from Ticketflap, at https://www.ticketflap.com/hksevenskickoff2017. General admission from $388, with a full complement VIP experience from $888.

The feast of entertainment on offer at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has expanded in recent years with performances from international music artists becoming a feature of each year’s in-stadium entertainment.

Previous Sevens have seen the Beach Boys, Queen Extravaganza, the Village People, David Hasselhoff and ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again entertain the capacity audiences in the build-up to the tournament and across the weekend.

The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens will be held from 7-9 April 2017 at the Hong Kong Stadium. For more information please visit: www.hksevens.com.