Madness were the second musical act to take to the stage during tonight’s Olympics Closing Ceremony.

The English Ska band from Camden Town, London, was formed in 1976 and enjoyed most of their success in the mid 80s. This evening they performed one of their best known songs from the period ‘Our House’ while a street party was enacted in the stadium floor below.

The group’s saxophonist Lee Thompson was air lifted above the crowd at one point as he enjoyed his little solo section and Suggs looked elated to be on the stage, at such a momentousness event.

As Madness’ performance to an end, an impressive military brass band struck up a rendition of Blur’s Parklife. leaving us slightly disappointed that the Brit Pop band weren’t there to play the tune in person.

Next to the platform were The Pet Shop Boys, who delivered a rendition of their hit single ‘West End Girls’.

The song first achieved success in 1984 and tonight Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe sang it on what looked like a chariot, which raced around the stadium.

After a rocking performance by One Direction (more details here) The Kinks’ frontman Ray Davies was next up, and gave an emotional of his ‘love song for London’ titled ‘Waterloo Sunset.’

The lyrics describe a solitary narrator watching (or imagining) two lovers passing over a bridge, with the melancholic observer reflecting on the couple, the Thames, and Waterloo Station.

The song was inspired by the time between 1965-73 when Davies lived at 87 Fortis Green. “I didn’t think to make it about Waterloo, initially”, Davies said in a 2010 interview, “but I realised the place was so very significant in my life. I was in St Thomas’ Hospital when I was really ill [when he had a tracheotomy aged 13] and the nurses would wheel me out on the balcony to look at the river. It was also about being taken down to the 1951 Festival of Britain. It’s about the two characters – and the aspirations of my sisters’ generation who grew up during the Second World War. It’s about the world I wanted them to have. That, and then walking by the Thames with my first wife and all the dreams that we had.”

Did you enjoy the performances so far this evening? Leave your comments below….