Some of the band are now grandparents but they still make music as original and authentic as ever.
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Frontman Suggs tells Jacqui Swift about being the biggest kid in the room, how the band have remained friends – and having Dame Helen Mirren as a nextdoor neighbour.
Q) THIS is your first album in seven years. Are you pleased with the reception?
A) It’s been great.
It’s always rewarding when you do all this stuff in the hope someone is going to recommend it.
It couldn’t be better, for a load of old farts.
Q) How did lockdown affect making the album?
A) It takes time for Madness to make records and then it was interrupted by Covid.
We were a microcosm of the country – all arguing, we had opposing views.
But then when we got in a room, it all came together.
You can understand two points of view without having to kill each other.
Making music is a healing process, beyond words. That’s what binds the band.
Q) Tell us about the album title?
A) I came up with this song Theatre Of The Absurd and thought that might be a good title.
I was reading about [the playwright] Samuel Beckett then I read about this French theatre group who write in gobbledygook because nobody talks to anyone any more.
I imagined us locked in this old theatre and it made a lot of sense for what we were all going through.
Q) Is that why the album is broken into three acts?
A) We recorded 40 songs then had an argument about how many we could get on the album.
We brought it down to 14.
Our keyboardist Michael suggested we break it up into Act One, Act Two and Act Three.
Our sax player Lee knows Martin Freeman and it was nice of him, he came down and did some intermissions – bits of chat between the various parts of the album.
Q) Tell us about how you met him?
A) He was with his mum and dad, they were waiting in the corridor for this meet-and-greet.
So we said, “You can come in the dressing room, you know”.
It’s sweet that he’s such a humble person.
And he’s a real music fan, he’s got thousands and thousands of records.
I sometimes go for lunch with him and Paul Weller – we’re all friends.
Q) How did Helen Mirren end up being involved?
A) I’ve got a little house in Italy, and she’s my nextdoor neighbour.
I see her floating about and was in this restaurant on the beach and said to my mates, “Don’t freak out but the Queen’s coming round the corner”.
I thought she would say no, but I thought it was worth asking.
It was very kind of her to say yes – it makes the whole thing more theatrical.
I know “down to earth” is a cliché but she is, and she’s such a funny person.
Q) What’s it like being grandads in the band?
A) I love being a grandparent.
Why wouldn’t it be cool?
My grandkids have so much energy and when I’m with them I’m the biggest kid in the room.
Q) Tell us what gigs you’re doing.
A) We’re not doing Madstock this year.
We’re doing a tour of Great Britain, playing the O2 but also smaller venues.
Next year we’re doing a tour of America.
We will be playing relatively smaller venues because we were never that big in America.
I’ll look forward to that.
On a big stage, you have to be bigger in your performance.
On a small stage, you can see people’s faces.
Q) You’ve been together for 40 years. How are the relationships between the band’s members?
A) We were friends from before the band, from school, so have tolerance.
We talk a lot and give each other space to express ourselves.
Everyone in the band writes songs – that’s why you feel sorry for the Stones and Beatles because they only had two songwriters.
Q) How much do you enjoy being in Madness compared with the early days?
A) When we came back, we made a decision we just did things we wanted to do, not what was required by record companies or promoters.
That’s what’s made it a joy.
When we play gigs, they’re fun because we’re not on the road for six months.
Incredible things have happened to us like playing Buckingham Palace and the main stage at Glastonbury. They keep coming.
★★★★☆
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Madness – Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie