Madness are back! One of Britain's best loved bands, who gave us many sing-along tracks in the Eighties, are releasing their tenth studio album later tis year.
The album is called "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" and will be released at some point between July and September.
The album is a collection of songs about an area in London which was fairly lawless back in the old days (although you can argue that all of London was fairly lawless back in the old days).
Madness Go One Step Beyond - Again!
Steve Hargrave
Entertainment correspondent
Friday June 13, 2008
Sky News
"Hey you, don't watch that, watch this"...are the only words that fill my head as we arrive to meet Madness.
Madness in the early years
MADNESS ARE:
Suggs: Vocals
Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso): Keyboards
Lee Thompson: Saxophone
Chris Foreman: Guitar
Mark Bedford: Bass
Daniel Woodgate: Drums
Chas Smash: Backing vocals, dancer
The words of their first single One Step Beyond forever serving as their intro, I'm almost expecting them to pop out in a fez hat shouting "this is the heavy heavy monster sound, the nuttiest sound around".
Sadly they don't, in fact all the members of the band are late, so we're met by an apologetic pr and a handshake.
We're here to talk to the Nutty Boys at their studio in North London. They're knee deep in rehearsals for some shows at Hackney Empire, where they'll reveal in full their new concept album The Liberty Of Norton Folgate.
It's a collection of songs about an area in the capital which was fairly lawless back in the old days. The title track was recently revealed on YouTube, weighing in at an impressive ten minutes long.
Suggs turns up first, and we decide as time is tight to crack on without the others. So how is the band's first album of original material in a decade coming along?
"We've been working on it for about two years and it's finally seeing a bit of shape, and I'm very pleased with it. I suppose making a new record is announcing to the world that we're here to stay, because up to this point we've been having a great time and adding new songs to our set but primarily just doing the greatest hits thing which is still enourmously popular throughout the known world".
He's not wrong. After the first official reunion in 1992, the band have continued to pack out arenas - this winter they're also playing London's O2 Arena.
So just as we're getting going, I'm aware that another person has walked in, straight past the camera. "Hello its Chris our guitarist just walked in," smiles Suggs. "How are you mate?
Just clocking in?" Chris joins us on the seats, and Suggs gets back to talking about the album.
"I mean we've sort of been going on and off since 92 when we did madstock in finsbury park, writing and fiddling about, but we've really concentrated our efforts in the last couple of years. we write maybe 30 or 40 songs, which we're whittling down."
"To two good ones," Chris butts in.
"To two and a half good ones," says Suggs. Is it a short album then guys?
Band to release concept album
"I tell you what," Chris gets serious for a moment. "It's a good album, I tell you that now."
A good album maybe, but one thing that's not good is their timekeeping, here's another one rolling up late. Drummer Dan 'Woody' Woodgate. Go on then, sit yourself down quickly.
By now my time is running tight, but its been a brilliantly funny chat, thanks to Chrissy showing us his new shoes, which he says his wife hates, Suggs talking about being turned down for Take That ("They said I was a bit too young and good looking and fit for them") and the boys explaining how hard it is learning a ten minute song in time for the shows in Hackney.
Still, time for one more, especially as they're now squashed up rather close to each other. Do they all still get on?
"The fact that I'm sitting in between them means we get on with everyone in the band, yes," laughs Woody.
"Apart from him," says Chris, pointing at Suggs, who promptly brushes off the sarcasm to draw his own conclusion."It's remarkable after 30 odd years, whatever it is 29 and a half that we still get on very well. I mean we like playing music, you're sort of allowed to be a perpetual juvenile when you're in a band, then you have to go back to your normal life, but in this room we can sort of all be 18 again can't we, which is great."
And that was it, luckily no more of them turned up though, or we would have been there all day...good to see the nutty boys are very much still nutty after all these years....One Step Beyond.
Possible tracks
The album is called "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" and will be released at some point between July and September.
The album is a collection of songs about an area in London which was fairly lawless back in the old days (although you can argue that all of London was fairly lawless back in the old days).
Madness Go One Step Beyond - Again!
Steve Hargrave
Entertainment correspondent
Friday June 13, 2008
Sky News
"Hey you, don't watch that, watch this"...are the only words that fill my head as we arrive to meet Madness.
Madness in the early years
MADNESS ARE:
Suggs: Vocals
Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso): Keyboards
Lee Thompson: Saxophone
Chris Foreman: Guitar
Mark Bedford: Bass
Daniel Woodgate: Drums
Chas Smash: Backing vocals, dancer
The words of their first single One Step Beyond forever serving as their intro, I'm almost expecting them to pop out in a fez hat shouting "this is the heavy heavy monster sound, the nuttiest sound around".
Sadly they don't, in fact all the members of the band are late, so we're met by an apologetic pr and a handshake.
We're here to talk to the Nutty Boys at their studio in North London. They're knee deep in rehearsals for some shows at Hackney Empire, where they'll reveal in full their new concept album The Liberty Of Norton Folgate.
It's a collection of songs about an area in the capital which was fairly lawless back in the old days. The title track was recently revealed on YouTube, weighing in at an impressive ten minutes long.
Suggs turns up first, and we decide as time is tight to crack on without the others. So how is the band's first album of original material in a decade coming along?
"We've been working on it for about two years and it's finally seeing a bit of shape, and I'm very pleased with it. I suppose making a new record is announcing to the world that we're here to stay, because up to this point we've been having a great time and adding new songs to our set but primarily just doing the greatest hits thing which is still enourmously popular throughout the known world".
He's not wrong. After the first official reunion in 1992, the band have continued to pack out arenas - this winter they're also playing London's O2 Arena.
So just as we're getting going, I'm aware that another person has walked in, straight past the camera. "Hello its Chris our guitarist just walked in," smiles Suggs. "How are you mate?
Just clocking in?" Chris joins us on the seats, and Suggs gets back to talking about the album.
"I mean we've sort of been going on and off since 92 when we did madstock in finsbury park, writing and fiddling about, but we've really concentrated our efforts in the last couple of years. we write maybe 30 or 40 songs, which we're whittling down."
"To two good ones," Chris butts in.
"To two and a half good ones," says Suggs. Is it a short album then guys?
Band to release concept album
"I tell you what," Chris gets serious for a moment. "It's a good album, I tell you that now."
A good album maybe, but one thing that's not good is their timekeeping, here's another one rolling up late. Drummer Dan 'Woody' Woodgate. Go on then, sit yourself down quickly.
By now my time is running tight, but its been a brilliantly funny chat, thanks to Chrissy showing us his new shoes, which he says his wife hates, Suggs talking about being turned down for Take That ("They said I was a bit too young and good looking and fit for them") and the boys explaining how hard it is learning a ten minute song in time for the shows in Hackney.
Still, time for one more, especially as they're now squashed up rather close to each other. Do they all still get on?
"The fact that I'm sitting in between them means we get on with everyone in the band, yes," laughs Woody.
"Apart from him," says Chris, pointing at Suggs, who promptly brushes off the sarcasm to draw his own conclusion."It's remarkable after 30 odd years, whatever it is 29 and a half that we still get on very well. I mean we like playing music, you're sort of allowed to be a perpetual juvenile when you're in a band, then you have to go back to your normal life, but in this room we can sort of all be 18 again can't we, which is great."
And that was it, luckily no more of them turned up though, or we would have been there all day...good to see the nutty boys are very much still nutty after all these years....One Step Beyond.
Possible tracks
- "Africa"
- "Bingo"
- "Cracks in the Pavement
- "Dust Devil"
- "Forever Young"
- "The Hunchback of Torriano"
- "Idiot Child"
- "Let's Go"
- "The Liberty of Norton Folgate"
- "NW5"
- "Sugar & Spice"
- "This Is London"
