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Madness (band)

March 01, 2024

Madness are an English ska and pop band from Camden Town, north London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up.[1] Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.[2][3]

Madness
Madness performing at Wirral Live in 2017
Background information
OriginCamden Town, London, England
Genres
Years active1976–1986, 1992–present
Spinoffs
Members
Past members
Websitemadness.co.uk

Madness have had 16 singles reach the UK top ten, including "One Step Beyond", "Baggy Trousers" and "It Must Be Love", one UK number-one single "House of Fun" and two number ones in Ireland, "House of Fun" and "Wings of a Dove". "Our House" was their biggest US hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2000, the band received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for Outstanding Song Collection.[4]

Career edit

1976–1978: Formation edit

The core of the band formed as the North London Invaders in 1976, and included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals.[5] They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist Dikran Tulaine.[5]

This six-piece line-up lasted until part-way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs) took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend's garden.[6] Tulaine went on to be an actor.[7] Smyth, who left after an argument with Barson, was replaced by Gavin Rodgers, Barson's girlfriend's brother.[6] McPherson was kicked out of the band for choosing too often to watch Chelsea instead of rehearsing.[8] Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing.[8]

By 1978, the band had allowed McPherson to return as a vocalist after he had filled in temporarily for Hasler (who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed).[8] Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson. Drummer Dan Woodgate (Woody) and bassist Mark Bedford (Bedders) also joined the band, replacing Garry Dovey and Rodgers, respectively.[8] After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors,[9] the band renamed itself as Madness in 1979, paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska and reggae artist Prince Buster.[10] The band remained a sextet until late 1979 when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and dancer.[10]

1979–1981: Early success edit

 
 
Dublin Castle pub at 94 Parkway, Camden Town, London, with a close up of the commemorative PRS plaque on the wall

During 1979, the band began to attract a live following in London, being regulars at the Dublin Castle in Camden Town.[11] The band's first commercial recording was the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince".[10] The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of the Specials founder and keyboardist Jerry Dammers.[10] The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts at number 16.[10] Madness toured with fellow 2 Tone bands the Specials and the Selecter, before recording their debut studio album.

That debut studio album, One Step Beyond... was released by Stiff Records.[10] The album included a re-recording of "The Prince" and its B-side "Madness", and the band's second and third singles: "One Step Beyond" and "My Girl". The title song was a cover of the B-side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit "Al Capone". The One Step Beyond... album stayed in the British charts for 78 weeks, peaking at number 2.[10][12] Smyth performed on the album but was not an official member of the band at the time of the album's recording or release. He would formally join Madness a few weeks after One Step Beyond... was issued in October 1979.

After the release of "My Girl", the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond..., and did not want to release any more singles from the album.[13] However, Dave Robinson, head of Stiff Records, disagreed.[13] Eventually, a compromise was made, and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks.[13] The result was the Work Rest and Play EP, which was headlined by the song "Night Boat to Cairo", from the One Step Beyond album.[13] The EP reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart.[13]

In 1980, the band's second studio album, Absolutely reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart.[13] Absolutely spawned some of the band's biggest hits, most notably "Baggy Trousers", which peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.[13] "Embarrassment" reached number 4 in the charts, and the instrumental song "The Return of the Los Palmas 7" climbed to number 7.[13] Although the album reviews were generally less enthusiastic than those of One Step Beyond..., they were mostly positive. Robert Christgau gave the album a favourable B− grade,[14] but Rolling Stone awarded the album just one out of five stars.[15] Rolling Stone was particularly scathing of the ska revival in general, stating that "The Specials wasn't very good" and Madness were simply "the Blues Brothers with English accents".[15]

A drama-documentary film titled Take It or Leave It was released in 1981, featuring the band members playing themselves in a re-creation of their early days to the then-current period.[16] Live recordings of Madness performances as well as those by other 2 Tone bands were used in the 1981 documentary film and soundtrack album Dance Craze.

1981–1983: Change of direction edit

In 1981, the band's third studio album, 7, reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart and contained three hit singles: "Grey Day" (no. 4, April 1981), "Shut Up" (no. 7, September 1981), and "Cardiac Arrest" (no. 14, February 1982).[17] In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on.[18] This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, 7 was something of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong accent from the previous studio albums had been watered down.[citation needed] The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of One Step Beyond... and Absolutely and moved towards a pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent studio albums.

Near the end of 1981, Madness released one of their most recognised songs: a cover of Labi Siffre's 1971 hit "It Must Be Love".[17] The song climbed to number 4 in the UK, and in 1983, the song peaked at number 33 in the US charts.[17][19] In 1982, Madness released their only number 1 hit to date, "House of Fun",[20] which they played live on the British sitcom The Young Ones, and also reached number 1 in the album charts with their first compilation, Complete Madness (1982).

In November 1982, they released their fourth studio album, The Rise & Fall, which was well received in the UK, but did not get an American release. Instead, many of its songs were included on the US compilation Madness (1983), including "Our House", which was their most internationally successful single to date. "Our House" reached number 5 in the UK music charts and number 7 in the US charts; it was also performed live on The Young Ones.[21] Many reviewers compared The Rise & Fall to the Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society (1968),[22] and it is at times retrospectively considered a concept album. The album also featured "Primrose Hill", which was more similar to the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever", containing similar psychedelic imagery and a layered arrangement.[23]

1983–1986: Decline and break-up edit

"Britain, home of the brave new world of pop, has kept lobbing them over. One need only look at the current charts, which are flecked with such dauntless new-music wunderkinds as Eurythmics and Madness."

—"Anglomania: The Second British Invasion", by Parke Puterbaugh for Rolling Stone, November 1983.[24]

In 1983, their single "Wings of a Dove" peaked at number 2 in the UK charts, followed by "The Sun and the Rain" (no. 5, November 1983).[25] Their following studio album, Keep Moving, peaked at number 6 in the UK Albums Chart, and two singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart.[26] The album received some good reviews, with Rolling Stone magazine giving the album four out of five stars, applauding the band's changing sound.[27] This was an improvement as the last album reviewed by the magazine, Absolutely, was heavily criticised.[15]

On 5 October 1983 the band were rehearsing and discussing a possible television series, which was being written for them by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis. Barson then informed the band that he would not be able to take part, as he was tired of the music business and wanted to spend more time with his wife. They had recently relocated to Amsterdam.[25] Barson agreed to finish recording the album Keep Moving; he left after playing for the last time with the band at the Lyceum Ballroom on 21 December 1983. James Mackie[28][full citation needed] took Barson's place appearing with Madness on the US television show Saturday Night Live on 14 April 1984. After leaving the band, Barson returned to the UK for the filming of two music videos as he had played on the tracks, "Michael Caine" and "One Better Day". Barson finished live performance with the band in 1983, and officially left the band in June 1984, following the release of "One Better Day".[26] Paul Carrack took Barson's place whilst the band toured America in early 1984. The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label, Zarjazz Records, which was a sub-label of Virgin Records.[26]

In 1985, the label released the band's sixth studio album, Mad Not Mad. Barson's usual keyboard parts were filled by an emphasis on synthesisers provided by Steve Nieve of the Attractions. In later years, frontman Suggs has described the album as a "polished turd".[29] The album reached number 16 in the UK charts, which is the band's lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as number 55 in NME's "All Time 100 Albums".[30] The singles for the album fared even worse, with "Yesterday's Men" peaking at number 18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, "Uncle Sam" and "Sweetest Girl", failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles.

The band then attempted to record a new studio album, and 11 demo tracks were recorded.[29] However, musical differences arose between the band members. The untitled album went unreleased, and in September 1986, the band announced that they were to break-up.[29][31] Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", but did not appear in the music video.[31] The band officially broke up following the release of the single,[20] which reached a high of number 18 in the UK. In 1988, four members of the band – Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman – continued under the name The Madness.[32] After one self-titled studio album and two singles that failed to make the top 40, the band broke up.

1992–2003: Reunion and Our House musical edit

Towards the end of 1991, "It Must Be Love" was re-released and eventually reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1992.[33] Following that, the singles compilation album Divine Madness (1992) was released and peaked at number 1 in the album charts.[34] Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert, Madstock!, which was held at Finsbury Park, London on 8 and 9 August of that year.[35] The original line-up reunited, performing together for the first time since Barson left the band in 1984. Over 75,000 fans attended the weekend festival, and the dancing of the crowd caused some nearby tower blocks to shake perceptibly as they resonated with the frequency of the music.[3][36][37][38][39]

After the Finsbury Park comeback, a live album was released, and the associated single, "The Harder They Come" (a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1973 song) reached number 44 in the UK, with the album reaching number 22.[40]

The band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock! festivals; in 1994, 1996 and 1998. Also in 1998, Madness returned to America for their first tour there since 1984. The live album Universal Madness was recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in L.A. and released the following year. In 1999, Madness released their first studio album since 1986, entitled Wonderful. The album reached number 17 in the UK Albums Chart, and the lead single, "Lovestruck", gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983.[41] Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album, "Johnny the Horse" and "Drip Fed Fred" (featuring Ian Dury on vocals), entered the top 40 of the UK chart.[42][43]

From 28 October 2002 to 16 August 2003, a musical based on Madness songs, Our House, ran at the Cambridge Theatre in London. Madness played a role in the executive production of the show, and Suggs played a role in the production for a period, playing the central character's father.[44] It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003,[45] and the performance was released on DVD on 1 November 2004.[46] There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs, One Step Beyond!, written by Alan Gilbey.[47][48] The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993[47][48] and a run at Putney Arts Theatre, London in 2012.

2004–2010: The Dangermen and The Liberty of Norton Folgate edit

 
Madness performing live at Bimbos in 2005

In 2004, the band played a series of low-key concerts as the Dangermen, performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs. A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming,[49] and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25th anniversary.[49]

This led to the release of the cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in August 2005 by V2 Records. During the sessions which produced the album, in mid-2005, guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure, citing "the petty, time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band" as his reason for leaving.[50] The band completed the album without him, and on release, it peaked at no. 11 in the UK Albums Chart, which was the band's highest studio album chart position in 21 years. Although two singles were released, neither was a major success in the UK. The more successful of the two, "Shame & Scandal", reached number 38, but was more successful in France where it peaked at number 12.[51] "Girl Why Don't You" did not chart and the band left the V2 record label shortly after. At this time, Kevin Burdette joined as the band's guitarist for live appearances and also appeared in the videos for both "Sorry" and "NW5" in early 2007.

The six remaining original members of Madness began working on their first original studio album in seven years. In March 2007, the non-LP single "Sorry" was released on the band's own record label Lucky 7 Records, peaking in the UK charts at number 23. The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue.

The new Madness song "NW5" (then still titled "NW5 (I Would Give You Everything)") and a re-recorded version of "It Must Be Love" were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer [de]. The two songs were released in Germany as a double A-side, and both of them were turned into music videos, which – besides members of the film's cast – featured Suggs, Chas Smash, Woody and stand-in guitarist Burdette. A re-recorded version of "NW5" was released as a single on 14 January 2008 in the UK reaching no. 24 – this recording featured original Madness guitarist Chris Foreman, who had rejoined the band in time for the 2006 Christmas tour but had not participated in the original recording of the song.

In June 2008, Madness played the majority of their new studio album The Liberty of Norton Folgate at London's Hackney Empire for three nights. The Hackney Empire performances were recorded and sold to fans on USB wristbands as they left the show. Madness played two dates in December 2008, firstly in Manchester on 18 December, and secondly a return gig to The O2 in London on the 19th.

In December 2008 the band also announced that for their thirtieth anniversary in 2009, they would be staging a fifth Madstock Festival in London's Victoria Park on 17 July, 11 years after the last Madstock concert. It was originally rumoured that the newly reformed the Specials would make an appearance after finishing their reunion tour. However, this did not occur, although original Specials keyboardist Jerry Dammers – who was not part of the reunion line-up – was announced as a support act with the Spatial AKA Orchestra shortly before the festival. Dammers supported Madness again during their 2009 Christmas tour when he opened each night with a DJ set.

Through late March and early April 2009, the band played a series of festival and separate headlining dates across Australia. The lead-up single from their latest studio album, titled "Dust Devil", was released on 11 May on Lucky 7 Records. Actors Alfie Allen and Jaime Winstone co-starred in the music video. The single charted at No. 64 on the UK Singles Chart and at No. 1 on the UK Independent charts on 17 May 2009.

The new studio album, entitled The Liberty of Norton Folgate, was released a week later, on 18 May 2009. It charted at No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart. The band continued to play various festivals, including Pinkpop, Splendour, and Glastonbury.[52] On 27 September 2009, the band also played a free concert on a closed-off Regent Street in association with Absolute Radio.

On 28 August, Madness played the Rock en Seine festival near Paris, on the same night where Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher engaged in a physical altercation, resulting in the break-up of the band. As Oasis cancelled their headlining slot, Madness, even though having played earlier in the evening, were asked to replace them. They accepted the invitation and both of their sets during the festival were said to have been well received.[citation needed]

As in previous years, the band embarked on a Christmas tour of the UK (also playing one concert in Dublin), playing at various medium-sized venues. Mark Bedford took a break from the band and was replaced by Graham Bush for the tour.

Some members of the band appeared in Catherine Tate's Nan's Christmas Carol. They first posed as carol singers, then played "Baggy Trousers" over the credits. On 18 January 2010, Madness released a fourth single, "Forever Young", from The Liberty of Norton Folgate. The single failed to chart.

During an interview with RTÉ 2fm radio host Dave Fanning on 24 May 2010, drummer Daniel Woodgate stated that the members of the band were in the final stages of preparing songs for the follow-up to The Liberty of Norton Folgate. The band hoped to be able to start recording the album later on in 2010.[53]

In September 2010, Madness were awarded the Idol Award at the Q Awards in London. Guitarist Chris Foreman stated in his acceptance speech that Madness were recording a new album.

Madness toured the UK throughout November and December 2010 with their final show at London's Earl's Court, where they played a new song from their upcoming album. However, two concerts, in Hull and Sheffield, were cancelled due to heavy snowfall, although they were later rescheduled for 5 and 6 February 2011 respectively.

2011–2015: Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da edit

In June 2011, the band performed at Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, curated by inspiration Ray Davies of the Kinks, who also introduced the band on stage. The concert served as the premiere of three new songs – "1978", "Can't Keep a Good Thing Down" and "Death of a Rude Boy".

 
Madness performing at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London
 
Madness on stage at the Manchester Arena in 2014

The summer of 2012 saw two notable performances. In June, the band performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace. The band performed "Our House" and "It Must Be Love" from the roof of the palace with accompanying animations projected onto the palace front. In August, the band was the first to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games. Departed bassist Bedford rejoined the band for both performances.[54] In August 2012, Madness released "Death of a Rude Boy" as a free teaser track from their new studio album. Madness' tenth studio album Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da was released on 29 October 2012 and entered the UK Albums Chart at no.10.[55] In January 2013 the album re-entered the chart at no. 16 on the back of the airplay success of the single "Never Knew Your Name".

From the start of 2013, Bedford increased his performances with the band building to his full-time return to the group, which meant a close to the four years Graham Bush had spent with the band.[56][better source needed]

On 22 March 2013, the band performed outside the BBC Television Centre in a live broadcast for BBC Four. This was followed by Goodbye Television Centre, a celebration of 50 years of the television centre, marking the closure of the building and the last show to be broadcast from it.[57] Following that the band was the closing act to the new year celebration of 2014 in Dublin, Ireland.

On 22 March 2014, Suggs confirmed that Madness were writing a new studio album which he stated "the band plan to record in the summer and release by the end of 2014".[58]

In October 2014, Cathal Smyth, aka Chas Smash, left Madness to pursue a solo career. His debut solo studio album, A Comfortable Man, was released on 11 May 2015 by Phoenix Rising Recording Co. Although Smyth's departure was characterized at the time as a 'break' to concentrate on his solo career and not necessarily a permanent departure, Smyth has not rejoined Madness in the years since the break was announced. Madness has continued as a six-piece.

2016–2022: Can't Touch Us Now edit

The band announced their new studio album Can't Touch Us Now in May 2016. In support of the album, the band played the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June.[59] Lead single "Mr. Apples" was accompanied by a scripted video (first one since 2009) and A-listed by BBC Radio 2.[60] The song "Herbert" was released as a taster accompanied by an animation video.[61] Further singles "Can't Touch Us Now" and "Another Version of Me" were also playlisted by BBC Radio 2. The album itself entered the UK Albums Chart at number 5 in November 2016.[62] The band finished the year on a UK arena tour in December.[63]

Throughout 2017, the band played at several festivals and concerts worldwide including mainland Europe, Asia, and Australia. In April their first Australian gig at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Western Australia sold out, necessitating a second gig the following night. In August, the band hosted their own "House of Common Festival" for the second year on Clapham Common. This was the band's only London gig of the year.[64]

In 2018, the band embarked on a summer tour of stately homes in the UK before a Christmas arena tour in December.[65][66] Madness performed on New Year's Eve through to New Year's Day at "Madness Rocks Big Ben Live". The entire performance was shown on BBC One before and after that year's fireworks.[67]

In March 2019, Madness announced the release of their group autobiography, Before We Was We: Madness by Madness, to be released on hardback that October.[68] The book includes commentary from all seven members telling the story of their early days and childhoods up until their breakthrough as a group. In May 2021, the book was adapted as a three-part TV documentary on AMC, with the first part free on BT's YouTube channel.[69]

The band celebrated 40 years since their debut studio album release with several special live appearances throughout 2019. The band performed at their own "House of Common" festival in August and held a special concert with a full orchestra at Kenwood House. In November they played at Electric Ballroom in Camden; forty years to the day since one of their first appearances there. The performance was broadcast on Sky Arts in 2020. The band saw the year out with three concerts at The Roundhouse.[70]

In December 2019, the band released a new single, "Bullingdon Boys (Don't Get Bullied by the Bully Boys)". The NME described the song as a 'barbed swipe at Boris Johnson and his Eton cohorts'.[71]

In April 2021, following some special videos created during the COVID-19 pandemic, Madness announced their first global live stream, titled "The Get Up!", to be held the next month. It featured live music and comedy from the group and Charlie Higson, pre-recorded at the London Palladium.[72] During the live stream, the band was accompanied by Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals and Paul Weller of the Jam and had a cameo by Queen Elizabeth II, played by Mike Barson.[73] They announced their 2021 tour, The Ladykillers Tour, the next day, to be held alongside Squeeze.[74]

2023: Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie edit

In September 2023, the band announced their thirteenth studio album Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie, which was released on 17 November 2023. It will be followed by a UK tour with the Lightning Seeds, including stops in Liverpool, Manchester, London, and more.[75]

The album was preceded by the singles C'est La Vie and Baby Burglar. A new video featured these two singles plus a performances of Round We Go.

It would become Madness' first ever number one studio album in the UK.[76]

On December 11 a full version of the "C'est La Vie" video was released. Follow by "Baby Burglar" on January 23, 2024.

In February it was announced that "Round We Go' would be released as the official new single. A full video was released on February 6, followed by a single edit on February 16. On February 23 the song was added to BBC Radio 2's New Music Playlist.[77]

Spinoff acts edit

The Fink Brothers edit

The Fink Brothers were a short-lived alter ego created by Madness members Suggs and Chas Smash, working under the aliases Angel and Ratty Fink, using characters from the science fiction comic 2000 AD.[78]

Single
Year Song(s) Album UK Notes
1985 "Mutants in Mega-City One" Non-LP single 50 This was the only release by the Fink Brothers. It consisted of two songs.[79]

The Madness edit

 
A promotional photograph of the Madness, (L-R): Thompson, Foreman, Smash, and Suggs

The Madness was a line-up of Madness without bassist Mark Bedford, drummer Daniel Woodgate and keyboardist Mike Barson, active between 1988 and 1989. Formed by Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman in 1988, they distinguished this line-up from the previous Madness line-up only by adding the word "The" to the band's name. The band had held a competition to find a new name on BBC Radio 1. They decided on 'The Wasp Factory' after the Iain Banks novel of the same name, but that name had already been taken by another band.

The album is notable for featuring guest performers including the Specials' Jerry Dammers, early Madness member John Hasler and Earl Falconer of UB40. It is also the first studio album produced by the band themselves under the alias 'The Three Eyes'.

The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and many online discographies consider this band to be the same as "Madness". Several of the songs on the album ("4BF", "Be Good Boy", "Gabriels Horn", "In Wonder") were reworked songs from the cancelled 1986 Madness studio album and had been performed live or demoed in 1986 before the band broke up. Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman also alluded to this view on their sole studio album Crunch! (1990), which was dedicated to "the good ship Madness and all who sailed in her (1979 to 1989)".

Studio album
Singles
Year Song(s) Album UK Notes
1988 "I Pronounce You" The Madness 44 The music video shows Thompson playing the flute.
1988 "What's That" The Madness 92 The first single by Madness or any of its spin-off bands not to make the top 75.

The Nutty Boys edit

The Nutty Boys were Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman of Madness. The name "The Nutty Boys" was actually the name of their studio album, while the new band was called "Crunch!". The posters for their first concert mistakenly listed the band as "The Nutty Boys" instead of "Crunch!", and the name stuck. While the members of the band Madness were nicknamed "The Nutty Boys" as a whole, this section lists only the work released by Thompson and Foreman under "The Nutty Boys" name in the early 1990s.

Single
Year Title UK Notes
1992 "It's OK, I'm a Policeman" – Issued as a four-track EP and cassette single. B-Sides - "Fight Amongst Yourselves", "Birthday Girl" and "Magic Carpet"
Studio album
  • 1990: Crunch!

Crunch! edit

Crunch! were also Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman. At this point, the band formally corrected the earlier mistake and officially adopted their original name of "Crunch".

Single
Year Title UK Notes
1996 "Magic Carpet" – Crunch's lone single. Received extremely limited commercial release. B-Sides – "Danger Zone", "Hereditary", "Magic Carpet" (live at the Half Moon, Putney).[80]

Collaborations edit

Madness collaborated with Elvis Costello in 1983 on a version of their song "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)". It was released as a bonus track to the 12" copy of the single. In later years, Barson stated that Costello's "Watching the Detectives" was the main influence on the song "My Girl". For Wonderful in 1999, Ian Dury laid down vocals on the track "Drip Fed Fred" which was released as the last single from the album. It was Dury's last recording before his death. Ill health prevented Dury from actively promoting the single, although he did appear on the National Lottery Show, for a later performance on TFI Friday, the song was reworked to incorporate Phill Jupitus on vocals. Live, Madness have collaborated with artists including UB40 and Prince Buster, notably at their first Madstock concert. They have also played live frequently with members of the other 2 Tone bands including the Specials. In May 2008, Suggs and Carl performed live with Pet Shop Boys at London's Heaven collaborating on a new arrangement of "My Girl", as part of a tribute evening to their former minder Dainton 'The Bear' Connell, called Can You Bear It?.[81][82][83] A few days afterwards, Pet Shop Boys posted their own version of the track on their official website.

In late 2010, the band collaborated in the Cage Against the Machine project, in which numerous artists performed John Cage's 4′33″ for a charity single intended to prevent the winner of The X Factor claiming the Christmas Number 1. The title refers to the previous year's successful campaign to get Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" to chart above X Factor winner Joe McElderry.

Lyrical themes edit

Frequent themes in Madness' songs included childhood memories (e.g., "Baggy Trousers", and "Our House") and petty crime (e.g., "Shut Up", and "Deceives the Eye"). Although Madness were seen by some as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy, bouncy songs,[84] many of their songs took a darker tone (such as the singles "Grey Day" and "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)") and they sometimes tackled what were, at the time, controversial issues in their lyrics. "Embarrassment" (from the Absolutely album) was written by Lee Thompson, and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man's child.[85] Madness discussed animal testing in the song "Tomorrow's Dream".[86] The band criticised the National Health Service (NHS) in "Mrs. Hutchinson", which told the story of a woman who, after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment, became terminally ill. The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson's mother.[87] Madness' final single prior to disbanding, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", commented on apartheid in South Africa.[31]

Awards edit

The band's first notable musical award came in 1983 when Chris Foreman and Cathal Smyth won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song for the international hit "Our House".[3][25] Madness received another Ivor Novello Award 17 years later for an "Outstanding Song Collection".[3][4] In 2005, they were awarded the Mojo "Hall of Fame" Award, notably for being "an artist's artist".[88] In 2007, a campaign took place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit Award.[89] Many fans and critics feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry.[89] In July 2009, Madness were awarded the 'Silver Clef' Icon Award. In September 2010, Madness were awarded the 'Idol Award' at the 2010 Q Awards in London.

Members edit

Members of the classic line-up are listed in bold.

Current members

  • Chris Foreman – guitar (1976–1986, 1992–2005, 2006–present)
  • Mike Barson – keyboards, piano, percussion, backing vocals (1976–1984, 1992–present)
  • Lee Thompson – saxophone, percussion, vocals (1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1992–present)
  • Graham "Suggs" McPherson – vocals (1977, 1978–1986, 1992–present)
  • Dan Woodgate – drums, percussion (1978–1986, 1992–present)
  • Mark Bedford – bass (1978–1986, 1992–2009, 2012, 2013–present)

Former members

Touring members and regular guests

  • Dick Cuthell – French horn, flugel horn, cornet (1983–1985) (live and studio)[90][91][92]
  • Nick Parker – violin (1983) (live)[93]
  • Jonathan Kahan – violin (1983) (live)[93]
  • Suzanne Rosenfeld – viola (1983) (live)[93]
  • Caroline Verney – cello (1983) (live)[93]
  • Paul Carrack – keyboards (1984) (live)
  • James Mackie – keyboards (1984) (live)[94]
  • Steve Nieve – keyboards (1985, 1988) (live and studio)[95]
  • Terry Disley – keyboards (1985–1986) (live)[96]
  • Seamus Beaghan – keyboards (1985–1986, 2009, 2012, 2021) (live and studio)[96][97][98]
  • Jimmy Helms – backing vocals (1985–1986) (live and studio)[96][99]
  • Jimmy Thomas – backing vocals (1985–1986) (live and studio)[96][99]
  • Lorenza Johnson – backing vocals (1985–1986) (live)[96][99]
  • Bosco De Oliveira – percussion (1985–1986) (live)[96][99]
  • Norman Watt-Roy – bass (1995–1996) (live)[100][101]
  • Mike Kearsey – trombone (1999, 2004, 2005–present) (live and studio)[102]
  • Terry Edwards – saxophone, trumpet (2003) (live)[102]
  • Steve Turner – saxophone (2003, 2005–c. 2016) (live and studio)[102]
  • John "Segs" Jennings – guitar (2005) (live and studio)[103]
  • Kevin Burdett – guitar (2005–2006, 2013) (live and studio)[104]
  • Graham Bush – bass (2005, 2009–2013) (live and studio)[56]
  • Joe Auckland – trumpet (2005–present) (live and studio)[102]
  • Steve Hamilton – saxophone (2011–2012, c. 2016–present) (live and studio)[105]
  • Paul Fisher – trombone (2016–2017) (live)[106]
  • Mez Clough – percussion (2016–present) (live and studio),[107][108] drums (2017, 2021) (live)[109][110]
  • Neil Waters – trumpet (2017–2019) (live)[111][112]
  • Paul Burton – trombone (2019) (live)[112]

Members of North London Invaders only (band changed name to "Madness" in 1979)

  • John Hasler – drums (1976–1977), vocals (1976–1977, 1977–1978)
  • Dikran Tulaine – vocals (1976)
  • Gavin Rodgers – bass (1977–1978)
  • Garry Dovey – drums (1977–1978)

Timeline edit

Discography edit

Main article: Madness discography

Tours edit

  • Two Tone Tour (1979)[113]
  • Absolutely Tour (1980)
  • Seven Tour (1981)
  • Complete Madness Tour (1982)
  • Rise and Fall Tour (1983)
  • Keep Moving Tour (1984)
  • Mad Not Mad Tour (1985)
  • Christmas Madness (1992)
  • The Man in the Mad Suit (1993)
  • Mad Dogs (1995)
  • The Maddest Show on Earth (1999)
  • Welcome to the Wonderful World of Madness (2003)
  • To the Edge of the Universe & Beyond (2006)
  • On Board the Nutty Express (2007)
  • The Liberty of Norton Folgate (2009)
  • Do Not Adjust Your Nut (2010)
  • House of Fun Weekender (2011–2021)
  • Charge of the Mad Brigade (2012)
  • Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da (2013)
  • All for the M.A.D.H.E.A.D. (2014)[114]
  • Grandslam Madness (2015)[115]
  • Can't Touch Us Now (2016)
  • Stately Madness (2018)[116]
  • The Sound of Madness (2018)[117]
  • Madness XL (2018–2019)
  • The Ladykillers Tour (2021)[118]
  • The Great European Roadtrip (2022–2023)
  • C'est La Vie (2023)[119]

References edit

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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madness (band).
  • Official website  
  • MIS Online, fan based website since 1999
  • Guardian interview
  • Madness at AllMusic
  • Madness discography at Discogs  
  • Madness at IMDb

March 01, 2024
madness, band, madness, english, band, from, camden, town, north, london, formed, 1976, most, prominent, bands, late, 1970s, early, 1980s, tone, revival, they, continue, perform, with, seven, members, their, original, line, madness, most, successful, period, f. Madness are an English ska and pop band from Camden Town north London who formed in 1976 One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two tone ska revival they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line up 1 Madness s most successful period was from 1980 to 1986 when the band s songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart 2 3 MadnessMadness performing at Wirral Live in 2017Background informationOriginCamden Town London EnglandGenresTwo toneskapopnew waverocksteadyYears active1976 1986 1992 presentSpinoffsThe MadnessThe Fink BrothersThe Nutty BoysCrunch MembersChris Foreman Mike Barson Lee Thompson Graham Suggs McPherson Dan Woodgate Mark BedfordPast membersCathal Chas Smash Smyth John Hasler Dikran Tulaine Gavin Rodgers Garry DoveyWebsitemadness wbr co wbr ukMadness have had 16 singles reach the UK top ten including One Step Beyond Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love one UK number one single House of Fun and two number ones in Ireland House of Fun and Wings of a Dove Our House was their biggest US hit reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 In 2000 the band received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors for Outstanding Song Collection 4 Contents 1 Career 1 1 1976 1978 Formation 1 2 1979 1981 Early success 1 3 1981 1983 Change of direction 1 4 1983 1986 Decline and break up 1 5 1992 2003 Reunion and Our House musical 1 6 2004 2010 The Dangermen and The Liberty of Norton Folgate 1 7 2011 2015 Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da 1 8 2016 2022 Can t Touch Us Now 1 9 2023 Theatre of the Absurd Presents C est la Vie 2 Spinoff acts 2 1 The Fink Brothers 2 2 The Madness 2 3 The Nutty Boys 2 4 Crunch 3 Collaborations 4 Lyrical themes 5 Awards 6 Members 6 1 Timeline 7 Discography 8 Tours 9 References 10 External linksCareer edit1976 1978 Formation edit The core of the band formed as the North London Invaders in 1976 and included Mike Barson Monsieur Barso on keyboards and vocals Chris Foreman Chrissy Boy on guitar and Lee Thompson Kix on saxophone and vocals 5 They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth better known as Chas Smash on bass guitar Later in the year they were joined by lead vocalist Dikran Tulaine 5 This six piece line up lasted until part way through 1977 when Graham McPherson better known as Suggs took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend s garden 6 Tulaine went on to be an actor 7 Smyth who left after an argument with Barson was replaced by Gavin Rodgers Barson s girlfriend s brother 6 McPherson was kicked out of the band for choosing too often to watch Chelsea instead of rehearsing 8 Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing 8 By 1978 the band had allowed McPherson to return as a vocalist after he had filled in temporarily for Hasler who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed 8 Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson Drummer Dan Woodgate Woody and bassist Mark Bedford Bedders also joined the band replacing Garry Dovey and Rodgers respectively 8 After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors 9 the band renamed itself as Madness in 1979 paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska and reggae artist Prince Buster 10 The band remained a sextet until late 1979 when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and dancer 10 1979 1981 Early success edit nbsp nbsp Dublin Castle pub at 94 Parkway Camden Town London with a close up of the commemorative PRS plaque on the wall During 1979 the band began to attract a live following in London being regulars at the Dublin Castle in Camden Town 11 The band s first commercial recording was the Lee Thompson composition The Prince 10 The song like the band s name paid homage to their idol Prince Buster The song was released through 2 Tone Records the label of the Specials founder and keyboardist Jerry Dammers 10 The song was a surprise hit peaking in the UK music charts at number 16 10 Madness toured with fellow 2 Tone bands the Specials and the Selecter before recording their debut studio album That debut studio album One Step Beyond was released by Stiff Records 10 The album included a re recording of The Prince and its B side Madness and the band s second and third singles One Step Beyond and My Girl The title song was a cover of the B side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit Al Capone The One Step Beyond album stayed in the British charts for 78 weeks peaking at number 2 10 12 Smyth performed on the album but was not an official member of the band at the time of the album s recording or release He would formally join Madness a few weeks after One Step Beyond was issued in October 1979 After the release of My Girl the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond and did not want to release any more singles from the album 13 However Dave Robinson head of Stiff Records disagreed 13 Eventually a compromise was made and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks 13 The result was the Work Rest and Play EP which was headlined by the song Night Boat to Cairo from the One Step Beyond album 13 The EP reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart 13 In 1980 the band s second studio album Absolutely reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart 13 Absolutely spawned some of the band s biggest hits most notably Baggy Trousers which peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart 13 Embarrassment reached number 4 in the charts and the instrumental song The Return of the Los Palmas 7 climbed to number 7 13 Although the album reviews were generally less enthusiastic than those of One Step Beyond they were mostly positive Robert Christgau gave the album a favourable B grade 14 but Rolling Stone awarded the album just one out of five stars 15 Rolling Stone was particularly scathing of the ska revival in general stating that The Specials wasn t very good and Madness were simply the Blues Brothers with English accents 15 A drama documentary film titled Take It or Leave It was released in 1981 featuring the band members playing themselves in a re creation of their early days to the then current period 16 Live recordings of Madness performances as well as those by other 2 Tone bands were used in the 1981 documentary film and soundtrack album Dance Craze 1981 1983 Change of direction edit In 1981 the band s third studio album 7 reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart and contained three hit singles Grey Day no 4 April 1981 Shut Up no 7 September 1981 and Cardiac Arrest no 14 February 1982 17 In an article in 1979 Chris Foreman explained that the band s music would move with the times and change styles as time goes on 18 This was shown to be the case as unlike the two ska filled fast paced albums that preceded it 7 was something of a change in direction Suggs vocal performance changed significantly and his strong accent from the previous studio albums had been watered down citation needed The album strayed from the ska influenced sound of One Step Beyond and Absolutely and moved towards a pop sound a trend that continued with subsequent studio albums Near the end of 1981 Madness released one of their most recognised songs a cover of Labi Siffre s 1971 hit It Must Be Love 17 The song climbed to number 4 in the UK and in 1983 the song peaked at number 33 in the US charts 17 19 In 1982 Madness released their only number 1 hit to date House of Fun 20 which they played live on the British sitcom The Young Ones and also reached number 1 in the album charts with their first compilation Complete Madness 1982 In November 1982 they released their fourth studio album The Rise amp Fall which was well received in the UK but did not get an American release Instead many of its songs were included on the US compilation Madness 1983 including Our House which was their most internationally successful single to date Our House reached number 5 in the UK music charts and number 7 in the US charts it was also performed live on The Young Ones 21 Many reviewers compared The Rise amp Fall to the Kinks The Village Green Preservation Society 1968 22 and it is at times retrospectively considered a concept album The album also featured Primrose Hill which was more similar to the Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever containing similar psychedelic imagery and a layered arrangement 23 1983 1986 Decline and break up edit Britain home of the brave new world of pop has kept lobbing them over One need only look at the current charts which are flecked with such dauntless new music wunderkinds as Eurythmics and Madness Anglomania The Second British Invasion by Parke Puterbaugh for Rolling Stone November 1983 24 In 1983 their single Wings of a Dove peaked at number 2 in the UK charts followed by The Sun and the Rain no 5 November 1983 25 Their following studio album Keep Moving peaked at number 6 in the UK Albums Chart and two singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart 26 The album received some good reviews with Rolling Stone magazine giving the album four out of five stars applauding the band s changing sound 27 This was an improvement as the last album reviewed by the magazine Absolutely was heavily criticised 15 On 5 October 1983 the band were rehearsing and discussing a possible television series which was being written for them by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis Barson then informed the band that he would not be able to take part as he was tired of the music business and wanted to spend more time with his wife They had recently relocated to Amsterdam 25 Barson agreed to finish recording the album Keep Moving he left after playing for the last time with the band at the Lyceum Ballroom on 21 December 1983 James Mackie 28 full citation needed took Barson s place appearing with Madness on the US television show Saturday Night Live on 14 April 1984 After leaving the band Barson returned to the UK for the filming of two music videos as he had played on the tracks Michael Caine and One Better Day Barson finished live performance with the band in 1983 and officially left the band in June 1984 following the release of One Better Day 26 Paul Carrack took Barson s place whilst the band toured America in early 1984 The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label Zarjazz Records which was a sub label of Virgin Records 26 In 1985 the label released the band s sixth studio album Mad Not Mad Barson s usual keyboard parts were filled by an emphasis on synthesisers provided by Steve Nieve of the Attractions In later years frontman Suggs has described the album as a polished turd 29 The album reached number 16 in the UK charts which is the band s lowest position on the album charts to date Despite the poor chart showing the album was listed as number 55 in NME s All Time 100 Albums 30 The singles for the album fared even worse with Yesterday s Men peaking at number 18 in the UK charts The subsequent singles Uncle Sam and Sweetest Girl failed to make the top 20 which was a first for Madness singles The band then attempted to record a new studio album and 11 demo tracks were recorded 29 However musical differences arose between the band members The untitled album went unreleased and in September 1986 the band announced that they were to break up 29 31 Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single Waiting For The Ghost Train but did not appear in the music video 31 The band officially broke up following the release of the single 20 which reached a high of number 18 in the UK In 1988 four members of the band Suggs Chas Smash Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman continued under the name The Madness 32 After one self titled studio album and two singles that failed to make the top 40 the band broke up 1992 2003 Reunion and Our House musical edit Towards the end of 1991 It Must Be Love was re released and eventually reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1992 33 Following that the singles compilation album Divine Madness 1992 was released and peaked at number 1 in the album charts 34 Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert Madstock which was held at Finsbury Park London on 8 and 9 August of that year 35 The original line up reunited performing together for the first time since Barson left the band in 1984 Over 75 000 fans attended the weekend festival and the dancing of the crowd caused some nearby tower blocks to shake perceptibly as they resonated with the frequency of the music 3 36 37 38 39 After the Finsbury Park comeback a live album was released and the associated single The Harder They Come a cover of Jimmy Cliff s 1973 song reached number 44 in the UK with the album reaching number 22 40 The band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock festivals in 1994 1996 and 1998 Also in 1998 Madness returned to America for their first tour there since 1984 The live album Universal Madness was recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in L A and released the following year In 1999 Madness released their first studio album since 1986 entitled Wonderful The album reached number 17 in the UK Albums Chart and the lead single Lovestruck gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983 41 Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album Johnny the Horse and Drip Fed Fred featuring Ian Dury on vocals entered the top 40 of the UK chart 42 43 From 28 October 2002 to 16 August 2003 a musical based on Madness songs Our House ran at the Cambridge Theatre in London Madness played a role in the executive production of the show and Suggs played a role in the production for a period playing the central character s father 44 It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003 45 and the performance was released on DVD on 1 November 2004 46 There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs One Step Beyond written by Alan Gilbey 47 48 The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993 47 48 and a run at Putney Arts Theatre London in 2012 2004 2010 The Dangermen and The Liberty of Norton Folgate edit nbsp Madness performing live at Bimbos in 2005In 2004 the band played a series of low key concerts as the Dangermen performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming 49 and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25th anniversary 49 This led to the release of the cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol 1 in August 2005 by V2 Records During the sessions which produced the album in mid 2005 guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure citing the petty time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band as his reason for leaving 50 The band completed the album without him and on release it peaked at no 11 in the UK Albums Chart which was the band s highest studio album chart position in 21 years Although two singles were released neither was a major success in the UK The more successful of the two Shame amp Scandal reached number 38 but was more successful in France where it peaked at number 12 51 Girl Why Don t You did not chart and the band left the V2 record label shortly after At this time Kevin Burdette joined as the band s guitarist for live appearances and also appeared in the videos for both Sorry and NW5 in early 2007 The six remaining original members of Madness began working on their first original studio album in seven years In March 2007 the non LP single Sorry was released on the band s own record label Lucky 7 Records peaking in the UK charts at number 23 The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue The new Madness song NW5 then still titled NW5 I Would Give You Everything and a re recorded version of It Must Be Love were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer de The two songs were released in Germany as a double A side and both of them were turned into music videos which besides members of the film s cast featured Suggs Chas Smash Woody and stand in guitarist Burdette A re recorded version of NW5 was released as a single on 14 January 2008 in the UK reaching no 24 this recording featured original Madness guitarist Chris Foreman who had rejoined the band in time for the 2006 Christmas tour but had not participated in the original recording of the song In June 2008 Madness played the majority of their new studio album The Liberty of Norton Folgate at London s Hackney Empire for three nights The Hackney Empire performances were recorded and sold to fans on USB wristbands as they left the show Madness played two dates in December 2008 firstly in Manchester on 18 December and secondly a return gig to The O2 in London on the 19th In December 2008 the band also announced that for their thirtieth anniversary in 2009 they would be staging a fifth Madstock Festival in London s Victoria Park on 17 July 11 years after the last Madstock concert It was originally rumoured that the newly reformed the Specials would make an appearance after finishing their reunion tour However this did not occur although original Specials keyboardist Jerry Dammers who was not part of the reunion line up was announced as a support act with the Spatial AKA Orchestra shortly before the festival Dammers supported Madness again during their 2009 Christmas tour when he opened each night with a DJ set Through late March and early April 2009 the band played a series of festival and separate headlining dates across Australia The lead up single from their latest studio album titled Dust Devil was released on 11 May on Lucky 7 Records Actors Alfie Allen and Jaime Winstone co starred in the music video The single charted at No 64 on the UK Singles Chart and at No 1 on the UK Independent charts on 17 May 2009 The new studio album entitled The Liberty of Norton Folgate was released a week later on 18 May 2009 It charted at No 5 in the UK Albums Chart The band continued to play various festivals including Pinkpop Splendour and Glastonbury 52 On 27 September 2009 the band also played a free concert on a closed off Regent Street in association with Absolute Radio On 28 August Madness played the Rock en Seine festival near Paris on the same night where Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher engaged in a physical altercation resulting in the break up of the band As Oasis cancelled their headlining slot Madness even though having played earlier in the evening were asked to replace them They accepted the invitation and both of their sets during the festival were said to have been well received citation needed As in previous years the band embarked on a Christmas tour of the UK also playing one concert in Dublin playing at various medium sized venues Mark Bedford took a break from the band and was replaced by Graham Bush for the tour Some members of the band appeared in Catherine Tate s Nan s Christmas Carol They first posed as carol singers then played Baggy Trousers over the credits On 18 January 2010 Madness released a fourth single Forever Young from The Liberty of Norton Folgate The single failed to chart During an interview with RTE 2fm radio host Dave Fanning on 24 May 2010 drummer Daniel Woodgate stated that the members of the band were in the final stages of preparing songs for the follow up to The Liberty of Norton Folgate The band hoped to be able to start recording the album later on in 2010 53 In September 2010 Madness were awarded the Idol Award at the Q Awards in London Guitarist Chris Foreman stated in his acceptance speech that Madness were recording a new album Madness toured the UK throughout November and December 2010 with their final show at London s Earl s Court where they played a new song from their upcoming album However two concerts in Hull and Sheffield were cancelled due to heavy snowfall although they were later rescheduled for 5 and 6 February 2011 respectively 2011 2015 Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da edit In June 2011 the band performed at Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall curated by inspiration Ray Davies of the Kinks who also introduced the band on stage The concert served as the premiere of three new songs 1978 Can t Keep a Good Thing Down and Death of a Rude Boy nbsp Madness performing at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London nbsp Madness on stage at the Manchester Arena in 2014 The summer of 2012 saw two notable performances In June the band performed at the Queen s Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace The band performed Our House and It Must Be Love from the roof of the palace with accompanying animations projected onto the palace front In August the band was the first to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games Departed bassist Bedford rejoined the band for both performances 54 In August 2012 Madness released Death of a Rude Boy as a free teaser track from their new studio album Madness tenth studio album Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da was released on 29 October 2012 and entered the UK Albums Chart at no 10 55 In January 2013 the album re entered the chart at no 16 on the back of the airplay success of the single Never Knew Your Name From the start of 2013 Bedford increased his performances with the band building to his full time return to the group which meant a close to the four years Graham Bush had spent with the band 56 better source needed On 22 March 2013 the band performed outside the BBC Television Centre in a live broadcast for BBC Four This was followed by Goodbye Television Centre a celebration of 50 years of the television centre marking the closure of the building and the last show to be broadcast from it 57 Following that the band was the closing act to the new year celebration of 2014 in Dublin Ireland On 22 March 2014 Suggs confirmed that Madness were writing a new studio album which he stated the band plan to record in the summer and release by the end of 2014 58 In October 2014 Cathal Smyth aka Chas Smash left Madness to pursue a solo career His debut solo studio album A Comfortable Man was released on 11 May 2015 by Phoenix Rising Recording Co Although Smyth s departure was characterized at the time as a break to concentrate on his solo career and not necessarily a permanent departure Smyth has not rejoined Madness in the years since the break was announced Madness has continued as a six piece 2016 2022 Can t Touch Us Now edit The band announced their new studio album Can t Touch Us Now in May 2016 In support of the album the band played the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June 59 Lead single Mr Apples was accompanied by a scripted video first one since 2009 and A listed by BBC Radio 2 60 The song Herbert was released as a taster accompanied by an animation video 61 Further singles Can t Touch Us Now and Another Version of Me were also playlisted by BBC Radio 2 The album itself entered the UK Albums Chart at number 5 in November 2016 62 The band finished the year on a UK arena tour in December 63 Throughout 2017 the band played at several festivals and concerts worldwide including mainland Europe Asia and Australia In April their first Australian gig at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Western Australia sold out necessitating a second gig the following night In August the band hosted their own House of Common Festival for the second year on Clapham Common This was the band s only London gig of the year 64 In 2018 the band embarked on a summer tour of stately homes in the UK before a Christmas arena tour in December 65 66 Madness performed on New Year s Eve through to New Year s Day at Madness Rocks Big Ben Live The entire performance was shown on BBC One before and after that year s fireworks 67 In March 2019 Madness announced the release of their group autobiography Before We Was We Madness by Madness to be released on hardback that October 68 The book includes commentary from all seven members telling the story of their early days and childhoods up until their breakthrough as a group In May 2021 the book was adapted as a three part TV documentary on AMC with the first part free on BT s YouTube channel 69 The band celebrated 40 years since their debut studio album release with several special live appearances throughout 2019 The band performed at their own House of Common festival in August and held a special concert with a full orchestra at Kenwood House In November they played at Electric Ballroom in Camden forty years to the day since one of their first appearances there The performance was broadcast on Sky Arts in 2020 The band saw the year out with three concerts at The Roundhouse 70 In December 2019 the band released a new single Bullingdon Boys Don t Get Bullied by the Bully Boys The NME described the song as a barbed swipe at Boris Johnson and his Eton cohorts 71 In April 2021 following some special videos created during the COVID 19 pandemic Madness announced their first global live stream titled The Get Up to be held the next month It featured live music and comedy from the group and Charlie Higson pre recorded at the London Palladium 72 During the live stream the band was accompanied by Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals and Paul Weller of the Jam and had a cameo by Queen Elizabeth II played by Mike Barson 73 They announced their 2021 tour The Ladykillers Tour the next day to be held alongside Squeeze 74 2023 Theatre of the Absurd Presents C est la Vie edit In September 2023 the band announced their thirteenth studio album Theatre of the Absurd Presents C est la Vie which was released on 17 November 2023 It will be followed by a UK tour with the Lightning Seeds including stops in Liverpool Manchester London and more 75 The album was preceded by the singles C est La Vie and Baby Burglar A new video featured these two singles plus a performances of Round We Go It would become Madness first ever number one studio album in the UK 76 On December 11 a full version of the C est La Vie video was released Follow by Baby Burglar on January 23 2024 In February it was announced that Round We Go would be released as the official new single A full video was released on February 6 followed by a single edit on February 16 On February 23 the song was added to BBC Radio 2 s New Music Playlist 77 Spinoff acts editThe Fink Brothers edit The Fink Brothers were a short lived alter ego created by Madness members Suggs and Chas Smash working under the aliases Angel and Ratty Fink using characters from the science fiction comic 2000 AD 78 SingleYear Song s Album UK Notes1985 Mutants in Mega City One Non LP single 50 This was the only release by the Fink Brothers It consisted of two songs 79 The Madness edit nbsp A promotional photograph of the Madness L R Thompson Foreman Smash and SuggsThe Madness was a line up of Madness without bassist Mark Bedford drummer Daniel Woodgate and keyboardist Mike Barson active between 1988 and 1989 Formed by Suggs Chas Smash Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman in 1988 they distinguished this line up from the previous Madness line up only by adding the word The to the band s name The band had held a competition to find a new name on BBC Radio 1 They decided on The Wasp Factory after the Iain Banks novel of the same name but that name had already been taken by another band The album is notable for featuring guest performers including the Specials Jerry Dammers early Madness member John Hasler and Earl Falconer of UB40 It is also the first studio album produced by the band themselves under the alias The Three Eyes The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and many online discographies consider this band to be the same as Madness Several of the songs on the album 4BF Be Good Boy Gabriels Horn In Wonder were reworked songs from the cancelled 1986 Madness studio album and had been performed live or demoed in 1986 before the band broke up Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman also alluded to this view on their sole studio album Crunch 1990 which was dedicated to the good ship Madness and all who sailed in her 1979 to 1989 Studio album1988 The MadnessSinglesYear Song s Album UK Notes1988 I Pronounce You The Madness 44 The music video shows Thompson playing the flute 1988 What s That The Madness 92 The first single by Madness or any of its spin off bands not to make the top 75 The Nutty Boys edit The Nutty Boys were Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman of Madness The name The Nutty Boys was actually the name of their studio album while the new band was called Crunch The posters for their first concert mistakenly listed the band as The Nutty Boys instead of Crunch and the name stuck While the members of the band Madness were nicknamed The Nutty Boys as a whole this section lists only the work released by Thompson and Foreman under The Nutty Boys name in the early 1990s SingleYear Title UK Notes1992 It s OK I m a Policeman Issued as a four track EP and cassette single B Sides Fight Amongst Yourselves Birthday Girl and Magic Carpet Studio album1990 Crunch Crunch edit Crunch were also Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman At this point the band formally corrected the earlier mistake and officially adopted their original name of Crunch SingleYear Title UK Notes1996 Magic Carpet Crunch s lone single Received extremely limited commercial release B Sides Danger Zone Hereditary Magic Carpet live at the Half Moon Putney 80 Collaborations editMadness collaborated with Elvis Costello in 1983 on a version of their song Tomorrow s Just Another Day It was released as a bonus track to the 12 copy of the single In later years Barson stated that Costello s Watching the Detectives was the main influence on the song My Girl For Wonderful in 1999 Ian Dury laid down vocals on the track Drip Fed Fred which was released as the last single from the album It was Dury s last recording before his death Ill health prevented Dury from actively promoting the single although he did appear on the National Lottery Show for a later performance on TFI Friday the song was reworked to incorporate Phill Jupitus on vocals Live Madness have collaborated with artists including UB40 and Prince Buster notably at their first Madstock concert They have also played live frequently with members of the other 2 Tone bands including the Specials In May 2008 Suggs and Carl performed live with Pet Shop Boys at London s Heaven collaborating on a new arrangement of My Girl as part of a tribute evening to their former minder Dainton The Bear Connell called Can You Bear It 81 82 83 A few days afterwards Pet Shop Boys posted their own version of the track on their official website In late 2010 the band collaborated in the Cage Against the Machine project in which numerous artists performed John Cage s 4 33 for a charity single intended to prevent the winner of The X Factor claiming the Christmas Number 1 The title refers to the previous year s successful campaign to get Rage Against the Machine s Killing in the Name to chart above X Factor winner Joe McElderry Lyrical themes editFrequent themes in Madness songs included childhood memories e g Baggy Trousers and Our House and petty crime e g Shut Up and Deceives the Eye Although Madness were seen by some as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy bouncy songs 84 many of their songs took a darker tone such as the singles Grey Day and Tomorrow s Just Another Day and they sometimes tackled what were at the time controversial issues in their lyrics Embarrassment from the Absolutely album was written by Lee Thompson and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man s child 85 Madness discussed animal testing in the song Tomorrow s Dream 86 The band criticised the National Health Service NHS in Mrs Hutchinson which told the story of a woman who after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment became terminally ill The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson s mother 87 Madness final single prior to disbanding Waiting For The Ghost Train commented on apartheid in South Africa 31 Awards editThe band s first notable musical award came in 1983 when Chris Foreman and Cathal Smyth won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song for the international hit Our House 3 25 Madness received another Ivor Novello Award 17 years later for an Outstanding Song Collection 3 4 In 2005 they were awarded the Mojo Hall of Fame Award notably for being an artist s artist 88 In 2007 a campaign took place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit Award 89 Many fans and critics feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry 89 In July 2009 Madness were awarded the Silver Clef Icon Award In September 2010 Madness were awarded the Idol Award at the 2010 Q Awards in London Members editMembers of the classic line up are listed in bold Current members Chris Foreman guitar 1976 1986 1992 2005 2006 present Mike Barson keyboards piano percussion backing vocals 1976 1984 1992 present Lee Thompson saxophone percussion vocals 1976 1977 1978 1986 1992 present Graham Suggs McPherson vocals 1977 1978 1986 1992 present Dan Woodgate drums percussion 1978 1986 1992 present Mark Bedford bass 1978 1986 1992 2009 2012 2013 present Former members Cathal Chas Smash Smyth bass 1976 1977 vocals trumpet dancing 1979 1986 1992 2014 Touring members and regular guests Dick Cuthell French horn flugel horn cornet 1983 1985 live and studio 90 91 92 Nick Parker violin 1983 live 93 Jonathan Kahan violin 1983 live 93 Suzanne Rosenfeld viola 1983 live 93 Caroline Verney cello 1983 live 93 Paul Carrack keyboards 1984 live James Mackie keyboards 1984 live 94 Steve Nieve keyboards 1985 1988 live and studio 95 Terry Disley keyboards 1985 1986 live 96 Seamus Beaghan keyboards 1985 1986 2009 2012 2021 live and studio 96 97 98 Jimmy Helms backing vocals 1985 1986 live and studio 96 99 Jimmy Thomas backing vocals 1985 1986 live and studio 96 99 Lorenza Johnson backing vocals 1985 1986 live 96 99 Bosco De Oliveira percussion 1985 1986 live 96 99 Norman Watt Roy bass 1995 1996 live 100 101 Mike Kearsey trombone 1999 2004 2005 present live and studio 102 Terry Edwards saxophone trumpet 2003 live 102 Steve Turner saxophone 2003 2005 c 2016 live and studio 102 John Segs Jennings guitar 2005 live and studio 103 Kevin Burdett guitar 2005 2006 2013 live and studio 104 Graham Bush bass 2005 2009 2013 live and studio 56 Joe Auckland trumpet 2005 present live and studio 102 Steve Hamilton saxophone 2011 2012 c 2016 present live and studio 105 Paul Fisher trombone 2016 2017 live 106 Mez Clough percussion 2016 present live and studio 107 108 drums 2017 2021 live 109 110 Neil Waters trumpet 2017 2019 live 111 112 Paul Burton trombone 2019 live 112 Members of North London Invaders only band changed name to Madness in 1979 John Hasler drums 1976 1977 vocals 1976 1977 1977 1978 Dikran Tulaine vocals 1976 Gavin Rodgers bass 1977 1978 Garry Dovey drums 1977 1978 Timeline editDiscography editMain article Madness discography One Step Beyond 1979 Absolutely 1980 7 1981 The Rise amp Fall 1982 Keep Moving 1984 Mad Not Mad 1985 The Madness 1988 Wonderful 1999 The Dangermen Sessions Vol 1 2005 The Liberty of Norton Folgate 2009 Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da 2012 Can t Touch Us Now 2016 Theatre of the Absurd Presents C est la Vie 2023 Tours editTwo Tone Tour 1979 113 Absolutely Tour 1980 Seven Tour 1981 Complete Madness Tour 1982 Rise and Fall Tour 1983 Keep Moving Tour 1984 Mad Not Mad Tour 1985 Christmas Madness 1992 The Man in the Mad Suit 1993 Mad Dogs 1995 The Maddest Show on Earth 1999 Welcome to the Wonderful World of Madness 2003 To the Edge of the Universe amp Beyond 2006 On Board the Nutty Express 2007 The Liberty of Norton Folgate 2009 Do Not Adjust Your Nut 2010 House of Fun Weekender 2011 2021 Charge of the Mad Brigade 2012 Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da 2013 All for the M A D H E A D 2014 114 Grandslam Madness 2015 115 Can t Touch Us Now 2016 Stately Madness 2018 116 The Sound of Madness 2018 117 Madness XL 2018 2019 The Ladykillers Tour 2021 118 The Great European Roadtrip 2022 2023 C est La Vie 2023 119 References edit Erlewine Stephen Thomas Madness biography Retrieved on 19 June 2007 Rice 1990 p 286 a b c d Graham McPherson IMDb Retrieved 10 June 2007 a b Ivor Novello awards The winners BBC Retrieved on 19 June 2007 a b The Madness Timeline 1976 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 5 June 2007 a b The Madness Timeline 1977 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 5 June 2007 Dikran Tulaine IMDb Retrieved 3 October 2020 a b c d The Madness Timeline 1978 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 5 June 2007 The Lee Thompson Interview Reggae Steady Ska 7 May 2013 Retrieved 19 April 2014 a b c d e f g The Madness Timeline 1979 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved on 5 June 2007 Ferrier Morwenna 27 January 2009 Alo Conlon A tribute to a rock n roll pub landlord The Guardian Retrieved 1 September 2015 One Step Beyond Official Charts Companyrmation Official Charts Company Retrieved 30 July 2007 a b c d e f g h The Madness Timeline 1980 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 19 June 2007 Christgau Robert Madness album reviews Robertchristgau com Retrieved 1 August 2007 a b c Marcus Greil Absolutely review Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 19 June 2008 Retrieved 1 August 2007 Hall Duncan 24 March 2015 Madness still going One Step Beyond as they prepare for Sussex County Ground gig The Argus Retrieved 2 October 2015 a b c The Madness Timeline 1981 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 19 June 2007 Millar Robbi September 1979 Absolutely Sounds Magazine The full article was also included on the back cover of the Absolutely LP 2 Tone Records Artists 2 tone info Retrieved 19 June 2007 a b Madness Sony ATV The Madness Story Chapter 5 hilltop61 freeserve co uk Archived from the original on 15 December 2007 Retrieved 19 June 2007 Woodstra Chris The Rise amp Fall overview AllMusic Retrieved 2 August 2007 Mason Stewart Primrose Hill review AllMusic Retrieved 2 August 2007 Anglomania The Second British Invasion Rolling Stone Retrieved 29 April 2019 a b c The Madness Timeline 1983 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 19 June 2007 a b c The Madness Timeline 1984 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 19 June 2007 Puterbraugh Parke Keep Moving review Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 30 September 2007 Retrieved 1 August 2007 Interviews with James Mackie February 2006 November 2008 a b c Clayden Andy The Madness Story Chapter 6 hilltop61 freeserve co uk Archived from the original on 22 December 2007 Retrieved 6 June 2007 NME Writers All Time Albums Rocklistmusic co uk Retrieved 2 June 2007 a b c The Madness Timeline 1986 Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 5 June 2007 Cater Darryl The Madness biography AllMusic Retrieved 20 June 2007 Chart information for It Must Be Love 1992 Official Charts Company Retrieved 30 July 2007 Madness full Official Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved 27 September 2021 BBC Top of the Pops 2 Top 5 BBC Retrieved on 5 June 2007 BBC TOTP2 BBC Retrieved on 24 October 2008 Interviews Madness Suggs virtualfestivals com Archived from the original on 29 August 2008 Retrieved 23 October 2008 Retrieved on 23 October 2008 Radford Tim 22 October 2002 No great shakes The Guardian Retrieved 17 November 2014 Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report Health Protection Agency January 2008 p 13 Archived from the original on 16 March 2012 Retrieved 31 October 2011 The Harder They Come chart information Official Charts Company Retrieved 1 August 2007 Lovestruck chart information Official Charts Company Retrieved 1 August 2007 Johnny The Horse chart information Official Charts Company Retrieved 1 August 2007 Drip Fed Fred chart information Official Charts Company Retrieved 1 August 2007 Shenton Mark Our House with Suggs a first night review BBC Retrieved 20 June 2007 Laurence Olivier Awards Chronological list of winning musicals officiallondontheatre co uk Archived from the original on 12 August 2007 Retrieved 6 June 2007 Our House A Musical Love Story IMDb Retrieved 16 January 2020 a b Theatre Review The Guardian 13 April 1993 a b Alan Gilbey C V alangilbey com Retrieved 7 July 2007 a b Long Chris Interview with Suggs of Madness BBC 17 June 2004 Archived from the original on 19 March 2008 Retrieved 20 June 2007 Cohen Jonathan Madness Inks With V2 New Album In Works Billboard Retrieved 12 July 2007 Madness Shame amp Scandal Charts MusicSquare Archived from the original on 29 September 2007 Retrieved 1 August 2007 Perry Andrew 24 June 2009 Glastonbury 2009 Suggs interview The Telegraph Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 RTE 2fm Dave Fanning Interview with Woody of Madness 24 May 2010 MP3 RTE News Retrieved 26 May 2010 Garratt Sheryl 22 October 2012 Madness Suggs on 30 years as music s most dysfunctional family The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Madness uses Sgt Pepper artist The Daily Telegraph 12 September 2012 Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 13 September 2012 a b Graham Bush Bushers LinkedIn com Retrieved 19 April 2014 Madness perform Television Centre gig BBC News Retrieved 27 September 2014 Suggs writing new Madness album Music News Retrieved 19 April 2014 Linham Laura 25 June 2016 Glastonbury 2016 Madness bring the noise Somerset Live Retrieved 16 April 2019 Madness Mr Apples Discogs Retrieved 16 April 2019 Madness Herbert Discogs Retrieved 16 April 2019 Official Albums Chart Top 100 04 November 2016 10 November 2016 Official Charts Company Retrieved 16 April 2016 Stanley Rebecca 18 December 2016 Madness Barclaycard Arena Birmingham Review Express amp Star Retrieved 16 April 2019 Madness Setlist at Clapham Common London England Setlist fm Retrieved 16 April 2019 Larkin Paul 15 July 2018 REVIEW Madness Lightning Seeds The Tailormade Alnwick Castle Saturday July 14 Northumberland Gazette Retrieved 16 April 2019 Simpson Dave 7 December 2018 Madness review baggy bangers with a British pop institution The Guardian Retrieved 16 April 2019 New Year celebrations UK welcomes in 2019 BBC News 1 January 2019 Retrieved 16 April 2019 Before We Was We Madness co uk 8 March 2019 Retrieved 2 May 2021 Before We Was We Madness by Madness Madness co uk 11 March 2021 Retrieved 2 May 2021 Madness announce three intimate shows at London s Roundhouse this December Withguitars com Retrieved 3 October 2020 Madness take barbed swipe at Boris Johnson on first new song in three years NME 29 November 2019 Retrieved 8 December 2019 The Get Up Global Livestream Madness co uk 19 April 2021 Retrieved 2 May 2021 Madness takes entertainment to the next level with a one time live stream Maxazine 15 May 2021 Retrieved 15 May 2021 Madness amp Special Guests Squeeze The Ladykillers Tour 2021 Madness co uk 15 May 2021 Retrieved 15 May 2021 Madness Announce New Album Share Three Songs Stream consequence net 28 September 2023 https www officialcharts com chart news madness third uk number 1 album theatre of the absurd pts cest la vie https www bbc co uk programmes articles 2qNJsnjYFvbLrK9CZ0CfYfM radio 2 new music playlist Quantick David 1985 There s No Stoppin Two Mutants From Hoppin NME 2 February 1985 p 13 2000MAD Fink Brothers fan site 2000mad 20m com Archived from the original on 9 May 2008 Retrieved 29 January 2008 Official Crunch discography crunch uk com Archived from the original on 25 December 2007 Retrieved 22 June 2007 Pet Shop Madness Pet Shop Boys 23 April 2008 Retrieved 1 August 2022 Last Night Pet Shop Boys News Archive petshopboys co uk 3 May 2008 Retrieved 1 August 2022 Pet Shop Boys To Play With Madness Uncut 22 April 2008 Retrieved 1 August 2022 Woodstra Chris Absolutely overview AllMusic Retrieved 5 July 2007 Duffy Jonathan 24 November 2005 An embarrassment no more BBC News Retrieved 5 January 2010 Thompson Lee Tomorrow s Dream What s it all about Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 5 June 2007 Barson Mike Mrs Hutchinson What s it all about Madness co uk Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 5 June 2007 Mojo honours list for 2005 promo emapnetwork com Archived from the original on 21 June 2007 Retrieved 10 June 2007 a b Madness Brit Award campaign madnessbritaward co uk Archived from the original on 3 April 2008 Retrieved 10 June 2007 Reed John 2010 House of Fun The Story of Madness Omnibus Press p 278 ISBN 978 1 84772 619 3 22 02 84 The Sun amp the Rain Keep Moving Our House Michael Caine Rock Palace MadnessOnTV com 27 April 2017 Retrieved 14 December 2021 1984 February 22 Rock Palace US TV SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 a b c d 1983 SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 1984 April 9 SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 1985 February 28 Bull amp Gate London SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 a b c d e f 26 11 85 Burning the Boats Time The Whistle Test MadnessOnTV com 27 April 2017 Retrieved 14 December 2021 total madness Seamus Beaghan Total Madness Retrieved 14 December 2021 2021 November 19 22 House of Fun weekender SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 a b c d 1985 October 20 Chippenham Gold diggers SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 1995 December Rehearsals for Christmas tour SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 1996 June 30 Euro 96 Extravaganza Old Trafford Manchester SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 a b c d Memories New brass section make its debut SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 Memories June 28 The Scala Kings Cross SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 Memories June 11 High Lodge Thetford Forest SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 Stephen Hamilton ThePerfectMusicLibrary com Retrieved 14 December 2021 A bit of Summer Madness AmershamBand com 15 June 2016 Retrieved 14 December 2021 2016 SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 Mez Clough MezDrums com Retrieved 14 December 2021 2017 May 19 Wirral Live Tranmere Rovers stadium Birkenhead SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 2021 September 15 December 2 SevenRaggedMen com Retrieved 14 December 2021 Mad Mann s Night Baloise Session 31 October 2017 Retrieved 14 December 2021 a b Madness Before and After Retrieved 14 December 2021 via YouTube On the road with the trailblazing record label 2 Tone The Guardian 25 April 2021 Retrieved 27 September 2021 MADHEAD Madness co uk Retrieved 27 September 2014 Grandslam Madness Madheads Flock To Pastures Green Madness co uk Retrieved 2 October 2015 STATELY MADNESS Madness co uk 23 January 2018 Retrieved 27 September 2021 The Sound of Madness Madness co uk Retrieved 24 April 2018 Madness 2021 Ladykillers Tour Madness co uk Madness C est La Vie 2023 Tour with special guests Lightning Seeds Madness co uk Retrieved 21 April 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madness band Official website nbsp MIS Online fan based website since 1999 Guardian interview Madness at AllMusic Madness discography at Discogs nbsp Madness at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Madness band amp oldid 1210407475, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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