pre-Guilfest Interview

Guilfest this year is going nutty and the reason, Madness are headlining! We managed to grab a moment with Woody the band’s drummer and one of the founder members to ask him a few festival inspired questions!

What made you decide to do the Madness sound and what influenced you?

It was really what most of the band were listening to. Most of the band were listening to all kinds of stuff to be honest they would collect obscure records, and a lot of them were old Blue Beat records with Prince Buster on, Skatalites ... just loads, loads of obscure stuff most of which I hadn't heard of until I met the band members back in the late seventies and they opened my eyes up to it. It was kind of exciting it was really good stuff.

But it wasn't just ska music we listened to everything. We were influenced by Roxy Music, The Kinks and stuff from Motown. We all had quite eclectic tastes. So, I suppose we just kind of liked the offbeat rhythms of the ska and other jaunty rhythms of Motown and Ian Dury and we just mished it all up really.

Apart from Madstock you haven't done an awful lot of festivals have you? Or am I wrong?

We do in Europe, yeah, we did Benicassim, we've done a couple in Portugal, North of France, Spain yeah no we get around. Yeah, but we're not some kind of stadium rock band or anything like that, really are we? But we are starting to get about. We're getting out more and more. We did one in Argentina last year that was really, really good - in Bueno Aries.

Have you ever been to a festival as a punter?

Well no, only when I was a nipper and I went to see the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park. That's about it really I don't really like big crowd scenes personally. We did Glastonbury years and years and years ago and I just thought, "Thank god I'm in the luxurious comfort of backstage!" Cos tents and things, nah, I don't do any of that stuff, not really, really not me, no. Give me a hotel any day.

So are there any festivals on your tour this year you are particularly forward to?

Well, yeah there are a couple. I'm looking forward to 'em all. There's some that officially we're not allowed to say we're playing. But I'm looking forward to Guilfest. Tell you what, Guilfest is fantastic I have to say. Glastonbury - we're playing a little festival attached to Glastonbury (Lost Vagueness) and that's going to be really fantastic, apparently there's a really brilliant atmosphere there. So, that we're looking forward to - never having done that before. There is talk, there's a rumour, only a rumour that we'll possibly we might play with the Marleys the next day before we leave for Liverpool. I hope I don't get anybody into trouble by mentioning it. It might just all go horribly wrong now.

Do any of the band have kids and do they come with you?

Yeah, we all do. We've all got kids and they all come along with us. Normally we let them all have a big dance and a jig at the end. They all come charging out and join us on stage for ‘Nightboat to Cairo’ and have a good dance. It's been getting bigger and bigger every year. A lot of people don't realise that all the people who join us on stage are related to us at the end are kids and friends and family. They do come along and they do have a great time all the time.

My family's really looking forward to seeing you at Guilfest as we're huge fans!

I like Guilfest. Ah, now actually we've played Guilfest before. I like it. And I tell you what, now, that is a festival I've been to before on my own, which I really quite enjoyed. I liked all the tents and stalls, especially the stalls around the site, it's not as crowded as Glastonbury.

But you wouldn't be camping then?

Ha, no I don't do tents. I'm going to see if i can get a small hotel erected. I'm only joking. It would be great if they did a blow up hotel wouldn't it? (It Would!) That would be fantastic, I think I'm going to invent one, with running water, running hot water and electricity.

So who of the bands on the bill are you looking forward to seeing?

Well, everyone really. This festival in Liverpool (Knowsley Hall) and that's got Keane, The Zutons and er, Joss Stone. Well, I prefer the Zutons. They're great. I like the Zutons we played with them at the Fuji Festival last year. They're all really nice people "Ey Great, Calm down, Ey, You know what I mean!" and I do like their music, fantastic.

Isn’t Fuji the one in Japan? What was that like?

It was amazing! We met Franz Ferdinand, and there were bands like Jet there. It was just great, all these great British bands, well I don't know if they are all British but there was a great camaraderie and everyone just hanging out. They would say I'm off to do a gig and go off for a bit, then come back and have a few more drinks and a bit of a laugh. The atmosphere was great, incredible. The Japanese love their music, they really do and they go absolutely potty. Madness do go down very, very well there. We do fantastic there.

If you could pick any band from any point in history as the band on before/after Madness who would you pick?

Oo that's a really tough question. Oh my goodness! Err, well I mean I can only say the one band that always complimented Madness and were absolutely fantastic were Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Brilliant outstanding musicians. We had problems with getting it right with support acts and stuff, because people were very loyal to us. And sometimes the crowds didn't always treat the very good support acts with the same respect as us, but anyone who loved Madness always loved and adored Ian.

Another suitable band I always liked were the three chaps, brain's gone what's their name? I'm getting senile in my old age. Their name is like Head. Give me a band with head or radio? (not Radiohead) Gaz lead singer with sideburns. (Supergrass) Thank you, not head or radio but there you go, I love them, they wrote some really cracking good songs and lovely people too. That makes the whole thing nice.

You're playing Guilfest with them they're on the bill too!

Are they? Oh fantastic, really nice blokes, collectively as a band Madness love Supergrass. Big fans of theirs, massive. If you see them tell them I can never remember their name.

We were recently treated to the new single 'I'm Sorry' does this mean there's more on the way soon?

There will be, but it won't be in that style, 'I'm Sorry' was a kind of one off. But we're in the studio doing a new album, we have recorded half an album. The problem we've got is we've written too many songs. For the second half of the album we've got 18 songs, we have to whittle that down a little.

Will we hear any of the new songs live?

Well you might hear ‘Sorry’ and you might hear 'NW5' which is brand new that we do and was released as a single in Germany as it's attached to a film there. So yes, you are going to hear some new songs.

What's your favourite Madness song you put down first on the set list?

Well 'One Step Beyond' is always the first one down as it's always first in the set. There's one song that always gets everyone going that'll even melt the biggest hardest skinhead into a puddle. I mean when you see great big burly men hugging each other and singing 'Must Be Love' you know what I mean, it's always pathetic but lovely really.

What do you think of the music scene today? Is Madness holding a banner for ska?

I don't think Madness are holding up the banner for ska particularly. I would say there's some up and coming bands which are influenced by ska which is very refreshing. I would say there's a re-emergence of live music that I'm relieved about and thank god for the internet and the Arctic Monkeys as well.

You're fans of Arctic Monkeys then?

I am personally, they write very eloquently what's going on in the world today and it's beautifully written. They remind me of Ian Dury who spoke clearly and precisely about things around him and very witty at times. And I know Suggs cites him as one of his influences. Like the Kinks writing about characters and people around them.

And they aren't cleaning their music up. These days the studio can clean things up, pull drums in time and remove that bum note but theirs (Arctic Monkeys’ music) is fresh and it’s refreshing to see they aren't doing that.

Lastly, who would you like Madness to collaborate with?

Well I have to say for myself Brian Eno, and some of the band liked Roxy Music. But personally I would love to work with Brian Eno and I love what he’s done and his weird and wacky world.

Thanks for that Woody - we'll see you at Guilfest!

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