Suggs

The Madness frontman on the enduring appeal of their music and keeping things fresh after 40 years in the business

-  NICK REILLY

The Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'Est La Vie is your 13th album. How do you keep enjoying being in the studio when you've been doing it for so long?

Well, the whole thing has been great. It's been a very bizarre few years, to say the least. When Covid happened, we did nothing for about two and a half years, so just getting back in the room together was pure joy. It was fantastic.

What's the one thing that keeps bringing you together as a band?

It's what we've done all our lives, you know what I mean? Certainly, for me since I was 18 years old. I like to think of myself as a working-class person deep down, but really, I've been a pop star for 40-odd years. That's why it hit me so hard during Covid. I was singing at bus stops, and my wife thought I'd lost my mind. But when we're all in the room together, it's easy because they're all friends of mine. It means that the music is a byproduct of our friendship and that's what has always made it, I think.

You've said that the latest record reflects the times we're living in and please excuse the punthe madness of that.