Post by Admin on May 23, 2013 22:37:10 GMT
FROM ROYALTY TO THE RACECOURSE - MADNESS HEAD FOR CARLISLE
Published at 11:35, Wednesday, 22 May 2013
‘There was Harry out the back, having a fag. ‘Down with the kids, man’.”
Woody, second from left
Memories of a summer night spent on the roof of Buckingham Palace come racing to mind for Madness drummer Woody.
His band provided the high point of the Queen’s Jubilee Concert.
But they’re national treasures now. Up there with Bruce Forsyth, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley. Much-loved celebrities.
Their place as the nation’s favourite band was cemented last year when they followed up their Diamond Jubilee performance by taking a starring role in the Olympics closing ceremony.
Madness have come a long way from being the silly band with a funny dance and a worrying fanbase of violent skinheads.
“I don’t mind being a national treasure,” says Woody.
He reckons the only reason for the rooftop coup was thanks to the egos of the two biggest stars of the night – Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney.
“They needed a distraction from a massive change over between Elton John and Paul McCartney,” explains Woody (Daniel Woodgate to his dad).
“They both wanted their own grand pianos and the organisers had a logistical nightmare, so it was a case of ‘don’t look at that, look over there!’.
“But I remember Brian May being up there 10 years before and that was an iconic image and we all thought, ‘well it’s quite a privilege really’.
“However anyone performed down there, you couldn’t really top playing on the roof.”
The chirpy chappies with the cheeky attitude were amazed by the attitude of the Palace staff and the royals themselves.
“We met some lovely people, honest to goodness, some of the staff are lovely people, and Queenie and Charles and his missus and the kids are great – there was Harry out the back, having a fag.
“You know what, I’ve got a bit more respect for them now,” says Woody.
The band heard about the Jubilee appearance first, then that they would help close the Olympics.
Cue another row: “There was this ridiculous battle between the Olympics and Gary Barlow about who was going to get Our House. They both wanted us to play it and in the end we played it at both.
“We thought it was incredible that we had been asked to play because we had always been snubbed by the music industry for years and years and now we’ve become treasures and we’re being treated like royalty in our own right.
“They were both wonderful experiences, I can’t separate them really, they were both just so memorable.”
The band have come a long way since they achieved massive success in the early Eighties with 15 top 10 UK hits include House of Fun, Embarrassment, One Step Beyond, Grey Day, Our House, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love.
They sold more than six million singles but couldn’t maintain the pace or quality of producing news songs and imploded, finally splitting in 1986.
They reformed six years later in the wake of the massive success of their greatest hits album Divine Madness and sold 70,000 tickets for their two reunion gigs at Madstock! in London.
Since then, they have appeared at festivals and released three albums, including critically-acclaimed The Liberty of Norton Folgate in 2009.
Woody is grateful to get such success second time around: “We had years in the wilderness, but at the same time, we also grew to appreciate the band for what it is.”
Their songs combine lyrics that are clever, funny and sometimes dark observations on daily life and society with a ridiculously catchy tune, or one so clever that you have to listen again and again.
A mix of The Kinks, a fairground and old time music hall.
The ‘Nutty Boys’ play live at Carlisle Racecourse this summer – a delayed appearance after last year’s was washed away by the weather.
“We’ve done a few racecourse appearances, they are really fantastic, brilliant gigs,” he says.
“I’m not a racegoer, but there is a lovely, buzzy atmosphere.
“We can’t lose because if people have had a miserable day and have lost, then they want cheering up and if people are happy because they’ve won and had a good time, then we just carry on and have a party. It’s a ready-made, happy audience.”
It’s hard not to dance and sing along when Madness play. Their music has been part of the soundtrack to so many lives.
He admits he still finds it hard to see why his band have been so popular and still endure, 35 years after getting together.
“Madness are a funny old thing, I know I’m in the band, but I’m not sure I would be a Madness fan.
“Now I’m writing and producing music for a new album with my brother Nick (as The Magic Brothers), I’m now beginning to appreciate what the band is.
“I appreciate the fact that we are bloody good at what we do, and what we do, nobody else does – observe their surroundings and put it into lyrics and a musical form that people can enjoy, but you can go deeper and get something else out of it.”
He lists the tracks It Must Be Love, Our House and The Liberty of Norton Folgate as his favourites.
“That nine minute track (Norton Folgate) is a wonderful piece of music, you can get lost in it, you can go on a journey.
“Childish though we may be at times, there is this wit and intelligence as well.”
Back in the early days, the band started with a reputation for violence as mobs of skinheads showed up at their gigs looking for a fight.
It was alarming to Woody and others: “It was a shock to my system.
“I was a middle class chap from Camden. I didn’t know that world at all.
“It was the association with the music. God knows why.
“There was a massive movement at the time for transporting football violence into gigs.
“It was horrible, but it was what it was.”
As they became more successful, the skinheads drifted away.
Now the band are national treasures who are invited to play at historic set-piece events.
As Woody says: “We now play to all age groups, all cultures, all backgrounds and wow, that is something special isn’t it?”
The last time they were due to appear at Carlisle racecourse, the gig and the racing were called off due to torrential rain.
They are due to play after racing at the Stobart Summer Festival on Saturday, July 6.
The drummer says he’ll travel prepared this time: “I’ll bring me wetsuit!”
Tickets for the Carlisle Racecourse event, priced £25 for adults, are now on sale at www.carlisle-races.co.uk and on 0844 579 3002.
Jim
Published at 11:35, Wednesday, 22 May 2013
‘There was Harry out the back, having a fag. ‘Down with the kids, man’.”
Woody, second from left
Memories of a summer night spent on the roof of Buckingham Palace come racing to mind for Madness drummer Woody.
His band provided the high point of the Queen’s Jubilee Concert.
But they’re national treasures now. Up there with Bruce Forsyth, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley. Much-loved celebrities.
Their place as the nation’s favourite band was cemented last year when they followed up their Diamond Jubilee performance by taking a starring role in the Olympics closing ceremony.
Madness have come a long way from being the silly band with a funny dance and a worrying fanbase of violent skinheads.
“I don’t mind being a national treasure,” says Woody.
He reckons the only reason for the rooftop coup was thanks to the egos of the two biggest stars of the night – Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney.
“They needed a distraction from a massive change over between Elton John and Paul McCartney,” explains Woody (Daniel Woodgate to his dad).
“They both wanted their own grand pianos and the organisers had a logistical nightmare, so it was a case of ‘don’t look at that, look over there!’.
“But I remember Brian May being up there 10 years before and that was an iconic image and we all thought, ‘well it’s quite a privilege really’.
“However anyone performed down there, you couldn’t really top playing on the roof.”
The chirpy chappies with the cheeky attitude were amazed by the attitude of the Palace staff and the royals themselves.
“We met some lovely people, honest to goodness, some of the staff are lovely people, and Queenie and Charles and his missus and the kids are great – there was Harry out the back, having a fag.
“You know what, I’ve got a bit more respect for them now,” says Woody.
The band heard about the Jubilee appearance first, then that they would help close the Olympics.
Cue another row: “There was this ridiculous battle between the Olympics and Gary Barlow about who was going to get Our House. They both wanted us to play it and in the end we played it at both.
“We thought it was incredible that we had been asked to play because we had always been snubbed by the music industry for years and years and now we’ve become treasures and we’re being treated like royalty in our own right.
“They were both wonderful experiences, I can’t separate them really, they were both just so memorable.”
The band have come a long way since they achieved massive success in the early Eighties with 15 top 10 UK hits include House of Fun, Embarrassment, One Step Beyond, Grey Day, Our House, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love.
They sold more than six million singles but couldn’t maintain the pace or quality of producing news songs and imploded, finally splitting in 1986.
They reformed six years later in the wake of the massive success of their greatest hits album Divine Madness and sold 70,000 tickets for their two reunion gigs at Madstock! in London.
Since then, they have appeared at festivals and released three albums, including critically-acclaimed The Liberty of Norton Folgate in 2009.
Woody is grateful to get such success second time around: “We had years in the wilderness, but at the same time, we also grew to appreciate the band for what it is.”
Their songs combine lyrics that are clever, funny and sometimes dark observations on daily life and society with a ridiculously catchy tune, or one so clever that you have to listen again and again.
A mix of The Kinks, a fairground and old time music hall.
The ‘Nutty Boys’ play live at Carlisle Racecourse this summer – a delayed appearance after last year’s was washed away by the weather.
“We’ve done a few racecourse appearances, they are really fantastic, brilliant gigs,” he says.
“I’m not a racegoer, but there is a lovely, buzzy atmosphere.
“We can’t lose because if people have had a miserable day and have lost, then they want cheering up and if people are happy because they’ve won and had a good time, then we just carry on and have a party. It’s a ready-made, happy audience.”
It’s hard not to dance and sing along when Madness play. Their music has been part of the soundtrack to so many lives.
He admits he still finds it hard to see why his band have been so popular and still endure, 35 years after getting together.
“Madness are a funny old thing, I know I’m in the band, but I’m not sure I would be a Madness fan.
“Now I’m writing and producing music for a new album with my brother Nick (as The Magic Brothers), I’m now beginning to appreciate what the band is.
“I appreciate the fact that we are bloody good at what we do, and what we do, nobody else does – observe their surroundings and put it into lyrics and a musical form that people can enjoy, but you can go deeper and get something else out of it.”
He lists the tracks It Must Be Love, Our House and The Liberty of Norton Folgate as his favourites.
“That nine minute track (Norton Folgate) is a wonderful piece of music, you can get lost in it, you can go on a journey.
“Childish though we may be at times, there is this wit and intelligence as well.”
Back in the early days, the band started with a reputation for violence as mobs of skinheads showed up at their gigs looking for a fight.
It was alarming to Woody and others: “It was a shock to my system.
“I was a middle class chap from Camden. I didn’t know that world at all.
“It was the association with the music. God knows why.
“There was a massive movement at the time for transporting football violence into gigs.
“It was horrible, but it was what it was.”
As they became more successful, the skinheads drifted away.
Now the band are national treasures who are invited to play at historic set-piece events.
As Woody says: “We now play to all age groups, all cultures, all backgrounds and wow, that is something special isn’t it?”
The last time they were due to appear at Carlisle racecourse, the gig and the racing were called off due to torrential rain.
They are due to play after racing at the Stobart Summer Festival on Saturday, July 6.
The drummer says he’ll travel prepared this time: “I’ll bring me wetsuit!”
Tickets for the Carlisle Racecourse event, priced £25 for adults, are now on sale at www.carlisle-races.co.uk and on 0844 579 3002.
Jim
