Welcome to their house of fun – Madness’ tour
One of the biggest and best loved British bands Madness have announce their C’est La Vie’ summer tour which includes a Yorkshire date. Madness said: "Would you Adam and Eve it?! It only took us 40 years to get there but we've just gone and scored our first number one album with Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C'est La Vie and we thought, what better way to celebrate than to announce a summer tour?"
It comes to Kirstall Abbey, near Leeds on Friday July 26. Before that the band is at Leeds Arena this Friday, December 8.
As well as performing tracks from the new album, Madness will also perform some of their greatest hits from a career spanning more than 40 years.
The new album comes seven years after the release of their last record and is available on double vinyl and CD with a limited crystal clear vinyl sold through HMV and indie stores.
The governing principle behind it is: “let Madness be Madness”.
The result is an album of typically timeless brilliance that also reflects the wonky years of its creation, these 14 songs representing the cream of the bumper crop of tunes the group cooked up, whittled down this punchy, focused set.
There are moments of ineffably catchy pop excellence – drummer Daniel ‘Woody’ Woodgate’s beguiling, bittersweet carousel Round We Go, Chrissy-Boy’s anarchic anthem to perhaps-justified paranoia, Run For Your Life, the lead single from the album ‘C'est La Vie’ reflects on the perils of everyday life while the album is bookended by two of Suggs’ finest compositions.
Talking about the album, Madness said: "Well, well, well, here we are.. Our 13th album (lucky for some) Theatre Of the Absurd Presents C’Est La Vie is ready for your ears.
"For us, recording it was the perfect antidote to the chaos of the past few years – we were all there, properly in the zone.
"It was just us, in an industrial unit in Cricklewood, playing together. We loved it.”
A prologue running through the album is supplied by Emmy and BAFTA Awards winning actor Martin Freeman.
A longtime fan, the relationship formed with the band when Madness’ manager found Martin in a meet and greet queue and introduced him to the members.
Madness famously emerged from the backstreets of Camden Town in the late 70s and recently released a three-part original docu-series with TV channel AMC about the beginnings of the band in the area. Before We Was We: Madness by Madness, chronicles the rise of one of the most loved bands in British culture.
Madness have had one UK Official Charts number one album, 10 UK top ten albums, 15 top ten singles and have won a multitude of awards including an Ivor Novello.
They’ve performed on the top of Buckingham Palace. as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and set the record for the biggest ever audience for the BBC’s Live New Year’s Eve broadcast.