“I’ve never been so cold in my life:” Madness frontman on returning to Edinburgh

It’s never easy to predict the Scottish weather. But Suggs is confident his band’s forthcoming gig at Princes Street Gardens will be warmer than their last visit there.

Madness were part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations at the same venue and the frontman has only recently thawed out.

“I’ve never been so cold in my life,” he laughed.

“My abiding memory is being told not to swear, because we were live on the BBC, and it’s the first thing I did when I walked out on stage because it was so freezing.

“I remember when we got to our hotel. There was a bagpipe player and all these people staying there who were visiting from around the world to experience New Year in Edinburgh.

“It started snowing and it couldn’t have been any more perfect.

“We then availed ourselves of the hospitality afterwards.

“You can’t beat New Year’s Eve in Scotland.”

Madness are a go-to band for New Year celebrations, but their party sound is also called upon when society needs a pick-me-up. “In times of austerity, that’s when we seem to be on the rise,” he continued.

“I hate the idea, but it is a strange phenomenon.

“You look back at 1979 and Thatcher and the ‘no such thing as society’ talk, and then in the 1980s when they were picking on poor people.

“We set about trying to cheer people up.

“We were pigeon-holed as a happy-go-lucky novelty band, but we wrote songs to help people. We weren’t performing idiots.

“It brings you back down to earth when you hear from people who have been helped by your music or that it changed their attitudes to life.

“We all grew up with nothing, so it’s a great privilege.

“We try to write about the struggles of everyday life in a light-hearted way, but the songs, tunes like Embarrassment and My Girl, aren’t a joke.”

Times might be difficult again in Britain, but Suggs remains upbeat.

“This country goes up and down through lots of different times, but I’m optimistic and my kids feel the same,” he said. Suggs – real name Graham McPherson – never thought he would still be on stage singing Madness songs at the age of 58.

“I found a photo of us recently with The Specials and The Selecter on a beach in Brighton for our drummer’s 18th birthday,” he continued.

“We were kids and none of us could foresee we would still be doing this 40 years later.

“I did an interview with Neil Tennant back when he was a journalist for Smash Hits magazine and I said I wouldn’t be singing Baggy Trousers as a 30-year-old. I was 20 then.

“Time flies.”

Suggs still fondly remembers a gig the band played along the other end of the M8 during the 1980s.

“We were playing the Barrowland and I had my sheepskin coat stolen from The Saracen Head pub,” he said.

“I remember my mate got a car from somewhere, it had no doors on it, and we drove around Glasgow.

“It was pouring with rain and all these kids were standing outside the venue, their T-shirts getting soaked.

“So we decided to let them in early and do a matinee show for them.

“I remember all these special times, of course I do.”

Madness, Summer Sessions, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, August 18