The 69 year-old founding member of Madness announced the new on Facebook last Friday (August 29), as he shared that he was optimistic about the future and plans to return to the stage next year.

On the Facebook post, Foreman described what led to the diagnoses and seemed in positive spirits. The statement started with Foreman explaining how upper back pain led to an MRI scan: “Earlier this year I had severe pain in my upper back and shoulders. On the 28th of June we played a show in France and it had become unbearable. I had an MRI scan at the end of June and they found a tumour on my spine.”

He continued: “On the 4th of July I went to the Royal Sussex and had all sorts of stuff done to me, I had radiotherapy which blasted it and stopped the pain. I actually had a Spinal Tap too – tock n roll!”

He later went into more detail about the illness and when he expects to be back on stage with his band mates: “What I’ve got is a form of cancer called myeloma. It’s treatable but not curable. When I get it into remission (I will!) I should be able to get back to normal life. Some people have had this for 20 years or more. I have a long way to go before I get back onstage but I am aim to be back next year.

“One of the worst side effects is that I can’t drink alcohol but I’ve mastered a non alcoholic Margarita and those zero alcohol beers ain’t too bad these days.”

Madness announced a 2025 UK ‘Hits Parade’ tour earlier this year which kicks off in Sheffield on December 4. Although the tour will go ahead as planned, Foreman revealed that he will not be participating in it as he joked: “They’ve worked really hard and the shows looked great, I don’t know how they did it without me, to be fair.”

The ‘Baggy Trousers’ icons will head to Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Birmingham and more before ending the tour with a homecoming show at London’s The 02 on December 20.

You can find any remaining tickets for Madness’ December tour here.

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    The Eden Sessions are a set of outdoor concerts held at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The concerts are held in high regard as one of the best places to see live music, with the Evening Standard saying “The nearest you can get to watching a gig on the moon.” The Eden Project, where the concerts are held, opened in March 2001. In the year following, August 2002, the first Eden Sessions took place with Pulp headlining the first show, and big name artists such as Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Kylie, Elton John, and more headlining over the years.         

 

 

 

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Madness are a ska and pop band formed in Camden Town, London in 1976. Current active members include Chris Foreman, Mike Barson, Lee Thompson, Graham “Suggs” McPherson, Dan Woodgate and Mark Bedford, with five past members Cathal “Chas Smash” Smyth, John Hastler, Dikran Tulaine, Gavin Rodgers and Garry Dovey. Their first release “The Prince”, a homage to their idol Prince Buster, was a hit on the UK charts, reaching number 16 despite their rookie status. Their most well-known song is the 1982 track “House of Fun, ” their only UK number-one single. Their most recent album “Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est la Vie” also took the number one spot on the UK albums chart.

Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter and member of the well-known band Take That. Born in 1971 in Cheshire, he became lead singer in Take That in 1989. He wrote many of the group’s songs, including Take That’s first UK charts number-one single “Pray”. He embarked on a solo career in 1996 and is also active in the band with members Howard Donald and Mark Owen (previous members include Robbie Williams and Jason Orange). Barlow’s most recent music release is the 2023 album “This Life” with Take That, which peaked at number one on the UK albums chart.

The Script are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 2001. The current members are Danny O’Donoghue, Glen Power, Benjamin Sargeant and Ben Weaver, with only one past member Mark Sheehan who passed away last year. After signing to record label Sony Label Group, they began working in London and released their debut album “The Script” in 2008 – the album reached number one in the UK charts. They are known for mainstream hits “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Hall of Fame”. Their most recent release is the album “Satellites” which peaked at number two on the official album charts.

Madness last performed at the Eden Project in 2017 and it’s no surprise that they have been invited to perform again off the back of their recent chart success. The managing director of the Eden Sessions, Rita Broe, expressed her excitement in a comment, “We can’t wait to see what the band have in store for us this time around.”  

The dates each artist is set to perform can be found below. 

Gary Barlow

18/06/2025 – Eden Project – Cornwall 

The Script plus Tom Walker 

25/06 – Eden Project – Cornwall 

Madness 

12/07 – Eden Project – Cornwall

More information can be found on the Eden Sessions website, and ticketing information can be found here. 

The first concert, titled Madness at the Manor, is scheduled for 13 July at Tofte Manor in Bedfordshire. Billed as an intimate performance at a historic venue, the band told of their excitement about playing the venue through their promoter’s Instagram, saying: “We didn’t think there were any houses, county estates or fields we hadn’t played at”.

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The band will go on to perform at Dreamland in Margate on 2 August as part of the Margate Summer Series and at Castle Park, Colchester, on 23 August as part of the Colchester Castle Summer Series. Tickets for Margate and Colchester will go on general sale at 9am on 29 November here. Pre-sale tickets for the Tofte Manor show will be available at 12pm on 29 November here, with any remaining tickets offered in a general sale on 2 December at 12pm.

Outdoor summer shows have become a specialty of the band in recent years, with highlights from the past year including stops at Cardiff Castle, Galway Airport, and Scarborough Open Air Theatre. This year also marked a significant milestone for the band, as their 13th studio album, Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie, became their first to reach number one on the UK Official Albums Chart. An enhanced edition of the album was released in June.

Retropop magazine praised the album, saying “its lead single and title song harks back to the ska sound that popularised the band some 40-odd years ago while perfectly capturing the essence of Madness in its examination of the perils of everyday life”, and noting that the release was the band’s “most pop-oriented in years”.

Emerging from the two-tone craze of the late 70s and early 80s, the Camden Town ensemble rose to fame with their urban British spin given to Caribbean rock-steady and early ska. Early hits like ‘One Step Beyond’ and ‘Nightboat to Cairo’ show the band in their element covering or borrowing heavily from these genres’ classics, and propelled the band to be London’s answer to the burgeoning Coventry ska and two-tone scene, alongside the likes of Bad Manners. The band later pivoted to a more pop-based sound into the 1980s but never drifted far from their themes of working class London life, delivered with trademark humour and a taste for pastiche.

In 2019, Tramlines was acquired by festival promotion giant Superstruct Entertainment. Superstruct, after an acquisition spree that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now the world’s second largest festival promoter. According to IQ magazine, the company currently owns 85 festivals across Europe and Australia, including the UK’s Boardmasters, Bluedot, and Truck festivals. Under the control of Superstruct Entertainment, Tramlines festival has been consistently securing big names in the UK’s alt scene. Announced today, Tramlines’ line up for 2024 continues this trend.

Headliners include Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini, English singer Jamie T, and Dundee alt-rock band, Snow Patrol, who will be playing on Friday 26th, Saturday 27th, and Sunday the 28th of July respectively. This is not the first time that the two Scottish acts have performed at the same event as both played at Hyde Park’s BT London Live, an event that promoted the opening of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Brighton indie rock band The Magic Gang, who have recently announced their decision to part ways, are on the festival’s bill. For those unable to attend the band’s farewell UK tour in May, Tramlines festival will be one of the last places that the group will be performing.

As well as acts at the end of their lifespan, acts who have recently found a new lease on life will be attending Hillsborough Park. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who has recently shot back up into stardom with the resurgence of her 2001 hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, will be playing in Hillsborough Park on Friday the 26th. As well as newfound fame, Tramlines will likely be hosting some newly released music. Off the back of their soon-to-be-released EP, Fantasies, London’s Bombay Bicycle Club will be performing at Tramlines. Since Fantasies is set to release on the 23rd of February, there is a chance that those at the festival will be some of the first to hear a live rendition of the upcoming EP.

With 25,000 people already signed up to the festival’s pre-sale list, tickets are sure to sell out fast. Presale tickets for Tramlines go live tomorrow at 12pm, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here. Weekend tickets will be available for £130, and day tickets will cost £45. Although it is likely that there will be some tickets available after the pre-sale, prices before and after the pre-sale period may be subject to change. Additionally, Tramlines does not offer on-site camping, meaning that accommodation for those from outside Sheffield will have to be organised separately.

Taking to social media, Madness revealed their official album artwork alongside the caption:

“‘Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie’, our new album, available to pre-order/pre-save now […] Featuring no less than 14 songs (and some other surprises!), it comes out on 17th November. […] Meanwhile, this Thursday, you’ll be able to hear 3 tracks from the album on all the usual streaming services!”

The news comes in tandem with brand-new lead single “C’est La Vie”, which the legendary group recently teased in a video featuring Dame Helen Mirren. In an unlikely collaboration, the Oscar-winning actress delivers her own spoken-word interpretation of the song, reading the lyrics directly into the camera.

Watch Helen Mirren’s dramatic reading below:

“C’est La Vie” provides a taster of what is to come, treating fans to the classic quirky sound that shot Madness to stardom in the 1980s, when they enjoyed a prolific run of hits including “Our House” and “Baggy Trousers”. Emerging from their seven-year studio hiatus rejuvenated, and with a fresh bounce in their step, the group reflects on the struggles of everyday life over surfy guitar riffs and a gnarly horn section.

Listen to “C’est La Vie” below:

In their press statement, 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!”

Another unexpected collaboration comes in the form of Emmy and BAFTA Awards winning actor Martin Freeman, who contributed a special prologue to the new album. His longstanding admiration for Madness led to their partnership when the band’s manager recognised Freeman in a meet and greet queue and introduced him to the members.

Madness take their new record on the road in November and December for their previously-announced C’est La Vie UK tour, with support from The Lightning Seeds.

See below for dates:

30/11/2023 – P&J Live – Aberdeen
01/12 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
02/12 – Utility Arena – Newcastle
04/12 – Utility Arena – Cardiff
05/12 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
07/12 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
08/12 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
09/12 – AO Arena – Manchester
11/12 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
12/12 – International Centre – Bournemouth
14/12 – Utility Arena – Sheffield
15/12 – O2 Arena – London
16/12 – Utility Arena – Birmingham

Get tickets here.

Pre-order Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie here.

The announcement comes in a recent Twitter post that also contains a teaser about some possible new material being on the way, with the post claiming, “We’ll be out of the studio and back on the road at the end of 2023 with some new tricks up our sleeves…“.

We’ll be out of the studio and back on the road at the end of 2023 with some new tricks up our sleeves…
The “C’est La Vie” tour is coming to a stage near you.
Register for early access to tickets at https://t.co/2Ml0E0cCdv pic.twitter.com/LOvUz6kCh1

— Madness (@MadnessNews) April 21, 2023

This teasing message will be sure to make fans of the London based ska icons salivate at the possibility of new studio recordings, with their last studio album being released eight years ago (Can’t Touch Us Now in 2015), and their latest single produced in 2019 (“Bullingdon Boys (Don’t Get Bullied by the Bully boys“)).

The band was formed in 1976 in Camden Town, London, as The North London Invaders, changing their name several times before finally landing on Madness in 1979, a homage to Jamaican ska and rocksteady musician Prince Buster and a single he produced with the same name.

Their first single, “The Prince“, released in 1979 on 2 Tone Records, was also inspired by their ska predecessor, and achieved fair success, reaching number 16 in the UK Single Charts and, more importantly, paving the way for the band to become one of the most prominent groups of the two-tone ska revival in Britain, alongside the likes of the Selecter and the Specials.

Watch the music video for “One Step Beyond” below:

The single was followed by the release of their debut album, One Step Beyond, to widespread critical acclaim, reaching number two in the UK Album Charts, and contained a cover of a song of the same name by Prince Buster. The following year the group released their second album, Absolutely, which also reached number two in the UK Album Charts and contained one the band’s biggest hits, “Baggy Trousers“.

The release of the band’s third studio album, 7, in 1981 marked a change of direction in where the band was heading musically, opting to stray away from their fast-paced ska and rocksteady roots and adopting a more mainstream pop sound. Later that year Madness released “It Must Be Love“, a Labi Siffre cover, and in 1982 released their sole number one single, “House of Fun“.

Watch the music video for “House of Fun” below:

The band broke up in 1986 and re-united in 1992, releasing Divine Madness, a compilation album that reached number one in the UK Album Charts. Madness have released twelve studio albums to date and will embark on their tour with six of the original seven members of the line-up, including Graham “Suggs” McPherson, Mike Barson, Lee Thompson, Chris Foreman, Dan Woodgate and Mark Bedford.

You can register for early access to tour tickets here.

See below for the tour dates:

30/11/2023 – P&J Live – Aberdeen
01/12 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
2/12 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle
4/14 – International Arena – Cardiff
5/12 – Motorpoint Area – Nottingham
7/12 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
8/12 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
9/12 – AO Arena – Manchester
11/12 – Centre – Brighton
12/12 – International Arena – Bournemouth
14/12 – Utilita Arena – Sheffield
15/12 – The O2 – London
16/12 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham

Suggs and Paul Weller have done a great song together called “Ooh Do U Fink U R?”
Get it on 7inch or Stream it from all the usual places: https://t.co/091xpX8vD0 @suggsgmcpherson @paulwellerHQ pic.twitter.com/B1XiZlWKCV

— Madness (@MadnessNews) May 4, 2022

The musical partnership consists of two of music’s most influential artists; Madness frontman Suggs and Mod icon Paul Weller. Both singers have achieved great success within their respective bands but have also seen triumphs within their solo careers. After four decades of friendship, the musical titans began their musical partnership during the lockdown of 2020. During and following the lockdown the pair shared demos, rough drafts of songs and lyric ideas, these early creative stages eventually formed Suggs Paul Weller and led to the production of “Ooh Do U Fink U R”. The genre defining artists produced and recorded the track at Black Barn Studio, Weller’s own studio located in Surrey.

The collaborative track takes influence from the pair’s experience in the 1970s schooling system and have confirmed that the single’s title is taken from a phrase in which they heard within the classroom. The track’s musical influences have been taken from the 1960s and has been described as a “gloriously sunny, optimistic and defiant Motown influenced stomper”. The single was also released with an accompanying music video which features animation by Madness’ longstanding partner DNO, the video pays homage to their hometowns and places the singers in quintessentially British locations.

Suggs has spoken on the influence behind the track and discusses his experiences with teachers, “I think teachers are the best people in the world, I love them with all my heart. But you know all those great teachers you read about who dragged their pupils up, and encouraged them and made them into the best possible version of themselves they could be? Well, unfortunately I didn’t have one of those!”

The 61-year-old singer and radio personality continued to discuss the track’s inspiration and origins, “”Ooh Do U Fink U R” was a phrase I heard more often than I wished and sums up my school years- constantly being told to know my place and keep in my box, being given no encouragement but still never giving in, and never giving up. Chatting to Paul reminded me of those experiences. We both found enthusiasm and a purpose in music, and that pulled us through!”

Weller also described the pair’s relationship and spoke on his thoughts concerning the track, “Me and Suggs have been talking about doing something together for the last few years so to see it finally happen is amazing! I love the tune and working with him. He’s truly a man of many talents. We wanted to do something special and I really think this track is!”

Along with a traditional digital release onto streaming platforms, and the single will also be made available on a limited edition 7” vinyl on Father’s Day, 17th June 2022. The vinyl can be pre-ordered here.

#TeenageCancerGigs at the @RoyalAlbertHall are BACK for 2022 and not a moment too soon, with some of the best names in music and comedy! Tickets on sale Friday 25 Feb at 9am https://t.co/e6jo2B8WzP pic.twitter.com/gzSoyAJQ32

— Teenage Cancer Trust (@TeenageCancer) February 21, 2022

Another polarizing set of circumstances set to grace the week would be that of the ever-expanding scope of Yungblud, and his vow to make, “the most mental show the Albert Hall has seen in 150 years”. This promise seems to exude a polar objective to The Who, and their first live show in the UK since 2019 (other than their incredibly intimate stint of shows at PRYZM in Kingston), performing an acoustic set. The Who frontman Roger Daltrey, who actually helped to set up the Teenage Cancer Trust live series back in 2000, said in a statement, “Live music has been hit hard by the pandemic and it has been particularly frustrating for me that we haven’t been able to get artists on stage to raise money for this vitally important cause,” adding, “But we haven’t given up. My wonderful team and I have pulled out all the stops to make this 20th series of shows for Teenage Cancer Trust the best ever. I am so grateful for the loyalty and continued support given to us by the music and comedy industries.”

 Hot on the heels of claiming the NME award for Moment of the Year, Liam Gallagher is also set to make yet another charitable appearance. Say what you will about Gallagher and his never-ending opinions on an Oasis reunion (that will never happen), but the man’s heart is in the right place. Camden’s own Ska giants Madness rounds out the music for the week with what we can only expect will be a hit-packed set spreading across their 5+ decade career.

A quick reminder that the event is for charity, so any ticket costs will go straight to the Teenage Cancer Trust. But if you want to donate to the cause outside of buying tickets, you can go here for more information.

The docuseries, which was announced in March,  will be available on-demand on BT TV and AMC. Writing about the series release on Instagram, the iconic British pop band wrote: “Before We Was We: Madness By Madness”, Episode 1 showing this Saturday 1st of May at 9 pm on @amctvuk via BT TV, on BT Player, and at 10 pm on BT’s YouTube channel.” The post features a video of Madness front man Suggs in front of a Leicester Square cinema. Dressed in a maroon trench coat and a pale yellow suit, he says ‘tickets this way’ and gestures towards a caravan-come-cinema named ‘Cinemadness.’ 

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The three-part documentary series, directed by long-time fans Bill Jones and Ben Timlett, focuses on the band member’s journey pre-madness. Revealing their childhood exploits to their success from their breakthrough single ‘My Girl,’ the series is set to give an insight into the ska pop hit band and how they came to be. Recently speaking on the upcoming series, frontman Suggs said: “You’re always looking at what’s coming next and occasionally you wallow,” He continues: “If I’m downstairs watching old Madness videos it’s worse than being caught watching porn as far as my family are concerned. So it’s nice to wallow in it a bit, and actually be paid to wallow in it, it was great. There were so many different perspectives and a lot of stuff came out that even I didn’t think about… We thought it’d be better if it was like that thing where everybody’s been to a party and everybody’s got a completely different story the following day of exactly what happened.”

The seven-man band self-funded an autobiographical film in 1981 called ‘Take It Or Leave It.’ An early nod to reality to TV, the series saw the Madness men play themselves in a scripted comedic docudrama. The film tracks the band’s progression from their beginnings in Camden Town, London, in 1976 to the present (1981), where the members take to the stage of a sold-out arena. 

Madness are hailed as one of the biggest bands of ’80s Britain, bagging 15 top 10 singles across just three years. The band drifted towards the end of the 1980s, but their near-split paved the way for a successful reunion tour in 1992, with the original line-up playing together once again. Most recently, Madness have announced they will be performing at the London Palladium via a livestream. In a statement accompanying the announcement of their livestream performance, the group wrote: “Lets face it, entertaining is the only thing we’re any good at… so we got together with Charlie Higson (from The Fast Show) and concocted a show featuring live music, new and classic Madness songs, comedy, some incredibly special guests and even Mike Barson playing the part of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. We’re calling it “The Get Up!” we’re filming it at London’s Palladium and we’re beaming this Global Livestream into your Gogglebox of choice on 14th May 2021.”

‘Before We Was We’ premiers tomorrow night (1 May 2021) at 9 pm on BT TV and AMC. The first episode will be free to watch via BT’s YouTube channel.

“The Get Up”, a Global Livestream Scripted by Charlie Higson Feat. Live Music, Comedy and Some Very Special Guests. Streaming May 14th from the London Palladium. Tickets: https://t.co/NkCRsowXQm https://t.co/6XHfBSShHD

— Madness (@MadnessNews) April 19, 2021

The group have teamed up with writer and comedian Charlie Higson of ‘The Fast Show’ fame in order to present an evening of music, drama, and comedy.

The event, titled ‘The Get Up’, will include a full live set from the band in which they’ll premiere some brand-new songs alongside Madness classics. The group announced the livestream in a trailer subtitled ‘Suggs and Thommo Re-Train’ in which the band members joke about retraining for different careers following the coronavirus pandemic.

In the description the group wrote:

“Lets face it, entertaining is the only thing we’re any good at… so we got together with Charlie Higson (from The Fast Show) and concocted a show featuring live music, new and classic Madness songs, comedy, some incredibly special guests and even Mike Barson playing the part of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. We’re calling it “The Get Up!” we’re filming it at London’s Palladium and we’re beaming this Global Livestream into your Gogglebox of choice on 14th May 2021. “

It appears that Madness have been busy throughout the pandemic. The group also recently announced ‘Before We Was We: Madness by Madness’, a three-part docuseries about their early years premiering on May 1^st. The series is an adaptation of the biography of the same name and is set to follow the band’s journey to fame.

Madness are also set to make appearances at Henley Festival and Victorious Festival later this year.

Tickets for Madness & Charlie Higson In ‘The Get Up!’ go on sale at 9am on Friday (April 23) here.