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IT TAKES only three years to become an institution ... if you're a group called Madness, that is.
Even though their first record only came out in 1979, Madness have become the cornerstone of British pop. They are quirky, irreverent and even silly, but have enough respect and craftsmanship to hold the interest of hundreds of thousands of fans.
And the seven members of the group have found it all as easy as falling off a bicycle.
Jumping on the Two-Tone bandwagon launched by The Specials, Madness leapt into the charts with their first single The Prince. It was all part of a new reggae and ska movement designed to bring together black and white youth through dancing and enjoying the same music together. The fans took to it like bees to honey.
Countless hits later the group haven't forgotten their roots and their history has now been recounted in a film called Take It Or Leave It, which tells the story of how the band quit their jobs as painters and decorators and progressed enough to make their own rec"ord. It is a story of ordinary young men, who wanted to spend their spare time doing something for fun and have some purpose.
"We just thought it would be a good idea to make a music business film without the rubbish," explains lead singer Suggs. "People are always seeing films of what being in a band is like, and we thought we'd just show how it all started, how easy it is."
"There is a certain amount of application, a certain amount of work needed, but it's something anyone can do. Of course, nobody can learn to write songs until they've learned to play guitar or piano, but for Madness it was just a matter of collating our ideas. There's nothing more to it than that - nobody in the group is a superman.
"The big feeling then was that it was a group thing with all our mates around Camden. We used to play pubs because it was something for people to do."
Right from the start, Madness were a visual group. They were the only band - and still are - to have a full-time member (Chas Smash) who just dances round the stage; he and Suggs compliment each other perfectly mixing chirpy Cockney music hall with the black influenced dances to soul and reggae.
Their visual show has translated itself into countless videos shown on Top of The Pops and similar programmes.
The whole band put themselves in gaudy larger-than-life clothing and become a parody of the content of their songs. They snigger, they giggle and become natural actors as soon as the camera zooms in.
Yet again, making a video is a perfectly easy, natural thing for the group to do.
Along with Madness has come the "nutty sound", where good-natured humour is mingled with their increasingly varied repertoire of pop songs.
But Madness don't want to be seen as just a group of silly idiots. The very fact that they're doing a charity concert tonight shows that they do care about what goes on around them.
Their whole intention has been to bring young people together to enjoy themselves, without preaching or setting themselves up as leaders of a generation. Even in their earliest days, Madness wanted not only their mates, but all young people like them to come along and have a good evening of dancing and enjoying some fun music.
Madness want to be a group - not a bunch of musicians led by one person. Their fusion of ideas musically and visually is designed to end up with a quality that is easily accessible, but certainly not pap.
"I think that groups that are started by one person tend to be ruled by that person," explains Suggs. "Sometimes we have useless ideas, but it's still refreshing and stimulating to work together. It's fresh because we can always do what we want, yet we can always do it within the framework of Madness.
"It's very difficult to be in the mainstream of pop. Either you're a meaningless 'teenybop' pop band or you're not, as far as some people are concerned.
"They put the same division on the financial side, too. A group is either in it for the money or it isn't. But whatever people say or think, we aren't. We don't do things to pander to anyone, and we aren't in it for the money. We do it because we enjoy it.
"What we do is funny, but I hope people can see that we're not totally comical. I wouldn't deny our sense of humour, but I hope people don't think that it is all there is to Madness. I hope they realise there is a certain amount of thought given to it. Anyone can go out and look silly, but it's very hard to be original and incorporate other elements too."
The ideas responsible for their success have always come from the whole group. Their first single stayed in the chart for 10 weeks, One Step Beyond enjoyed three months in the hit parade, My Girl hit the number three spot in January 1980, and this May Madness finally get their first number one single with Cardiac Arrest - their twelfth consecutive hit.
A Greatest Hits album released earlier this spring went straight to the number one spot in the LP charts and 13 of their "nutty" videos have been put together for the Complete Madness video cassette. It's a superb compilation, revealing the group's natural ability to present themselves visually with a completely natural style.
Now it's July 1982, and Madness have reached another peak in their career. Prince Charles has asked them to headline this special concert for his Prince's Trust - along with half the nation's youth, he sees the value of music by and for young people.
Madness have grown up a bit now. Some of them have married, and consequently moved to more suitable premises a mile or two out of Camden. But they're still in their early twenties, and still ready to get up and laugh with the best of them.
"We are really into doing it as a group," says guitarist Chrissy Boy. "When we were doing the Shut Up video we were all in policemen's uniforms running around in this park. When a police car came up, Chas said 'let's get one more take in before they arrest us!' The police didn't of course, but that's the sort of spirit that's in the band.
"If there's something that's got to be done, we'll do it. Everyone in the group can be really nuts, and that's how I like it. I love it when we're all dressed up in the same sort of gear, it gives the group a sort of identity."
Although the money the lads have made has been used up buying their own houses, their lifestyle hasn't really changed. In a year, they reckon that they get about three weeks' holiday in between touring and making records. And Madness are still a bunch of young men with the same ideals as anyone else. "We all do much the same things as we did before we had money," says Suggs. "We try hard to be as normal as possible to people. We try not to get pompous about it, we are the same as everyone else, nothing special.
"I think it would be really good if people didn't look up to bands any more. OK, you buy their records if you like them, but there's no need to idolise the bands. I actually do miss the early days when we were all mates in the pub, but I don't think I'd like to go back to them, or to feel that we'd be doing it for the rest of our lives.
"In five years time, I'll probably wish I was back doing silly videos."
And Chas adds: "It is like a job at times. But you realise it's a job that you want to do, and that you're lucky to be doing it."
Of tonight's Prince's Trust Rock Gala Suggs comments: "We don't get millions of offers for charity gigs, but we like to accept the ones we believe in.
"The Prince's Trust helps groups and youth clubs, particularly on the musical side. While most of the time I don't think you can solve all the problems facing young kids today, if you can give them the money to help them make music, it's got to be a good thing.
"Perhaps now they'll put us up for our MBEs!"
Contributed by Graeme Sharpe
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