Cathal Smyth
Madness in Ibiza

The ‘madness’ to which his stage name refers comes from the wonderful world of fantasy which surrounds him, regardless of changing times and musical fashion. He is all the proof you need that true class does not have a sell-by date and he is also an excellent role model for all those cry-babies of the profession who do nothing but complain. According to Cathal, this is the best way to get by in this business which is otherwise full of sob stories: "We don't worry about our next album release at all, the majority of the time we play spontaneously anyway. Performing live is what we all like best and we take little notice of how many albums we have on the market," he tells us in his studio, raising doubts about the album in question which fans and the press are expecting in July. But the fact of the matter is that 'The Liberty of the Norton Folgate' is an exquisite musical innovation from the band, and the accompanying video contains choice cinematographic sequences that remain true to the traditional Madness style, managing to retain a typical exquisite elegance whilst veering between the theatrical and the comic. 'Norton Folgate' is a prime candidate to become another smash hit for the band and to take its place alongside classics such as 'Our House', which Cathal wrote years ago, and which today still contains the creative spirit of an artist who cannot escape from his talent. Today, Ibiza is where this artist feels most inspired. "I am at my happiest here writing new pieces. Ibiza has become my home," he tells us, having decided many years ago that he would like to settle here. With this he demystifies the Island, which has more to offer than riotous summers, and he emphasises that he does not identity with the music scene in Ibiza. No doubt it is these small details which perpetuate the vivacity and glamour of Ibiza.

And even when the Madness tour dates come thick and fast, Cathal comments that he isn't bothered by all the muddle. "I am used to travelling, and anyway, it is always so wonderful to come back to Ibiza." June is fully booked with a variety of different energetic projects: three gigs in London's Hackney Empire (24, 25 and 26 June), one at a race meeting at the famous Aintree racecourse in Liverpool (13 June) and an appearance at the experimental Sonar Festival of progressive music in Barcelona (20 June). "We have a good show and a broad appeal," says Cathal. The second singer and dancer in this British line-up, he also plays trumpet, acoustic guitar and a whole array of percussion instruments.

But we mustn’t use the word comeback as, apart from a short hiatus at the end of the 80s, there has always been Madness. The criticism levelled at bands that use their past fame to make a comeback for purely commercial reasons, cannot be applied to Madness. It speaks for the class of an artist such as Smyth that he keeps out of these discussions because, as he quite rightly claims, "at the end of the day, it's the public who choose, and if they love you, then that is a good enough reason for doing the rounds once again." The members of Madness have never felt the need to draw attention to themselves with scandals or to put on any airs and graces. And they have never succumbed to pressure to expand their discography and churn out albums as if from a production line. "Every band member has his own projects which don't involve the others. But basically we all pull together and play as a band."
Cathal cannot imagine how his life would have turned out in career terms, had fate not brought him together with Suggs, Mike Barson, Lee Thompson, Chris Foreman, Mark Bedford and Daniel Woodgate. But presumably he doesn't bother to ask himself this question, as there was already a distinct artistic strain in his family background. But then the international music scene would definitely have been the poorer.