Celebrity Interview - Madness
Nutty Sounds
Madness Nutty Sounds
Madness hit the Coast last month, with the veteran ska maestros called back to the stage for no less than four encores at their "Party in the Plaza" concert in the Marbella bullring - the Sugababes performed the following night.
We caught up with saxophonist Lee Thompson (aka Kix or Thommo) in Puerto Banús before the concert, following their appearance at the highly successful FIB Heineken Festival in Benicássim (Valencia) in July - where they supported Depeche Mode.
"We still see each other socially," Lee told H!, "and we haven't grown tired of performing together at concerts - we're even working on new material." Lee sees a lot of Chrissy Boy (Chris Foreman) and confesses, "We still get butterflies before going on stage and we are very excited about doing the gig in the bullring, as we've never done anything like that before. We like to keep our acts fresh and this is something a bit different!"
Even though the group still tours globally, the members have all got on with their own lives. Lee has done numerous jobs from painting and decorating and refuse-collecting to owning a mountain bike shop. But he has always maintained his passion for music and has even done some pub gigs with his son (their group's name was, aptly, Like Father Like Son).
When asked what else made Thommo tick, he replied, "My wife and kids, motorbikes (I own a Phaser Yamaha but I'm looking to get a Yamaha R6), parachute jumping, paragliding and, oh yes, I do have a penchant for wine and tequila! I love being in Spain and I'm looking to buy a place down here. I can see myself maybe retiring on the Costa del Sol."
