He has been on the road throughout his 40-year music career as the lead singer of ska band Madness.
But despite his record-breaking success, Suggs has proved he’s a family man at heart as he expressed his sadness about not being able to see his loved ones during lockdown.
In an exclusive chat with MailOnline for Very.co.uk’s new ‘Our House’ campaign, the singer, 60, revealed he has finally been able to reunite with his grandchildren after months apart.
Exclusive: Madness icon Suggs has shared his heartache at not being able to see his grandchildren during lockdown as they finally reunite after months apart
Like families across the nation, Suggs, whose real name is Graham McPherson, and his wife Bette hadn’t been able to see their twin grandchildren; Buster and Birdie, now two.
‘It’s been very difficult, as it has for a lot of people,’ Suggs said. ‘My youngest daughter Viva has got twins. I’ve got grandchildren; a boy and a girl and I couldn’t see them.
‘I’ve just started to see them recently because I had my first vaccination a few weeks ago. Not seeing them has been hard.’
Family: Like families across the nation, Suggs and his wife Bette hadn’t been able to see their twin grandchildren and their two daughters (pictured with Bette and daughter Viva in 2013)
Suggs continued: ‘I mean in one way the Zoom thing is a miracle because at least you can stay in touch but it does get a little bit tough. My grandkids think they can touch the phone and all that.’
The House Of Fun hitmaker said the family are hoping to have ‘a big get-together around Easter’.
‘We’re calling it Chr-easter – a mixture of Christmas and Easter.
Missing them: ‘It’s been very difficult, as it has for a lot of people,’ Suggs said about not being able to see his loved ones during lockdown
‘We just went out and bought a little blossom tree in the shape of a Christmas tree and we’re going to decorate it with little bunnies, chicks and eggs.
‘They’re all coming down in a couple of weeks so I’m looking forward to that.’
Suggs will star in Very.co.uk’s which will show families across the country involved in a great big singalong in their homes, for a music video for Madness’ hit Our House, from the band’s album Madness- Full House.
Fun: Suggs will star in Very.co.uk’s which will show families across the country involved in a great big singalong in their homes, for a music video for Madness’ hit Our House
Sophie Ellis Bextor will host a live kitchen disco on TikTok on Very’s channel after the music video airs on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, while other celebrities such as Kelly Brook, Pandora, and Dev Griffin will star in the music video.
When Our House was released in 1982, it charted within the top ten in multiple countries and became the band’s biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
And Suggs reflected on his stellar career with the band during the interview.
Our House! The music video airs on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, while other celebrities such as Kelly Brook, Pandora, and Dev Griffin will star in the music video
The frontman said he believed the key to Madness’ 40-year success was that ‘the music and the career is kind of a by-product of our friendship.’
And even now, when the band has had their shows cancelled due to the pandemic, Suggs revealed: ‘We’ve all been helping, talking to each other and we’ve all been through a lots of ups and downs in this year.
‘We’re a dysfunctional family, just a lot of naughty boys who get on with making music.
Friends first: The frontman said he believed the key to Madness’ 40-year success was that ‘the music and the career is kind of a by-product of our friendship’
Boys will be boys: ‘We’re a dysfunctional family, just a lot of naughty boys who get on with making music’, pictured at the Music Walk Of Fame in Camden last year
‘There are loads of memories over those forty years. The lows were in the mid 80s when we were having pressure of having to constantly produce hit records.
‘And then there are the highlights. In 1992 we did this gig in Finsbury Park in London and 75,000 people turned up and there was actually an earthquake that was recorded in Scotland because the kids had been jumping up and down all at the same time.
‘We played on the main stage at Glastonbury not so long ago and then the roof of Buckingham Palace of course was quite a nice afternoon out. We never thought we’d end up there. Last time we were on a roof was a block of flats in Kentish Town. So that was a career highlight.’
History: Suggs explained a new docuseries Before We Was We: Madness By Madness will delve into how the band came together in the first place
Suggs explained a new docuseries Before We Was We: Madness By Madness will delve into how the band came together in the first place.
Looking to the future, the singer said there is so much uncertainty around when he will be able to perform on stage with the band again in front of their fans.
‘We’ve got a lot of things penciled in the diary,’ he said.
‘The tour at Christmas was cancelled. I’ve been disappointed so many times, I don’t think I can face it again.
‘We’re all struggling along. We’ve been writing a lot of songs, which has been wonderful.
‘We’ve been locked indoors so we’ve been able to communicate, share music digitally, so we’ve got about an albums worth of stuff and a lot of gigs lined up so it when you see the flag waved we’ll be racing down to the stage.’
Very’s 2021 music video will air in a commercial break on Saturday during Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV.
Hopeful: Looking to the future, the singer said there is so much uncertainty around when he will be able to perform again but can’t wait for it to happen (pictured in 2018)