Steeleye Span are three years away from being around for 50 years. Few of us do the same thing for such an amount of time.
Well, I got an MBE for it [laughs]. But the line-up has changed and we’ve a vast repertoire. We’re not turning the lathe making the same product every day.
The band became famous during the mid-70s with All Around My Hat. Was it fun?
It was. I loved being on Top Of The Pops. We laughed so much back then. In many ways it was the band’s most enjoyable era. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Many people think folk rock is all about Aran sweaters and being nicey-nicey.
Oh, that’s rubbish. Some of the tunes are beautiful, but it’s the stuff with great power – lyrically and musically – that does it for me. A song like Long Lankin is just as topical as it was back in 1975 because it addresses the disaffected.
- The top 10 best Moody Blues songs
- 20 of the Greatest Rock'n'Roll Movies Ever Made
- Classic Rock Quiz: General Knowledge III
- Every Jethro Tull album ranked from worst to best
Having guested with Status Quo on their 1990s remake of All Around My Hat, you appear to be having a ball in its live promo. Were they a corrupting influence?
No. Having a few drinks has always been my thing. The video was filmed at Christmas, and we’d supported them, and I found myself down in the mosh pit. Francis [Rossi] saw me and told the audience: “Oh look, there’s a Maddy lookalike down there… Fuck me, it is Maddy!” I was hoyed over the barrier [to the stage] to join them for the encore. It was all very jolly.
Is Steeleye’s new album nearly done?
Yeah. We’re pretty confident it’ll be available for our UK tour in October.
Steeleye Span have played at the Cropredy festival before. What’s it like?
It’s a really enjoyable family day. They’ve broadened out the acts, with artists like Alice Cooper, but it’s still a bit of a ritual.
