Madness have become the second ever act to be honoured on the Music Walk Of Fame in Camden, London.
The band members were all in attendance at the ceremony, with rapper Dizzee Rascal introducing them – and he hailed them ‘a national treasure’.
‘Forty years in the music game, that’s serious man. They are a national treasure,’ he said.
‘It’s an honour for me to just be here. I hope I get this much love when I’ve been 40 years in the game.’
As their stone was unveiled, Madness frontman Suggs cheekily said: ‘We did single-handedly turn Camden Down from a s***hole into one of the greatest tourist destinations on the planet.’
Joining the band at the event was Lynval Golding of fellow 2 Tone band The Specials, with Suggs crediting him for helping his band get to where they are today.
‘With the help of this man here, with the love of music and this man here,’ he said.
‘It was okay because we had this lot – The Specials. Without them, who knows, who knows?’
Madness are the second musical act to have received such an accolade, with The Who being the first to be honoured back when the award was introduced in November.
They are one of the most successful bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s 2 Tone and ska revival, and are known for hits such as It Must Be Love, House Of Fun and Our House.
The band broke up in 1986, but eventually reunited in 1992, and have continued to perform and release music ever since.
Amy Winehouse will be the next to receive such an award later this week, with her parents saying in a statement: ‘We all know how much Amy adored her beloved Camden, so how fitting that her name is now part of the very fabric of the place she loved.
‘To be part of the Music Walk Of Fame is such a great honour. We’re absolutely delighted that Amy’s musical legacy is being celebrated in this way.’
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