– Suede in Concert from Royal Festival Hall, London, recorded by the venerable BBC in 2002.
One of those bands who descended on the Alternative/Pop/Britpop scene in 1989 and were instantly embraced by the critics and whose debut album was one of the fastest selling in decades. In the ensuing years, the band has weathered through a number of changes and breakups, first calling it quits in 2003 (a year after this concert), and then reuniting in 2010 and still going strong today.
Fronted by the dynamic Brett Anderson, Suede were initially hailed as the Best New Band In Britain in 1992. At the time of their debut album in 1993 they had attracted considerable attention and a large fan base in Britain. Throughout the 90s the band scored a number of hits and were consistently in the top-ten. It was also a time of high stress for the band and Anderson’s addiction to crack and Heroin eventually led to the bands initial split in 2003.
But in all that time they maintained a strong audience following, and even though personal problems, coupled with the problems associated with a label going bankrupt caused a deep rift within the band, their reunion in 2010 proved Suede had never really lost popularity, and with the release of their 6th album, Bloodsports in 2013, they returned to the top of the charts and the enthusiasm of the press and audience alike.
This concert, recorded at Royal Festival Hall in 2002, comes around the time of personnel changes within the band and the friction caused by Anderson’s drug problems. But it’s still a great concert and the audience are enthusiastic – and if you didn’t know there was all this bubbling-under tension, you wouldn’t know it by listening to it.
So if you’re just getting around the discovering Suede now, here’s a reminder of what the they were like 16 years ago. The sound of this concert recording is pretty stunning, so it practically demands you crank it up.
Go ahead.
