Suede's debut album completely captivated me when it came out in 1993. Their Smiths meets Bowie indie rock was great but what really hooked me in deep was the lyrics and how they were delivered.
'From our home, High in the city, Where the skyline stained the snow, I fell for a servant who kept me on the boil'.
'I was born as a pantomime horse, Ugly as the sun when he falls to the floor, I was cut from the wreckage one day, This is what I get for being that way'.
'Well, he writes the line wrote right down my spine, It says oh, do you believe in love there?'.
'We kiss in his room to a popular tune, Oh, real drowners'.
'You're a water sign, I'm an air sign, Too Siamese to catch the leaves from those trees'.
And my personal favourite, 'Far away, We'll go far away, Down to Worthing and work there, Far away, So far away, And flog ice cream til the company's on it's knees'.
These were words which spoke to me. I didn't know what they meant half the time but they had a certain poetry to them and they sounded romantic, tragic and heroic. The way Brett Anderson delivered the lyrics breathed magic into them and made them feel that they were meant just for me. I could identify with the longing and desperation contained with the songs. Brett himself was a beguiling character. Sexy, mysterious, cool and desirable. In short, everything I wasn't. He was someone I desperately wanted to be like.
Desperate Journalist open up the evening. They play 80s style indie which has some shoegaze and goth touches. The drums have a big 80s styled, almost synthesized, sound. The rhythm section is solid and this is capped with neat guitar lines and strong, catchy choruses. I saw them live many years ago and they seem much more impressive this time around. Gorgeous.
Suede capture my attention right from the start. They open with the rhythmic new track, 'Turn Off Your Brain And Yell', which is great for clapping along to. They actually start with three tracks from the new album, 'Autofiction', which would ordinarily be a problem but not here because they all sound like prime Suede. This opening trio are followed by the classic 'The Drowners' which prompts a big singalong. The debut album still forms an important cornerstone of their live set. 'Animal Nitrate' is joyous, whilst 'So Young' still sounds as invigorating as it did in 1993. The glam stomp of 'Can't Get Enough' is fantastic while 'She Still Leads Me On' is a future classic in waiting. The pace slows down as Brett plays a wonderfully emotive solo acoustic version of 'The Wild Ones'. There are probably a couple too many new songs (I think I counted eight tracks from the new album) but it shows how much confidence they have in the new album. The crowd sings along to the whole of 'The Beautiful Ones' and the 'la la la's are sang especially lustily. A magnificent 'Trash' closes the show in triumphant fashion. Glorious.
Suede *****
Desperate Journalist ****
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