Having now unleashed upon us his debut solo album, the self titled Brett Anderson (the very title of which speaks volumes about his move away from a Suede-style lushness of style and grandstanding emotionalism), Brett Anderson is now embarking upon his first solo tour.
I caught up with him during rehearsals for the upcoming tour and found him in bullish, confident mood, eager to impress upon us his move away from the day-glo pop star of his early-`90s Suede heyday and gravitation towards a more adult style of pop, a style already evinced on the above album.
Jonathan Robert Muirhead: So, Brett, given the fuss that was made back in 2005 over you and Bernard Butler reuniting as the Tears, can we expect any Tears songs at these upcoming gigs?
Brett Anderson: No, they`re too recent and I`m not comfortable playing them at the moment
JRM: How do you feel now, at this distance, about your debut solo album?
BA: Exactly the same as when I made it. It`s a very strong record and I`m very proud of it. I think it`s a very strong record
JRM: How do you feel about these upcoming gigs? Can we expect to hear any Suede numbers being aired at them?
BA: I`m perfectly happy to play a couple of Suede numbers. I`ve no problems with Suede stuff now, as I`m very proud of what we achieved with Suede.
JRM: Your solo album has a very intimate feel to it ` can we expect this at the gigs?
BA: Some aspects, yes. There`ll be an acoustic section in the middle but it won`t be all sitting around with acoustic guitars and candles. There`s a dynamism to playing live which I really enjoy.
JRM: What were your main influences when making this record?
BA: There are many personal influences on the record. I wrote all the songs myself and I wanted to stretch myself. There`s an inner religion dialogue on there, as well as an anti-consumerism rant
JRM: You`ve said recently in press interviews that you`re fed up reading in magazines such as Q pieces on why (Beach Boys album) Pet Sounds and so forth are the `best album ever made` and that the `best music` is still to come ` why do you think this is?
BA: I don`t know, I`m just being optimistic
JRM: Will there be more music from The Tears? Or even from Suede, come to that
BA: Who knows? These things may or may not happen. I`d never say never as I can always see things happening
JRM: How do you feel now that The Tears album (2005`s Here Come The Tears) was reviewed?
BA: I wish it had been reviewed more as a piece of music, rather than just on the angle of Bernard and me getting back together again
JRM: Will we be hearing any new songs on this tour?
BA: That`s an interesting question. We`ve been playing around with a new song called `Back To You` in rehearsals and I`ve written a couple of new things for the next album. But at the moment, I think people are still getting into this album
And with that, my time with the debonair Mr. Anderson was at an end. So, the album may not have been the epic, grandstanding melodrama that most of us (including myself) were expecting, but it is instead a far more intimate and assured work than we had any right to expect. While it may lack the pop-sensible drive of a Coming Up or a Here Come The Tears, songs such as `Love Is Dead` reveal a strong, mature songwriter and even if the upcoming shows are only half as strong as the album they are in support of, they will be something to remember. And for that alone, we should all be grateful.