Suede

Few would choose to open to a raucous Glasgow audience with a slow, sad, acoustic-based album track, but the recently reinvigorated Suede aren’t always keen to play to type.
So it is then that our introduction tonight is ‘Still Life’ which closed 1994’s excellent ‘Dog Man Star’. 
Soon enough however, the tempo is raised with ‘Barriers’ and ‘Snowblind’ from comeback album ‘Bloodsports,’ songs which work as well live as any of their now decades-long (!) back catalogue.

While six of the new album’s tracks are aired tonight, we are treated to a fans’ setlist which includes each of the singles from their debut album, Britpop era hits like ‘Trash’ and ‘Filmstar,’ and well-received b-sides, the stomping ‘Killing of a Flash Boy,’ and the stately ‘High Rising’.

Part rock god, part pantomime dame, Brett Anderson remains as dynamic a frontman now as he was in his indie heyday. When not bellowing through it, his microphone becomes a prop, as a suggestive whip, or swung around his head in time to the music, to be caught on cue for the next verse or chorus. The years haven’t been as kind to all of the band (with ‘Little’ Dickie Oakes now not so little) but Anderson has retained his famous snake hips, which are used to great effect as he postures, gyrates and goads the crowd into a frenzy.

Often pompous, you still get the feeling Anderson’s tongue is often in his cheek (as it should be while delivering such rhymes as “filmstar / driving in a car / propping up the bar”). But this gig and the roar of the Barrowlands’ audience are as much down to his showmanship and charisma as they are to proto-Britpop classics like ‘Metal Mickey’.

A particular gem is a dramatic rendition of the lengthy and brooding ‘The Asphalt World’ where Oakes, as with all of the music written by his predecessor Bernard Butler, perfectly captures the mood and theatre of the original with his skilful guitar playing.
 
In between Jesus Christ poses, Anderson on more than one occasion takes time to thank the crowd for their reception and comments that he’d forgotten “how good it was to play here”. But, it must end and last in the 19 song strong setlist are ‘Beautiful Ones’ and ‘New Generation’. It’s only after the band have finally then taken their leave that what has been frenetic atmosphere lets up, and this brilliant show is over.

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Brian Raghoobur

I've never been to me.

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