SUEDE
O2 Academy, Bristol | October 24th
Of all the current crop of reunions clogging up gig venues around the country, Suede and Brett Anderson’s victorious saunter through Bristol Academy is so self-assured and glorious it feels like an invigoration and education in equal measure. Eschewing the standard reunion gig premise that any delve into fresh material would immediately herald a trip to the bar, the primary reason why this gig is such a victory is that the tracks chosen from new album Bloodsports fit perfectly into the pop-rock emotional androgyny that have made them one of the most enduringly British and beautiful bands of the last 20 years.
Gone are the drugs and the arrogance, replaced with a mature album about the rigours of a tumultuous relationship in what is an extremely carefully selected presentation of what made them so special in the first place. The key characteristic is still that voice. Far from withering into a croak, Anderson’s crystal delivery, stage posturing with the crowd less than a metre away, energetic marches and on-the-knees dramatisation (especially during a super-rare outing of Dog Man Star ballad The 2 Of Us) shows all the enthusiasm reserved for somewhere far grander.
Pantomime Horse, from their self-titled debut, although a grungy guitar gem, is a strange opening choice, with Barriers, the first single from their latest record, an ignition for the slightly older crowd – some in couples, some draped round their mates – to go a bit batshit. The emotional resonance at is palpable, not least in part because a large proportion of the 40-plus crowd have probably experienced the kind of turmoil these songs push through with Anderson’s often despairing tones.
Two more choice cuts from the new record, Snowblind and the quite superb It Starts And Ends With You, precede a run of hits the crowd reaction to which makes this sub-30 reviewer feel slightly boring. This is glam-pop theatre and nothing is being left in the locker. Filmstar, Animal Nitrate, Trash and Heroine dispense with any self-indulgence, with even the B-sides Killing Of A Flash Boy and The Big Time not feeling like filler in the slightest.
Melancholic newbie For The Strangers blends into a closing montage of Metal Mickey, So Young and Beautiful Ones in particular getting the en masse sing-along treatment. Yet far from ending on what is perhaps their most contrived slice of gorgonzola, the standout single song encore of New Generation is a perfect close to a gig that showcases what happens when a band plays for 20 years and returns with more impetus than simply making a quick buck. With one of the most distinctive voices in music still wholly intact and a receptive audience eager to hear both the impulsive and predictable choices in equal measure, this gig is an education in carefully farming your band’s history, and a victory on every level.
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Words: Thomas Frost
Photo: Martin @ allyourprey.com/photo
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