Skip to main content
Regional secretary with the National Education Union
Suede by passion and creativity
SUSAN DARLINGTON revels in a band that know their own continuing relevance
Brett Anderson of Suede [Chris Payne]

SUEDE must be one of the few bands whose reformation is as successful, if not more so, than their first phase. Ten years and four albums after they got back together, they’re producing music every bit as ambitious and exciting as their heyday. 

The hype of their early years may have passed but they can still sell out mid-size venues and have the audience singing along word for word. One of the keys for this success is their desire not to coast on nostalgia. While many of their contemporaries have reformed purely for financial gain, creativity and passion seem to be the main drivers for Suede.

This passion is evident from the very first note. On the last night of their tour, frontman Brett Anderson is part personal trainer, part army sergeant as he whips the crowd into a fervour. “C’mon Leeds, let’s make this special!” he orders, the back of his shirt soaked in sweat before the band are even three songs into the 90-minute set. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
CLOSE AND INTIMATE: The pewrformance / Pic: James Glossop
Theatre review / 21 July 2025
21 July 2025

SUSAN DARLINGTON highly recommends a novel setting for a play that is a rip-roaring yarn about kindness and helping people to belong

THE MUSIC OF ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Lana Del Ray plays Anfield
Music / 1 July 2025
1 July 2025

SUSAN DARLINGTON is charmed by an arena show that crosses Great Gatsby glamour with Jane Eyre madness

tambo
Theatre review / 16 May 2025
16 May 2025

SUSAN DARLINGTON is bowled over by an outstanding play about the past, present and future of race and identity in the US

Jonathan Hanks in A Christmas Carol
Theatre Review / 23 December 2024
23 December 2024
SUSAN DARLINGTON enjoys, with minor reservations, the Northern Ballet’s revival of its 1992 classic
Similar stories
Live Music Review / 25 March 2025
25 March 2025
MARK TURNER is staggered by a gifted jazz pianist from the Welsh Valleys
The Felice Brothers play legendary Cardiff fleapit, The Glob
Live Music Review / 7 November 2024
7 November 2024
MARK TURNER gets over his discomfort that US cultural imperialism means we know more about US subcultures than our own
Steve Hacket and band at the Royal Albert Hall
Gig Review / 29 October 2024
29 October 2024
The clock turns back for TOM STONE as he’s reminded of the splendour of seminal Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Casper Clausen, frontman of Efterklang
Gig review / 7 October 2024
7 October 2024
WILL STONE overlooks the corn to find the beauty in the music of the Danish indie-pop oddities