well, first gig of the year that is this year (2026, look you see) and for a change of course it was Suede that i went to see. yes, indeed, that's now four times in 4 years (or 4 times in for years), with 50% of that famously happening in one week. if they keep touring and i can, within reason, get to where they are, i shall of course be going. not sure how many other gigs i am off to in the immediate future, but shall ramble on about that as we go here.
is this post going to feature some really bad pictures, along with some poor video footage which is just about pointless? kind of, i suppose. no, there are not many "decent" pictures here. oddly my new phone thing what has a camera welded to it seems to be doing marginally more better video, at least in terms of the sound quality. but, if you are looking for decent (official or bootleg) videos of Suede live, it is most decidedly so that they are not here. also a picture of moi features, so you have been warned.
this particular tour (2026) was in furtherance of Antidepressants, their most recent (and, fact fans, 10th studio) album. much like with Autofiction they took the decision to release the album mid to late one year, touring it early (ish) the next. pretty good idea, as it lets us fans with the tape (actual and disc) of the new album get familiar with it.
every now and then an off the cuff, said once remark can hover around for quite some time. such is what has happened with Brett Anderson casually mentioning that Suede were the "anti-nostalgia band". i think he meant it purely as an immediate repose to the incessant questions everyone in music got asked last year (2025) about Oasis. reasonably sure that he meant he couldn't see him or the band being happy to do an entire gig, let alone tour, of just 30+ year old songs. certainly he did not mean they were not going to play "hits" or fan favourites any further, rather more that mostly it would be the new songs that they are, rightly, proud of and feeling a lot more energetic to do.
for a quick preview of just how bad the pictures i took are there you go, one of the really good support act, Bloodworm. as far as i am aware they are off on a tour in their own right quite soon. honestly no, i had not heard of them before, but can comfortably say now i have i am glad to have. to my ears they are a solid three piece hard rock band, yet the internet goes further and says they are a "goth post-punk" one. apt since Suede describe Antidepressants as their "post-punk" album, yet to my mind what came post-punk was new wave, synth and new romantics? we have documented evidence of this in the form of the early career of Adam Ant.
how about some really bad looking but (surprisingly) decent sounding video? i was stood there going no, just enjoy the gig, don't be filming and taking pictures. but also felt a "need" to have something or other from the night to put here, plus there is one (really) dear friend of mine who loves Trash, so here you go with a bit of Trash........
not that it isn't a favourite of mine. very much is, as it happens, thanks for asking. when Suede did that joint tour with the Manics they each got asked which song of each other they wished they had done, with James Dean Bradfield saying he thinks "every musician in the world" would have wished they had thought to write Trash when they first heard it.
so, the title of this post and the "zoom" videos. which (i think) gets called "potato quality". having medically survived getting there and working around the predictable train cancellations, i was in a rather jolly place, buzzing and happy to be there. no drink (or anything other than prescription medicine) involved, since doctors say that is a no-no. on seeing decent gaps at the middle to front section, i kind of went actually no, been there, done that. was quite content to just hang at the back, where there was a bit more space. i promise the view, and the sound, was a good deal (more) better than the images and video here might suggest.
going for the "anti-nostalgia" angle and somewhere close to one half (or if you like 50%) of the set was comprised of the most recent two albums, which was a very good thing indeed. of particular excellence was getting to hear them do Turn Off Your Brain And Yell again, somewhere in the middle of the set. yes, i would certainly agree that the title (usually just "TOYBAY" in fan circles) screams "sixth form poetic w@nkery", but it's a damned good song. as are all the ones off of Autofiction. not quite sure that all the material of Antidepressants holds up to that (extremely) high benchmark, yet it remains great, and the opening salvo of Disintegrate, Dancing With The Europeans and Antidepressants showcases what a really, really good album it is.
earlier (rather than later) i did mention that's four times in as many years that i have seen Suede. by no means do i take as a given this makes me a "proper" fan, for there will be dedicates souls fortunate enough to have gone to that many gigs this tour alone. the band do seem quite aware of their following and the devoted get rewarded, with them doing a rarely played live or unexpected track at each show. for us in (why aye man) Newcastle the gods of vibes were certainly kind as we got hit with Introducing The Band, which i was in heaven to hear live. no, i didn't film it, but here, have some Animal Nitrate.
just a quick warning that the next image here (below) is indeed one of moi. i do (really) appreciate that there are some of you who for some reason read this but have absolutely no wish to see me, which is understandable and so only fair i warn.
once again, then, this was at Newcastle City Hall, although i think they want you to call it "02 (or O2) Academy" now. think that's five or six gigs i have been to there of late, and it is one hell of a venue. it offers incredible sound and the crowd is always excellent. bit annoying with the new "digital ticket" strategy, mind. as part of some "pre-sale" via purchasing the album i had to buy the ticket on one website, but could only access the (digital) ticket via the 0(O)2 Academy app, and to get into my ticket i had to log in via another (as in a third) app/website thing. surprisingly smooth, to be honest, but there is much to be said for the days when one paid for a ticket and simply got a ticket.
last (or final) warning of imminent picture of moi. oddly not a selfie, since someone else at the gig kindly took it for me. indeed i did go on my own, as i just felt like going on my own. but also you are never, ever alone at a Suede gig.
that is indeed the "meat wings" backdrop what features on the Antidepressants album cover. of course on the cover it is a (quite) naked Brett Anderson before them (it). do i look that good? no, not at all, but it has been lovely that some friends have said i am looking "really good" and have clearly lost some decent weight. much appreciated, and it is funny what a near death experience will do to your lifestyle choices. and no, i am not linking it all again.
other highlights? there were none. a really tight, taunt 100 or so minute set, i think 20, maybe 21 songs. well, all right, there was a bit of confusion when we got hit by Can't Get Enough from the not as bad as people make out Head Music album, followed by June Rain, which i wouldn't necessarily classify as a high point on the Antidepressants album. this was a point at which some (not many) felt it appropriate to take a break, to head to the bar or bathroom or what have you.
some more video, and one of the songs that is just growing in stature. i thought the deeply personal, beautiful She Still Leads Me On was incredible the first time i heard it and over the last, what, four or five years it has grown and grown. that we, the audience, shout and singalong to it as we do with the same passion as, say, Metal Mickey or Beautiful Ones, underlines its magnificence.
purely due to the gig being on a Saturday we also got a performance of Saturday Night. not sure about other Suede fans but it has taken me longer than you might think to workout that they only play that on that day, and also (so we didn't get it) they only play By The Sea when the venue is literally on the coast. nice touch that. makes me wonder when, exactly (i know they played it during an anniversary tour of Coming Up), they might play Picnic By The Motorway again. for an immediate answer the only venue which i think is kind of by any sort of motorway is Knebworth.
quite the astonishing, great night out, thanks. indeed with (at the risk of being full tilt drama queen) all going on with "my health" i did wonder should i be doing this. yes, absolutely. whilst i appreciate there are more than i might like to think who(m) wish to see me remain a going concern, there's not a lot of sense to life if you are not going to pursue passions. also exactly, assuming one is sensible enough to avoid temptations, how much risk is there really at a concert?
yet, that said, i have cancelled what would have been the next one. for three (3) years i had been fortunate enough to get to the 100 Club for something or other. much (as in exactly) like last year i was on my way again to once more see KillerStar. however, booking any sort of vaguely reliable looking train seemed all but impossible, due mostly to no direct ones with thanks to the ongoing (and it seems perpetual) "maintenance work". with doctors suggesting a possibility that my heart might "fail" or whatever, i really didn't care for the idea of the stress which comes with relying on trains in this country. such never, ever ends well, at all.
sure, there's at least 1 (one) other gig i have a ticket for, within walking distance of my lodgings in this era of exile. probably will be one or two that come up i might fancy. actually, think the sensationally named Pop Will Eat Itself play close to home soon. i could say here that i don't see me travelling any great distances for gigs any time soon, yet also i am aware that as and when Suede announce the next tour, well, it will be something significant (and that could well be as base as money) that stops me following them.
above is a last bit of (poor quality) video for you, when for some reason i decided to capture a truly extraordinary performance of Stay Together. there's an argument that many of us in the audience were surprised to get this one too, since the band are, for a variety of reasons, not all that keen on it. we kind of assumed it was "thrown in" since it was Valentine's Day. it turns out that some chap, figuring if you don't ask you don't get, reached out to the band, asking them to "please consider" playing it as he had a wish to propose to his girlfriend at the gig during the song. yes, this is the stuff of cool rock mythology i so dearly love.
related (vaguely) to that, is there any Suede song i would wish to hear them do live that i have not heard them do so far? yes, actually, Barriers off of Bloodsports. i appreciate there's only so many songs they can do in a gig, and if you ask (for a random number) 20 fans what they want to hear you will get 20 different setlists, but i am always surprised this isn't an automatic inclusion when they work on what they wish to play. perhaps the next tour, then.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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