Suede, tour review: Back to the Nineties with a bang

The reformed band remain reassuringly out of step and played with a fired-up ferocity, says Andre Paine
Motivational and flamboyant: frontman Brett Anderson
Rex
Andre Paine16 November 2015

There's been a trend in recent years for bands to perform classic albums, but playing a newly minted record in full risks alienating even devoted admirers.

Night Thoughts is not out until January, so this unveiling of Suede’s seventh album and accompanying silent film implied an unshakeable confidence.

The reformed band, who released a fine comeback two years ago, remain reassuringly out of step. With Suede semi-visible behind the film screen at the Roundhouse, the brooding guitars and haunting sequence of a drowning man during When You Are Young did not suggest a group chasing chart glory.

For fans, this preview offered a reprise of the dark grandeur of their 1994 masterpiece Dog Man Star. There was a hard, punkish edge to Richard Oakes’s riffs on No Tomorrow, while Brett Anderson’s sharp, enveloping voice sounded better than ever on Outsiders.

Latest music reviews

1/168

The staging made for an immersive experience, yet Suede still know how to write alluring, hedonistic tunes. Like Kids was such a satisfying throwback it might just as well have been called Trashy Beautiful Ones.

After the interval, Suede returned to the Nineties in earnest for a set that was remarkable for its fired-up ferocity. It ranged from the triumphant singalong of Trash and the rollercoaster riffs of Animal Nitrate, to rare appearances of beloved B-sides.

It was held together by Anderson, a motivational, flamboyant frontman who swung his microphone, flicked his fringe and dived into the crowd during sleazy debut single The Drowners. When the lithe singer emerged from the clamorous throng with his shirt unbuttoned, he looked glad to be back at the helm of one of our best bands.

Roundhouse, NW1.

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in