Last night at Kelvingrove Bandstand was an astoundingly good night. Forget about the rain, the threatened thunder and lightning storms, the show Suede put on was breath-taking.
Suede have always been a phenomenal live band, since I first saw them live in King Tuts on the 5th of October 1992, I don’t remember ever being disappointed in their live shows.
Suede hold a very special place in the hearts and minds of their fans. This most recent gig cemented their place as one of the finest live bands the UK has produced. The show was an exhilarating experience from the get go. I’m sure I am not alone in making this bold statement. This gig will be hard to beat in the remaining months of 2019.
There were many die hard Suede fans there, Brett name-checking the Insatiable Ones and their inspiration and I witnessed many “Outsiders” t-shirts on show. I would be prepared to bet that any casual Suede fans in attendance will have the 31st of July 2019 indelibly imprinted on their memory. Suede have a special place in the hearts and minds of their fans.
The Ninth Wave
The Ninth Wave were the band set with the challenge of warming up a partisan crowd. Despite them having to play through the rain, their efforts were highly appreciated by the wet, but up for it crowd. Their electronic sound bolstered with poppy gothic guitar riffs owes much to the bombastic ’80s but the four band members manage to make their vast sound very 21st Century. On occasion Haydn’s deep sonorous vocal reminds me of White Lies frontman Harry McVeigh.
Their popularity was apparent from the start but as their set reached its climax , tracks like Reformation and Swallow Me had the crowd lapping up their set receiving a rousing ovation at the end (and when they re-appeared to clear their instruments from then stage). One to watch as their debut album (in two parts) drops…
Thoroughly warmed up, anticipation levels notched up a few degrees waiting the arrival of the main event. Remarkably, the rain petered out as Suede took to the stage and in defiance of the forecast, the only thunder tonight came from the band.
As One…
An evocative As One, from most recent album, The Blue Hour, opened proceedings followed by an affecting Snowblind. This set out their stall, the musicianship and sound coming from the stage was second to none.
The party really kicked off with the trio of The Outsiders, We Are the Pigs and So Young. If anyone was in doubt about what tonight was going to be all about, their doubts should have been well and truly quashed by now.
An Elegant Sir
Brett, an elegant sir in a terylene shirt, cut a dashing lithe figure as always. His boundless energy saw him bouncing around the stage in his usual effervescent manner. The exuberance he displays would make a man half his age jealous. I am convinced he must have a wizened portrait at home in his attic. A better frontman in today’s live scene would be hard to find.
If I had one petty observation, it was that he favoured those gathered to his right. However, that is where the die-hards were gathered in numbers so it was entirely understandable. Lets face it, it took nothing away from my enjoyment of the perfect complete performance proffered by the band.
Talking of the band, the individual effort from each band member was beyond expectation, exceptional to a man, the glorious racket the ensemble made together was truly a thing of beauty.
Euphoric
Following on with a euphoric Metal Mickey, it wasn’t just the front few rows that were bouncing. Suede have their fingers on the pulse of the fans and know how to get straight to their hearts. The exceptional Heroine and He’s Dead followed on delighting all present. The latter seeing Brett writhing around manically stage left.
Tides followed before an ecstatically received the Two of Us, with Brett on good form joking about the weather and making Irn Bru references as to what the Scots are made of…
The Insatiable Ones
Debut single The Drowners saw Anderson venture into the crowd to sing the whole song amongst the Insatiable Ones. As the stage spotlight capturing a couple of my friends faces, their look of sheer joy and beaming grins saying more than any words.
“Pinch myself but I don’t wake up” sings Brett (It Starts and Ends With You), and I concur wholeheartedly. I have done the same metaphorically several times this evening, thankfully it isn’t a dream and I am experiencing this in real life.
Before Sabotage, Brett prowls the stage on all fours like a caged beast, the man has energy to spare as he launches into the anthemic Trash followed by a muscular Animal Nitrate, still my all time favourite Suede song, with the whole bandstand singing along in unison.
Can’t Dance, Can’t Sing, Can’t Play?
The end? Not a chance! The band left the stage with Anderson taking to a stool with acoustic guitar. Thanking everyone but specifying the Insatiable Ones, he proceeded to play a perfect acoustic rendition of Pantomime Horse, when he drew away from the mic at one point, you could hear a pin drop.
Preceding this, he had joked about not being able to dance, sing or play guitar, but it didn’t matter if you couldn’t sing as long as you have confidence. Judging by the powerful vocal on display tonight, he has confidence in abundance, and rightly so.
I Don’t Know How to Reach You (aye, you do Brett!), a beautiful Invisibles and engaging Flytipping. You would have been forgiven to think that was the end as the band left the stage. We checked watches. Curfew time was upon us.
Life is indeed Golden
Not quite.
To send us packing into the night with smiles on our faces the band finished with a glorious Beautiful Ones (“if you don’t know the words, why are you here?) and a wondrous Life is Golden, dedicated to his son. Magnificent
I expected to enjoy tonight. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve never seen them play a bad gig, but tonight surpassed all expectations. A phenomenal performance from each and every member of the band culminating in a show that had everything you could want from a Suede gig, then some.
One last word has to go to Linda, you know who you are. A huge thank you to you. Imagine I had missed tonight’s gig! Unfathomable…