You wouldn’t blame Mr Anderson and co for taking a back seat as they move to the darker side of their forties with a run through the hits or a fan-pleasing album here and there. Plenty of bands from the same era as Suede have done the nostalgia run. In the last year or so alone we’ve seen Ride, Kula Shaker and Lush both reform to play concerts at the same venue that’s hosting Suede’s two night run.
While with those three it’ll all be about customary run throughs of the likes of ‘Hey Dude’, ‘Lady Killers’ and ‘Vapour Trail’, Suede have bravely placed the focus on not just their new album but the accompanying film written by Stephanie De Giorgio and directed by Libertines alumni Roger Sargent. Perhaps it’s another example of outsider thinking for the 90’s biggest cult band. Possessing a large and fiercely loyal fan base, but not really reaching past them, Suede are able to make the sort of career moves that may be suicidal to other bands who elect to stick to the safety of the reunion circuit.
The night opens with a flourish of bombastic strings, giving way to an almost biblical angular guitar riff from Richard Oakes, who seems to have found his own signature sound since the band’s 2010 reunion.
A thousand faces look up to the video screen as opener ‘When You Are Young’ sets the tone of drama and elegance that goes along with this album. It’s a composed and controlled song in many ways, but its subtleties play perfectly with singer Brett’’s falsetto tones to take command over the audience – who at this stage still haven’t actually caught a glimpse of the band who are playing to them.
However, the video doesn’t pull the audience in until second song and most recent single ‘Outsiders’. Telling its tale of forbidden love, Roger Sargent plays it perfectly by ramping up the gritty kitchen sink vibe up to the maximum. From here on in the film doesn’t let down from its gritty precipice, pushing the audience, almost prodding to find out their limits in terms of the harsh imagery placed in front of them.
Lights illuminate the band during pivotal moments that don’t just serve to remind us of the live band’s presence but often enhance the film’s drama too. Anderson plays a shadow role to the male protagonist, mirroring the drama presented on the screen.
“Fight The Sorrow” sings Brett Anderson on ‘No Tomorrow’ as viewers are treated to the sight of an elderly man attempting suicide. It’s a harrowing juxtaposition between what seems on the surface to be a melodically upbeat song and the shockingly graphic images presented in front of our eyes.
‘I Don’t Know How To Reach You’ shows the male protagonist kidnap his estranged wife at gunpoint in a violent but moving scene. It’s paired with an alternate reality where his lover is receptive to his attempt to rescue her, which makes her fear and anguish at the ordeal all the more harrowing. Musically it’s a powerful song utilizing the angular guitar of Oakes with Anderson’s high register pleading to create a dramatic song that matches the tension seen on screen.
Some comic relief, or as close as this film comes to it, is given in the clip for ‘What I’m Trying To Tell You’ as the protagonist imagines himself on stage as he apes Brett in the backyard of his estranged lover. This is the track that comes closest to the Coming Up sound. A glam like riff and an unashamedly pop chorus gives way into a la la-ing ending.
‘Tightrope’ flashes back to the happier times of our poor protagonist, finding out his girlfriend has fallen pregnant and the joys of bonding with his young song. ‘Tightrope’ is this album’s ‘Wild Ones’ moment, with its poignant lyrics and unashamedly balladeering performance.
‘Like Kids’ gives a shout out to the bands critical peak, Dog Man Star with the protagonist passed out naked on a bed in a scene that mirrors the cover of that immortal album. “Do I want you because you’re out of reach” asks Brett as the man above us suffers a drug-fuelled break down as revellers view him with curiosity while simultaneously vomiting their guts up themselves. Glam to the extreme, this is a good shout for the second single. It’s definitely got the radio appeal while staying true to the extreme dramatist of the rest of Night Thoughts. In perhaps another DMS shoutout, the track ends with a children’s chant reminiscent of ‘We Are The Pigs’.
‘I Can’t Give Her What She Wants’ is the showpiece vocal for Brett Anderson. He soars above the low-key backing to give a commanding performance that belies the near 50 years of its vocalist.
The film’s plot eventually rounds off as we see the protagonist’s young son drown at sea, explaining the chain of events that have pulled in not just himself but all those around him – the grandfather’s suicide, the mother’s affair, the father’s mental collapse. It’s an amazing pay off to a film that before this pivotal point ran the constant risk of being brave but disjointed.
As the gorgeous ‘The Fur And The Feathers’ brings the first half of the set, and the album, to a close, it’s clear that this is a new creative high point for the band. While this may not have the mass appeal of the band’s earlier work, it represents Suede as a forward thinking and creatively fluid act who aren’t content to rest on the laurels of the successful comeback of Bloodsports.
All in all, Night Thoughts is an epic, dramatic and at times challenging album that surprisingly seems to work best with its counterpart album.
The band’s second set sees Suede back in their audience thrilling pomp. Brett leaps around the stage to the likes of ‘Animal Nitrate’ and ‘Trash’ like a man thirty years younger than his real age. The audience surges with a youthful energy as well, even though as soon as the concert ends many of them will be likely phoning childminders to check on their beloved.
There is an odd disjoint between the two sets. The film is hard to see standing at floor level and really requires you to be seated at balcony level for the full cinematic experience, while the band’s second set of sleazy anthems will make you want to dive off said balcony to get right in amongst the action. But for such a brave move by the band, you can forgive this small trade-off.
Lesser aired tracks like A New Morning era rarity ‘Heroine’ and ‘Animal Lover’ are both offered to the die-hards as tokens of appreciation for their unwavering support of the new offerings of set one. The fans pay back that loyalty by rapidly pogoing to every last note of the set and ravishing Brett Anderson each time he braves to make physical contact with the crowd.
The most poignant moment of the night, and perhaps the most memorable, is the closing trio of songs from the back end of Dog Man Star, which singer Brett Anderson dedicates to the victims of the previous night’s attacks in Paris. Mournful and dramatic in tone, tracks like ‘Still Life’ and ‘The Two of Us’ brought tears to the eyes of many. ‘The Asphalt World’ between the two seeming all the more dramatic with Oakes’ solo almost searing.
If this is just the start of Suede‘s creative resurgence, then things could get very exciting for fans of one the 90’s most underrated bands.
