There should have been four of us at this gig. And it should have been at the Brixton Academy. But events transpired to trash all that. The Academy had to close because of a riot at a gig at which two people died. It is still awaiting reopening having had its license reviewed. Needless to say the problem wasn't really the venue's fault, but the Nigerian rapper's fans that decided to turn up without tickets and just invade the place. Obviously if it had been Suede's fan base the place would have been fine. But as it was, Suede had to transfer from a night at the Academy to the two at the nearby, but much smaller, Electric.
A smaller venue is usually a nice thing. And this might well have been too. But below is the queue to get in about 15 minutes before doors even opened.
I wasn't going to get involved in all that, instead opting for a curry with the sole surviving other member of our original band, Andy, whose wedding I attended in the previous post. The other two guys both succumbed to work commitments. So then there were two...
We still got in with nearly an hour to spare before Suede were due on, but the floor was already rammed by then. So basically we stood at the back by the bar, but I somehow managed to get a decent view throughout the night between two rather jug eared guys in front of me. I have my camera to thank for the decent photos, and the fact that the back at the Electric is nowhere near as far as at the Academy. (But I did lose a few snapshots to one jug ear or the other suddenly appearing at the side of my photos!😀)
This was a typically energetic, even frenetic, performance from Brett Anderson. At 56 he would put much younger men to shame. My God he puts a lot of effort in. His blue shirt by the end of the evening was a distinctly darker hue, being utterly drenched in sweat and sticking to his torso. It was quite hot enough even at the back and not moving around - the catch of sweaty gigs in the middle of December - freezing outside, a sauna indoors. Impossible to dress for.
Anyway, the gig started with a flurry of songs of the latest album, Autofiction (I won't say "new" as it has been out for over a year now), then went into a greatest hits phase as if to appease the fans, and then onto a mix of old and new including some rather obscure songs (although not too obscure for Andy whose knowledge of Suede verges on the encyclopedic!). The overall experience was, as usual with Suede, rather brilliant. I quite liked Brett's insistence that their latest album was their best one - I actually tend to agree. And that is highly unusual in a band of this vintage. It may not have as many singalong hooks as some earlier stuff, but overall quality is just great. An album to listen to more than to dance to maybe.
