Suede @ Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow (31st July 2019)

with The Ninth Wave

Hosted by: Regular Music

WORDS: Ray Mondo

My first gig review in a while but one I'm quite happy to get back into the swing of things with - hopefully, I avoid any potential bias or similar. I feel I need to make it clear when I say Suede have always been one of my all-time favourite bands and quite a formative part of my taste in music, being one of the bands pointing me towards what I was looking for in music without realising it. So when Suede were announced as one of the headlining acts during Glasgow's "Summer Nights at the Bandstand" string of gigs, it was safe to say I was more than looking forward to this as soon as the announcement was made.

With the weather looking quite damp and only due to get worse as the evening would go on, understandably there were concerns if the gig would be cancelled in a worst case scenario. Fortunately, it all went off without a hitch and it goes without saying that a more-than memorable evening was had. As will most times always be the case with a gig in Glasgow.

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The first band on was noise-pop four-piece The Ninth Wave. Based in Glasgow themselves and looking set to stun with their more-than interesting on-stage appearance, their music turned out to be as intriguing as the band members looked. In what could be described as a passion project between vocalist/guitarist Haydn Park-Patterson and vocalist/bassist Amelia Kidd, their influences lie in 80s new-wave and goth-pop - think something along the lines of The Cure and Cocteau Twins with a hint of Gary Numan thrown in for good measure.

Starting off with perhaps their most well-known song 'This Broken Design', the band were successful in drawing in an eager audience right from the get-go. The band's synthy music came with a hard edge supplied by the interesting dynamic between the band members and in their approach to the music itself. Singer Park-Patterson boldly took his place up on the stage monitors for the first few songs, before brandishing a guitar for the majority of the set. Bassist Kidd then took the reigns for a few songs, taking a break from bass to stride confidently across the monitors herself, always seeming to leave the crowd wanting more. Be sure to catch The Ninth Wave live if you're lucky enough to get the chance to do so.

By this point, the weather had taken a turn for the worse as the clouds opened up and gave way to a few long showers, fortunately this did not for a minute dampen the spirits of either the band or the crowd who were all determined to have a great time regardless.

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For those unfortunate enough to not be too familiar with Suede, they could be described as glam-pop/art-rock pioneers of the 90s alternative era, often unfortunately lumped in with the general laddish and overdone Britpop scene of that time. It definitely goes without saying that they were one of the more interesting acts of that period. They are comprised of singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Richard Oakes, bassist Mat Osman, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Neil Codling and drummer Simon Gilbert. Having split up initially in 2003, Suede reformed this perhaps more well-known line-up (from their Coming Up era in the 90s) in 2010 for a series of concerts before deciding to stay together for good. They then released a string of highly acclaimed albums in the form of Bloodsports in 2013, Night Thoughts in 2016, and their latest (and perhaps greatest) effort The Blue Hour in 2018; a rare example of a classic band getting back together and more than proving their worth once again after their initial success.

With their doom-laden opener 'As One' from the aforementioned newest album, the band walked on and began the song in the coolest of manners to many an uproarious cheer and cries of disbelief. Tith just the right timing, frontman Brett Anderson strode on with all the effortless coolness in the world and took the mic, to which the whole venue came alive. "Here I am" he called, as fans sang back and began to reach out for a touch or a grab like it was the second coming; the tense music being more than appropriate for this.

Starting out on an excellent note, the band jumped full force into a double whammy of two more recent tracks - the shimmering, U2-like 'Snowblind' from their initial comeback album Bloodsports followed directly by the gothic glam-stomper 'Outsiders', from their 2016 effort Night Thoughts. The choice of starting a much-anticipated show with three new tracks was a bold one, but it all paid off as the crowd were already jumping around in excitement and singing along to every word, showing Suede's confidence and faith in their latest material.

With that said, the band were also of course more than able to still strut their stuff when it comes to the earlier part of their impressive back catalogue. Anderson greeted the Glasgow crowd (who all cheered back) and then enticed everyone to get up and move as the first few instantly-recognisable notes of the apocalyptic-sounding single 'We Are the Pigs' played, causing the energy of the crowd to lift once again. Even passing fans of the band would be in for a treat with this set, as even more classic hits made an appearance, such as the early singles 'So Young', 'Metal Mickey' and the dramatic-as-always classic Dog Man Star track 'Heroine'. If anyone had to pinch themselves in case this was all a dream, more pinching would be required as the band whipped out early B-side 'He's Dead', featuring Anderson's hypnotic dancing and guitarist Richard Oakes showcasing some flawless soloing while the rest of the band jammed fluidly along. Bassist Mat Osman kept a smooth groove going with his excellent bass lines. Drummer Simon Gilbert was a powerhouse of rhythm, while Neil Codling was ever-resourceful as he went seamlessly between additional guitar, backing vocals and keyboard duties.

Another The Blue Hour track received an outing in the form of the moody and ominous 'Tides', featuring Anderson's soaring vocals, more shimmering guitar notes courtesy of Oakes, as well as Codling interestingly enough playing a six-string bass. This was a bit of an oddity for a Suede song but as trivial as it may be, it goes to highlight the band's as-always ambitious experimentation in new sounds. Anderson summed up this rendition of the song best (and of course the gig in general thus far) as he sang "it's wonderful" and as always, the dedicated and loyal fans all reach out with hands on their hearts, as one could watch all the words being mouthed along to.

It was all brought back to a more upbeat note (but thankfully not one of shameless nostalgia), as the band began rocking their very first classic 1992 single 'The Drowners'. Sounding as timeless now as it did back then, and sounding as full as ever with some extra rhythm guitar adding more thickness and depth to the instrumentation, I couldn’t help but smile as some retro fans sang along in the same slightly faux-Cockney accent that Anderson himself did back in the band's early days. This on its own shows how dedicated some of the evening's attendees were. As is usually the case when this song is played live, Anderson jumped down from the stage and immersed himself in the audience, in which there was not a hand that wasn’t raised to try and reach out for a touch of the singer or holding a camera phone to try and capture such an exciting close-up moment.

More Bloodsports songs such as the always-catchy 'It Starts and Ends With You' and the effortless heartbreaker 'Sabotage' were thrown in for good measure, right before yet another double whammy. This time it was perhaps Suede's two most well-known songs, the anthemic pop-rocker 'Trash' and sleazy glam-fest 'Animal Nitrate' sending the energy of the night through the roof. The already quite-crowded standing section of the Kelvingrove bandstand were all synced together as everyone jumped up and down, shouting out every word like their life depended on it. Anderson would again jump down periodically to the fans or reach out to them from the edge of the stage, in which he is surrounded by a swarm of arms and hands all reaching out for even a graze of the singer’s hand.

All of the band members left the stage with the exception of Anderson who was then sat on one of the stage monitors with an acoustic guitar for a solo rendition of debut album track 'Pantomime Horse'. This was an incredibly intimate experience, with voices occasionally cracking with emotion in the distance as you could hear people singing along. Personally speaking, I was lucky enough to be close up to where Anderson was for this song. As I write this, it is something I still can't believe and feel immensely lucky to have experienced, and I can imagine this is the case as well for the immediately surrounding people in the crowd.

As the night's proceedings began to wind down, the audience were treated to another track from The Blue Hour in the form of the emotive album closer 'Flytipping', a track which is already becoming a seminal track in the band's back catalogue. Anderson made his discreet exit, leaving the band to do their thing as Oakes again unleashed one of the wildest and emotional-sounding solos in Suede’s career. Once done, the band all waved as they left the stage but fortunately it was not all over yet, as all the members returned for an encore of no doubt excellent song choices knowing Suede and their appreciation for their fans and audiences. "If you don't know the words, why are you even here?" jokes Anderson, as they kicked off into an energetic rendition of the ever-popular 'Beautiful Ones', followed immediately by another new song 'Life is Golden', a beautiful song written for Anderson's son, which he himself commented on before singing it. The song choice here again displays the confidence Suede have in their new material and in the ideology of always moving forward; still acknowledging the past with fondness but looking ahead to the greater future.

With a jam-packed value-for-money set of mostly classic songs with still a healthy helping of new material blending seamlessly in with the older material, it goes to show that Suede know their audiences well and are still on the right path to making excellent, timeless music; staying true to their original fans while welcoming in the new generation without any struggle. If you enjoy Suede's music as a hardcore fan or even at a passing level, you'll be in for an experience to remember for a lifetime if you get the chance to go see them live. With seemingly infinite energy like this, they without a doubt put many new and younger bands to shame.

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Thanks to Ray for writing this review and thanks to you for reading! Feel free to leave a comment below or give RWEI some support by liking/following us over on the socials or get in touch with us for any submissions/contributions. Cheers!