In America, when you search for Suede on streaming platforms, you’ll find their songs split between “Suede” and “The London Suede”. A lawsuit forced the band to change its name for the U.S. market, so the messiness of a group with two names endures.
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For those unfamiliar, Suede is one of Britpop’s big four, alongside Oasis, Blur, and Pulp. They helped kickstart the scene in the early 90s, but never had a crossover hit like “Wonderwall” or “Song 2” in the U.S.
Suede drew inspiration from David Bowie and The Smiths, blending glam rock and post-punk to become one of the defining indie bands of 90s British guitar music. Yet they remain a Britpop band that most Americans missed.
“Animal Nitrate”
Britpop emerged as a reaction to American grunge. Noel Gallagher’s optimistic anthem “Live Forever” was his answer to Nirvana’s “I Hate Myself And I Want To Die”. But Kurt Cobain still influenced the bands that wanted to send the Yanks home. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” inspired Bernard Butler’s riff in “Animal Nitrate”, an anthem launching countless young British guitarists. Even with Cobain’s impact, Suede’s camp visuals and Butler’s Ziggy Stardust guitars were a revolt against American grunge and anti-rock-star sentiment.
“Trash”
One kid who perfected Butler’s riff was Richard Oakes, the teenage virtuoso who replaced Butler after he and singer Brett Anderson could no longer work together. Though Butler had created the blueprint, “Trash” became Suede’s most successful single. The band’s third album, Coming Up, followed its dark masterpiece Dog Man Star. It’s perhaps Suede’s most straightforward effort and finds Anderson reveling in pop ambition. The songs are definitely simple, and the conciseness almost feels like a mission statement.
“The Wild Ones”
This is my favorite Suede song and features Anderson and Butler’s best performance together. Thankfully, producer Ed Buller had captured it before The Smiths’ creative heirs fell out with one another. Grandiose choruses often characterized Britpop’s ballads. However, Suede’s gorgeous track captures its beauty in subtle ways. (Subtlety isn’t usually a feature of this band.) But an impasse was approaching. Anderson pleads desperately over Butler’s punk-R&B chords in a perfect track to highlight the duo’s broken partnership.
“Pantomime Horse”
Everything absurd and brilliant about Suede can be found in “Pantomime Horse”. Over the top drama. Overwrought and psychedelic lyrics. Stellar guitar playing on the verge of falling apart. And Anderson’s croon. This is music of and by youth culture. The words might make more sense if you’re wandering London’s streets long after the clubs have closed. But if you’ve never been there, Suede’s Mercury Prize-winning debut gives you an idea of what the kids were up to in the 90s.
Photo by Dean Chalkey
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