On Thursday night, 90s Brit-pop darlings Suede brought their 'Dancing With The Europeans Tour' to an adoring audience at Rock City, with support from Notts own dark dreamwave trio Bloodworm...
First up for tonight, I am excited to check out the support - Notts own Bloodworm. Amusingly as they take the stage there’s a shout of ‘You sexy bastards’ from the crowd - it’s clear there are some big fans of the locally grown goth act here, while others are probably unaware this is somewhat of a homecoming for the lads. Not yet half-way through the 36 date tour, they’ve been everywhere from Brighton to Edinburgh so far throughout February, and next month head across the channel to mainland Europe.
But if opening dozens of sold out gigs with iconic British luminaries Suede is phasing them at all, they're not letting it show. A staunchly live-first act, Bloodworm have made an effort to play extensively around the country, along with making their name known at the likes of Dot to Dot, Splendour and new two day festival Paint by Numbers, which launched at the Bodega in December. In fact, as they told us back in November, it was after Suede guitarist Richard Oakes saw them play at an our of town gig that he personally asked them to support on the tour.
Drenched in red and blue lights, their performance is poised and polished, and the trio exude just the kind of aloofness their music hints at. Setting the tone for the set, opener Depths is catchy, dark and dangerous. Following is an otherworldly blend of dreamwave, goth and metal, with Back of a Hand and Bloodlust being particular standouts of the set. Frontman George Curtis’ vocals are at times evocative of Andrew Eldritch of Sisters of Mercy, while his twelve string guitar belts 80s riffs that dip into The Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen. If Bloodworm’s rise is foreshadowing a renaissance of doleful 80s goth I am here for it, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on any upcoming Nottingham gigs in the future.
Like the giddiness of seeing a far-away friend, the love in the room for this band is palpable, and it feels like each person has had a special moment in their life with Suede
The place fills up during the short intermission, so much so it is clear not a ticket was left unchecked. Suede are considered one of the ‘big four’ of Brit-Pop bands, yet have always stood out to me as something a little more incongruous. If the likes of Oasis spawned lad culture, Suede lived on the foppish side of the genre, inspired by the decadence of 70s glam-rock and integrating a swaggering romance.
The lights go down and the stomping intro of Antidepressants opener Disintegrate begins. Converse to the title, this is a rallying cry of a track that unites the room - a frenzied energy is immediately ignited and within seconds everyone is singing along to the chorus. I’m a little awestruck - while I grew up adoring the soaring vocals of Brett Anderson I wasn’t quite aware of how bloody good a frontman he is. As we enter ‘Suedeworld’, it’s Anderson’s interaction with the crowd that fuel the swaying and the buzz in the room.
Next up, another stunner from the latest album, Dancing With The Europeans, which professes a sense of solidarity in the face of modernity’s penchant for separation. Once again singing the chorus, it’s clear Suede fans have listened hard to Antidepressants, but if that display of adoration wasn’t enough, as we move to classics Trash and Animal Nitrate, things truly kick off.
Like the giddiness of seeing a far-away friend, the love in the room for this band is palpable, and it feels like each person has had a special moment in their life with Suede. Other than an eleven year hiatus in the 2000s, the band have consistently produced albums since they first formed in 1989, yet the energy has not become stale. I’ll confess I have a somewhat patchy knowledge of Suede’s albums after the late 90s, but this night was a great reminder to reacquaint myself and delve into some of their lesser known records.
And yet, there’s something in the core of Suede that I know so well - it helped raise me, and the many others who grew up feeling like a bit of an outsider. “We are the Romantics of the carparks, the factories, the dirty clubs and street curbs,” Anderson shouts into the audience at one point. And this is it - throwing some glitter and leopard print on the mundane and the grimy was a great way to give a bit of glamour to a misspent youth in a boring British town.
As the tempo lowers to more ballady tracks such as Pale Snow and June Rain, the audience has a chance to catch their breath. Then an intensely special moment follows during High Rising as Brett ditches the mic to deliver a few lines acapella. For me, one of the most unique elements of Suede has always been that voice - the wretchedly romantic wail that is unlike anyone else. Hearing it soar over a couple of thousand hushed fans was a truly intimate moment.
Finally, to wrap up the night, we’re back to the famed hits of So Young, Metal Mickey and Beautiful Ones, and after a beautiful encore the band exit leaving a spent crowd, dizzy with ardour for a band that helped define an era, back off to their normal lives, but for now feeling a little ritzier.
Suede performed at Rock City on 19th February 2025. You can find their latest album Antidepressants on all major streaming platforms.
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