The London Suede

Suede ignited the Britpop uprising of the 1990s under the name the London Suede in the United States. The group steered English indie pop and rock away from shoegaze’s dense sonic haze and Madchester’s dance-pop hybrids, restoring British pop’s classic emphasis on enigma and the tight three-minute single. Even before issuing any recordings, the U.K. weekly press crowned them the Best New Band in Britain, yet the songwriting partnership between vocalist Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler allowed Suede to outlast the intense early publicity. Drawing equal inspiration from David Bowie’s glam force and the Smiths’ intimate bedsit melancholy, Anderson and Butler forged a lush, guitar-driven sound that blended dark sensuality, sexual ambiguity, strong melodies, and bold scope. When “The Drowners” appeared as their debut single in 1992, few peers—whether British shoegazers or American grunge acts—aspired to old-fashioned, deliberately provocative pop stardom, so the British media and fans embraced Suede, propelling their self-titled 1993 debut to become the fastest-selling first album in U.K. history.

Despite swift ascent at home, Suede faced ongoing difficulties, not least their struggle to gain traction in America. Friction between Anderson and Butler intensified while tracking the follow-up, Dog Man Star, prompting Butler’s departure before its autumn release and thereby limiting its commercial reach. Rather than disband, the remaining members recruited guitarist Richard Oakes and a keyboardist, then resurfaced in 1996 with Coming Up, which reclaimed the summit of the British charts.

Vocalist and lyricist Brett Anderson and bassist Mat Osman formed the unchanging nucleus across every Suede lineup. Anderson, the son of a taxi driver, launched the Smiths-influenced Geoff in 1985 alongside school friend Osman and drummer Danny Wilder, with Anderson handling guitar and Gareth Perry supplying vocals. After two demos, Geoff dissolved in 1986 as Anderson and Osman headed to university in London. They next assembled Suave & Elegant, a short-lived project, then placed a New Musical Express advertisement at the close of 1989 seeking a “non-muso” guitarist. Bernard Butler answered, and the three began laying down tracks—chiefly Anderson-Butler compositions—accompanied by a drum machine. Adopting the name Suede, inspired by Morrissey’s “Suedehead,” they submitted the demo tape Specially Suede to Demo Clash, Gary Crowley’s GLR radio feature. “Wonderful Sometimes” triumphed on the show for five consecutive Sundays in 1990, earning the trio a deal with Brighton indie RML. By the time they signed, Anderson’s girlfriend Justine Frischmann had joined on second guitar.

Suede advertised for a drummer and received a response from former Smiths member Mike Joyce, who performed on the RML debut single “Be My God”/“Art.” Scheduled as a 12-inch for autumn 1990, the release was withdrawn after a dispute with the label. Throughout 1991 the band rehearsed and demoed material before adding drummer Simon Gilbert; Frischmann exited early in 1992 to form Elastica and was not replaced. Months later Suede secured a two-single contract with Nude Records, after which Melody Maker featured them on its cover—despite having released nothing—and declared them the Best New Band in Britain.

“The Drowners,” their first Nude single, followed the cover story and charted modestly at number 49 on reviews and word-of-mouth momentum. “Metal Mickey,” issued that autumn, broke through at number 17 after a provocative Top of the Pops appearance. Anderson quickly earned a reputation for courting scandal; his remark that he was “a bisexual man who never had a homosexual experience” exemplified the band’s calculated blend of controversy and appeal to an alienated, sexually ambiguous audience.

A successful pre-album tour paved the way for “Animal Nitrate,” which entered at number seven, followed by the debut album itself debuting at number one with the largest first-week sales since Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Welcome to the Pleasuredome. By summer Suede stood as Britain’s biggest act, collecting the Mercury Music Prize that autumn, yet attempts to penetrate the U.S. faltered when Butler’s father died, forcing cancellation of a second tour. Their opening act, the Cranberries, gained MTV exposure Suede never secured. An American lawsuit from an obscure lounge singer also compelled the band to adopt the London Suede moniker stateside.

Strains between Butler and the others, already evident on 1993 tours, climaxed during late-1993 sessions for a new single. Butler envisioned “Stay Together” as a sweeping tribute to his father; the track reached number three upon its February 1994 release, yet the process proved fraught. As work continued on the second album, Anderson and Butler clashed repeatedly, with Butler later stating in a rare interview that Anderson moved too slowly and prioritized rock stardom over the music. Butler exited before sessions concluded, leaving Anderson to finish guitar parts. The departure sparked speculation, and Dog Man Star—grand, ambitious, and richly orchestrated—earned strong reviews but modest sales. Meanwhile Blur and Oasis eclipsed Suede’s earlier dominance with lighter, more radio-friendly material.

Although Dog Man Star moved nearly as many copies as the debut, press narratives portrayed a band in freefall. The addition of 17-year-old amateur guitarist Richard Oakes in September reinforced that impression. Suede endured an exhausting international trek through late 1994 and spring 1995 before retreating to prepare a third album. During the break Butler scored a Top Ten hit with vocalist David McAlmont, while Gilbert, Suede’s sole openly gay member, suffered a homophobic assault. At a January 1996 fan-club show the band unveiled new songs and introduced keyboardist Neil Codling, Gilbert’s cousin. Returning as a five-piece in September 1996, Suede issued Coming Up, a brighter, more collaborative effort that topped the charts and spawned five Top Ten singles: “Trash,” “Beautiful Ones,” “Saturday Night,” “Lazy,” and “Filmstar.” The album succeeded across Europe, Canada, and Asia, yet its U.S. release waited until spring 1997 and received only a three-city promotional tour, preventing significant American traction.

Despite these limitations, Coming Up became Suede’s strongest seller to date, raising expectations for its successor. Re-entering the studio in autumn 1998, the band parted ways with longtime producer Ed Buller in favor of Steve Osborne, previously known for New Order and Happy Mondays. Head Music arrived in May 1999 (June in the U.S.), emphasizing analog synthesizers and drum machines; reactions among longtime fans were mixed, though the album retained anthemic glitter-rock swagger on tracks such as “Electricity,” “Can’t Get Enough,” and “She’s in Fashion.”

By 2001 Suede faced pivotal shifts. Keyboardist Codling, a major contributor to Head Music, departed and was succeeded by Alex Lee of Strangelove. Nude Records collapsed, leaving the band under Sony’s direct control. Anderson, having battled crack addiction, achieved sobriety. These changes notwithstanding, Suede completed their fifth studio album, A New Morning, produced by Stephen Street and released in 2003. Public appetite for the band and the Britpop era had waned, however, and sales proved disappointing. After touring in support of the 2003 Singles compilation, Suede announced an indefinite hiatus in October and played their final show at London’s Astoria on December 13, 2003.

During the break Anderson reunited with Butler as the Tears, releasing the well-received Here Come the Tears in 2005. Anderson also issued four solo albums: Brett Anderson (2007), Wilderness (2008), Slow Attack (2009), and Black Rainbows (2011). In 2010, with Codling reinstated, Suede reconvened for live dates beginning with a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit at the Royal Albert Hall on March 24. Further concerts followed, including a tour tied to The Best of Suede. New material surfaced onstage in 2011; the band entered the studio in 2012 with returning producer Ed Buller for their first album of original songs since 2003. Bloodsports appeared in 2013, preceded online by “Barriers” and “It Starts and Ends with You.” The record reflected a more seasoned perspective from Anderson while echoing the sweeping guitar pop of Suede’s early work. After 2014 anniversary performances of Dog Man Star, the band recorded Night Thoughts, released in late January 2016 and debuting at number six in the U.K. Later that year they issued a super-deluxe twentieth-anniversary edition of Coming Up.