Featured on Portsmouth Point: The Forgotten Britpop Heroes

By Tadala J, Year 12

The world of Britpop has left a massive indent on British culture since its inception in the 1990s. Drawing inspiration from genres such as glam rock, new wave and indie pop, as well as claiming the essence of the British Invasion of the mid-1960s, this music culture movement shaped the climate of the 1990s in Britain, from music and fashion to art and politics.When thinking about Britpop, we often link it back to the biggest bands of the time, Blur and Oasis, and their iconic chart battle in 1995. However, amongst the persistent lad culture lay an often-forgotten band, despite their mainstream success. This band being Suede.

Formed in London in 1989, Suede, also known as the London Suede, are a rock that would later become a heavy component in the Britpop “Big Four”. Most notably comprised of singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon, Suede drew inspiration from glam rock and post-punk. Not long after their initiation, they were hailed “the next big thing” by 1992 and the magazine Melody Maker featured the band on the cover, with the headline “Suede: The Best New Band in Britain”. With charting singles such as “The Downers” and “Metal Mickey”, Suede held the essence of Britpop, as their songs were in stark contrast to the popular Madchester and US grunge scenes at the time. The band was known for their unique sound and sexual ambiguity. This came into form as one of their most chart-topping singles, “Animal Nitrate”, released in February 1993 and went into the UK top ten.

Their debut self-titled album, Suede, launched the band further into fame as it entered the British charts at number one, and registered the biggest initial sales of a debut album at the time. The album sold over 100,000 copies within the first week and went gold the next day. In the April 1993 issue, lead singer Brett Anderson was featured on the cover of Select magazine with the Union Flag in the background and the headline “Yanks go home!”. This ordained Suede as one of the first bands to start the Britpop movement. Journalist John Harris stated, “If Britpop started anywhere, it was the deluge of acclaim that greeted Suede’s first records: all of them audacious, successful and very, very British.”

Despite the band’s success throughout the mid-1990s, which would also bring commercial successes such as “Stay Together” and their second album “Dog Star Man”, the band would start to show cracks in their stability. The first crack was rising tensions within the band; artistic differences and Anderson’s self-isolation would lead to Butler leaving the band. The band still turned out another successful album, “Coming Up”, in September 1996. “Coming Up” became the band’s biggest mainstream success, earning five top 10 singles and becoming a hit in Europe, Asia and Canada. However, by 1997, Britain’s pop culture climate was starting to change, and Britpop was starting to decline in popularity. Another crack in their stability was the band’s fourth album, “Head Music”, which did not receive as much acclaim as the previous records.This album differed from the rest. Instead of guitar riffs, “Head Music” focused more on synths and keyboards. The album fell out of favour with the fans and critics felt as though the album’s lyrics were too shallow and lacked substance.

By 2000, there was speculation that the band were on the verge of breaking up. With Suede’s fifth album, “A New Morning”, this speculation became more of a reality. The new album saw keyboard player Coding leave the band and being replaced by Alex Lee. The album also saw seven different recording studios and four producers, ultimately costing them approximately £1 million. “A New Morning” was defined by critics as lukewarm and Mat Osman described it as sounding like “a Suede album that was made by a committee”. In November 2003, the band officially announced their hiatus, stating that “there will not be a new studio album until the band feel that the moment is artistically right to make one.”

In recent years, Suede has seen a comeback. In 2010, after announcing a “one-off gig” at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the band played at the Skanderborg Festival in Denmark and even embarked on a short European tour, concluding the tour at the O2 Arena. Since 2014, Suede has released three more albums (“Night Thoughts”, “The Blue Hour”, and “Autofiction”) alongside a feature film in 2016. Suede’s most recent activity was a tour of the UK in 2023 and a series of double-hear concerts in the UK with the Manic Street Preachers.

There is no doubt that Suede has left a lasting legacy on British music. With their references to British urban life and distinctive style, Suede played a significant role in kickstarting the Britpop movement, paving the way for acts like Blur, Oasis and Pulp. Despite their accolades being easily forgotten, the band’s impact was truly honoured at the 2010 Q Awards with the “Inspiration Award”, and the “Godlike Genius Award” at the 2015 NME Awards. Lead singer of London band Bloc Party, Kele Okereke, and lead singer of English band The Long Blondes, Kate Jackson, have cited Suede as a key influence on their music, showing how their artistry has transcended through time.

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suede_%28band%29#/media/File:Suede,_royal_albert_hall_2010.j