21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Topics in this forum must be about Suede.
Discuss, ask, swap, worship here, as long as it is about Suede!
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sunshine
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21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Post by sunshine »

It was a pleasure to spend the longest day of the year with suede at Westonbirt, where they played: Pantomime Horse, Flashboy, Trash, Animal Nitrate, We Are the Pigs, Filmstar, Wild Ones, Drowners, Can't Get Enough, By the Sea, Fashion, Strangers, So Young, Metal Mickey, New Generation, Beautiful Ones.
Encore: Stay Together
sunshine
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Re: 21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Post by sunshine »

Some pics
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sunshine
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Posts: 7937
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Re: 21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Post by sunshine »

June 22, 2014
Review: Suede at Westonbirt Arboretum
Gloucestershire Echo by Mikal Ludlow
As I close my eyes I am transported back to the dance floor of the long since closed Gas Nightclub, Suede's Animal Nitrate is playing, me and my uni mates are busting our moves. I open my eyes and I'm surrounded by trees and a big summer sky traced through with soft pinks and faint orange.
It may be 19 years later but some things haven't changed and fortunately some have, the stickiness underfoot is replaced by the wholesome soil of Westonbirt who are again hosting their Forest Live open air music concerts.
Brit Pop pioneers Suede may not seem an obvious fit with the picnic set that frequent the arboretum but once the music starts it feels right.
The indie kids now have kids of their own some of whom were brought along to witness the majesty of the group.
A Quick succession of classics, Animal, We are the Pigs, Filmstar followed by Wild Ones raises a surge of nostalgia that seems unfair, the tracks are as good now as they ever were.
Front man Brett Anderson's energetic aerial leaps from amps and enthusiastic microphone twirling demanded a Glastonburyesque crowd surge, the closest he got was pleading with onlookers to put down the cheese and pickle sandwiches' and move closer. Some kept their distance territorially guarding abandoned picnic blankets and ugly camping chairs with their spidery legs.
The Drowners starts up and a sea of arms reach for the sky each holding its own illumination, the mass filming from every angle greets the lead singer as he picks his way mic in hand through the front of the crowd, no longer on stage but among us.
At this point it dawns on people this is not a normal outdoor festival environment, there is no mud for a start. This has become an intimate gig, special for the few that can say they were there.
The slight irony of So Young, 21 years after release is not lost, but Anderson like Dorian Gray has held back time in a tight fit light blue shirt unbuttoned to half way and his chisel sharp features he looks good.
On the longest day the sun doesn't set on Suede and the one song encore, but what an encore, Beautiful Ones is an anthem for a generation, just a shame that only a third of the numbers present at Little Mix the night before were there to shake their bits to the hits.
Read more: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Re ... z35PDxMQoy
sunshine
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Re: 21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Post by sunshine »

June 23, 2014
Review: Suede at Westonbirt Arboretum,
But by third song ‘Trash’ we’re there, exactly where Suede wants us to be – in the moment, singing, dancing and punching the air
Suede have been on top form since they made their comeback a few years ago. Unlike a lot of 90s reunion bands who re-hash old classics or simply put out another ‘Best of’, Suede released a well-received album of new material and have been touring off the back of that – but you wouldn’t know that tonight.
For some reason (I’ve wracked my brain and I’m yet to find the answer), this gig was criminally under-attended. When a spectacular live band such as Suede play in an equally spectacular setting such as Westonbirt Arboretum (with catchment areas throughout Gloucestershire, North Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath and into Wales) you might expect it to be a sell out success but this gig was severely lacking in audience.
Quality not quantity huh? It does mean no queues, great views and an easy walk to the front but it also meant things are slow to get started. Opening track ‘Pantomime Horse’ is a very powerful song with image heavy lyrics, but it falls a bit flat here. Brett Anderson and co. pick up the pace with ‘Killing of a Flashboy’, but still something is amiss. I say this as someone who’s been to a dozen Suede gigs over the years, one of which is my joint favourite gig of all time – their Teenage Cancer Trust gig at Royal Albert Hall in 2010.
But by third song ‘Trash’ we’re there, exactly where Suede wants us to be – in the moment, singing, dancing and punching the air – ‘we’re traaaaasssshhh, you and me…’ etc. The sun begins to set on the longest day of the year and the impeccable light show counteracts the subtle pink hue in the sky, with Brett commanding everyone’s attention as he struts his bits to the hits, heading into the crowd during ‘The Drowners’. They go on to treat us to ‘We Are The Pigs’, ‘Animal Nitrate’ and ‘Filmstar’ creating what looks suspiciously like a very-crowd pleasing greatest hits set.
The crowd consists of a sparse gathering of 30 & 40 somethings, many of whom clearly hold a place in their heart for this band. It’s a nice vibe but is lacking the bite of some city gigs. Brett himself picks up on this as he invites us to come up front and sing along to ‘The Wild Ones’ and asks us to imagine we’re in some dingy London club and not a beautiful forest. He also keeps referring to the cheese and pickle sandwiches we’re supposedly eating, telling us to ditch them and head up front to sing along to ‘She’s in Fashion’. (If you’ve not been to these gigs before, people tend to make an evening of it and pack up a picnic and rugs/chairs etc).
A couple of tunes this evening undergo a reworking, with ‘By The Sea’ almost unrecognisable until the opening line: ‘She can walk out any time, any time she wants to walk out, that’s fine’. Here we have more twangy Duane Eddy style guitar, more prominent keys and the odd deviation from the vocals by a mesmerising Brett.
This setlist offers up one song from the recent album, ‘For The Strangers’ which slots in like a penny onto a one armed bandit. It provides a wonderful segue for ‘So Young’, which we’re all singing with a good dose of irony here, ‘Metal Mickey’ and showstopper (literally) ‘New Generation’. The songs are iconic, the moves compelling and the atmosphere warming – Richard Oakes’ guitar playing provides a solid base for the set and Neil Codling’s vocals add another layer to Brett’s sometimes temperamental voice (he says himself here that singing is all about confidence, and he’s not short of that.
One last bout of early single ‘Stay Together’ and the main show’s over, leaving everyone thirsty for more. Hell, the sun’s only just gone down. Suede returns promptly for a one song encore – and despite it very much being a Saturday night, they opt for the crowd-pleasing ‘Beautiful Ones’, which comes to an abrupt ending and leaves everyone longing for more. But we don’t get more, that’s it, gig over. Back home. One does wonder if they’d have played for longer if more people had’ve bothered to come – and they did seem a little dejected at the start; but no, they all appear to be having a blast by the end. As are we.
Support tonight comes from Gruff Rhys, the Super Furry Animals frontman who’s eccentric, adorable Welsh demeanour compliments his selection of weird and wonderful songs perfectly. The ‘applause’ and ‘woah’ signs he holds up at the end are clearly not necessary, but add to the charm.
http://www.bristol247.com/2014/06/23/re ... tol-33440/
sunshine
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Re: 21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Post by sunshine »

June 22, 2014
Review: Suede at Westonbirt
By M_Ribbeck | Posted:
Suede, Westonbirt, by Jon Bennett 4/5
THERE can be fewer more gorgeous ways to spend Midsummer Evening than in the beautiful surroundings of Westonbirt Arboretum, listening to one of the most influential bands of the 90s.
The crowds, however, were nowhere near as bountiful as they had been on the previous evening for X-Factor winners Little Mix, and the audience members were, of course, that much older, leading to a much more laid-back atmosphere.
First Support act The Hosts tried to get the party started with some up-tempo numbers, followed by Gruff Rhys, whose clever tricks with a record player had us hooked, but it wasn’t until Suede walked nonchalantly onto the stage - which they duly claimed - that we were really able to appreciate who the real stars of the night were.
Bloodsports’ was released in 2013 to overwhelmingly positive reviews, marked as one of the great rock comebacks and regarded as one of the best albums of the year, ‘Trash’, and tracks like ‘So Young’, ‘Filmstar’, ‘Electricity’ and ‘Beautiful Ones’, all had us singing along to the radio, hence Suede’s presence here at Westonbirt.
The set, which comprised some rather crumpled silk drapes, was more shabby chic than ‘In Fashion’, but this meant that the spotlight was firmly on Brett Anderson and the boys, who really did put their heart and soul into the performance.
It took a few songs to get the audience going – and a few direct pleas for the picnickers to put down their cheese and pickle sandwiches and come up front – but once they launched into Animal Nitrate, complete with swinging microphone, the crowd picked up the vibe.
The charismatic frontman has lost none of his charm, and as the sweat started to pour he ripped off his suit jacket and treated us to some of the signature moves that we remember so vividly.
This was not the crowded London club that Anderson would have us imagine; this was a beautiful setting and it was not surprising that we were much more relaxed than they were used to. What a shame they just didn’t have the ‘pulling power’ of other bands that have appeared at Westonbirt in the past.
Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Review-Sue ... story.html
sunshine
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Re: 21st June 2014 - Westonbirt

Post by sunshine »

24th June 2014
Review: Suede at Westonbirt Arboretum
By Brendan McFadden, Reporter.
THE tranquil surroundings of Westonbirt Arboretum on a glorious mid-summer’s day provided the venue for Britpop legends, Suede on Saturday. Following the release of ‘Bloodsports’, one of the albums of last year, you might expect that this gig would be a surefire sell out. Disappointing though, there was a distinct lack of people in attendance. Much of the crowd was made up of picnickers, who were content to sit down and munch on sandwiches and sip elderflower juice.
After a slow start, the crowd sprang to life three songs in with ‘Trash’. It was clear to see that Suede were in spectacular form and it would be a night to remember. The group proceeded to play an exuberant set, which saw them play a set mainly made up of their old classics, such as ‘Wild Ones’, ‘Animal Nitrate’ and ‘Filmstar’. Although the gig did not have as much atmosphere as you might expect at a Suede gig in London, the group played enough crowd pleasers to sustain a euphoric mood.
Front man Bret Anderson, who is in his 40s, may not be the indie-kid he once was when the group burst onto the scene in the early 90s but he still flamboyantly swaggers around the stage and was able to captivate the crowd, with his trademark moves. After a captivating set, Suede came back on stage to perform one of their biggest hits ‘Beautiful Ones’ - a perfect song to end a spectacular evening .
Suede really put their heart and soul into this performance and it is very plain to see why they still a very much a force in the music industry all these years on. It was just a shame that so few were there to witness such a perfect gig on what was the longest day of the year.
http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news ... m/?ref=rss
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