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/