Live Review: Suede - Albert Hall, Manchester 09/03/2023
‘90s indie legends Suede return to Manchester’s Albert Hall in support of last year’s Autofiction album.
Since turning 30 a couple of years ago, it’s become more obvious that I’m no longer falling into the younger age bracket at most of the gigs I go to. In fact, it’s often the case that I’m borderline retirement age when compared to some crowds. Tonight however, is a little different and on entering the imposing ex-chapel that is Manchester’s Albert Hall, for the first time in a while note that we’re definitely on the younger side.
That doesn’t mean to say tonight is a night for glorified karaoke however, for an aging band to rest on their laurels and chalk out hits for a payday once every so often. Suede’s music has always endured, even if the band themselves haven’t, and from the moment Brett Anderson and co stride out onto the venue’s lofty stage, it’s clear that to the 2000 or so people in the room, the band meant, and still mean everything. And while the band might have been a mainstay of the ‘90s, tonight it’s all about now, and their most recent album Autofiction.
It's this record that forms the backbone of tonight’s set. And while the eight tracks taken from it aren’t always typically Suede, they still work perfectly across the setlist that’s punctuated by fan-favourites and deeper cuts that one wouldn’t expect. ‘Turn Off Your Brain And Yell’, kicks off proceedings and is the first of a trio of songs taken from the aforementioned Autofiction.
An early outing of the band’s debut single ‘The Drowners’ followed by ‘Animal Nitrate’ goes down like a storm, and as frontman Anderson entwines himself with his microphone cable the crowd are in the palm of his hand. This is never more obvious than when he climbs into the heaving mass at the front of the stage; his soaked blue shirt clawed at as fans clamour for a sweaty touch of someone who has been their hero for over thirty years.
Indeed, Suede as a band are older than me, and though they didn’t soundtrack my youth as they did so many here, it’s easy to understand exactly why they mean so much to so many, and why they were so intrinsic to ‘90s indie.
An exquisite outing for ‘High Rising’ marks the halfway point. Performed on piano only, it provides the perfect centrepiece for a set that’s already chocked full of highlights. It’s followed by another trio of new tracks including an excellent ‘She Still Leads Me On’. From here on out it’s hit territory. ‘It Starts And Ends With You’ provides a cathartic singalong, while ‘Black Ice’ is the final track to be taken from their new record.
‘So Young’ and ‘Metal Mickey’ are both welcome inclusions but it’s a rousing extended outing for fan-favourite ‘The Beautiful Ones’ that sends them into ecstasy and closes out the set proper. Of course, not content with leaving it at that, the band return to the stage for a final number in the form of ‘Trash’, the crowd once again whipped into a frenzy and relishing in every second the band remain on stage before being left, blinking into the houselights and wondering just how long it’ll be before Suede grace the venue’s stage yet again.
Words by Dave Beech
Photos by Sinead Ferguson
