Suede

Suede formed in London in 1989, Brett Anderson and Mat Osman at the core of a band that would spend the next few years developing a sound rooted in Bowie, glam rock, and a very specific vision of urban English life. When they appeared on the cover of Melody Maker in 1992 — before they had released a single record — the headline called them 'The Best New Band in Britain'. It was a bold claim. It turned out to be accurate.

Their self-titled debut (1993) won the Mercury Prize and announced a band with a fully formed aesthetic: Bernard Butler's extraordinary guitar work, Anderson's androgynous vocals, lyrics full of drugs, sex, and council estate romanticism. 'Animal Nitrate', 'The Drowners', 'Metal Mickey' — the singles were as good as anything being made in Britain at the time.

'Dog Man Star' (1994) was the ambitious follow-up — a sprawling, orchestral record that divided opinion but is now recognised as one of the great British albums of the decade. Butler left during its recording, a departure that seemed catastrophic. His replacement, seventeen-year-old Richard Oakes, proved more than capable.

'Coming Up' (1996) was the commercial peak — 'Trash', 'Beautiful Ones', 'Saturday Night' — pure pop songs delivered with complete conviction. It was Suede at their most accessible and, for many fans, their most loveable. The albums that followed were more uneven, and the band split in 2003.

The reunion in 2010 was greeted cautiously, but 'Bloodsports' (2013) silenced the sceptics. 'Night Thoughts' (2016) and 'The Blue Hour' (2018) were even better — the latter in particular, a song cycle about a family lost in the countryside, was one of the most ambitious British albums in years. Suede's second act has been as good as their first.