Matt Would Have Played That... III
by Stiffy Biceptz

In late 1993, Suede broke into the U.S. music scene with their self titled debut album. The singles "Animal Nitrate", "Drowners" and "Metal Mickey" got lots of airplay on MTV and in San Francisco during my tenure there, and Suede seemed poised to be the “next big thing” from the UK. They put on an amazing show at the Warfield in S.F., and I was hooked. Suede had everything: The charismatic front man, the mysterious yet highly talented guitarist, great songs, and swagger.
 
But right on the verge of conquering America, they imploded. Bernard Butler, the guitarist, left the band with much acrimony. In the U.S., it was determined they had to go by the name The London Suede, since Suede had been taken by some U.S. based band. In the ensuing chaos, they fell off the radar rarely to be heard of again in America. Surprisingly, the remaining members, including the irreplaceable lead singer Brett Anderson recruited some new guitar talent and forged ahead. In the last 9 years they managed to release several very good records and maintain a sizable following everywhere but here. Too bad for us.
 
In 1999, they released the album Head Music which contained the single "Electricity". True to its name, the track is very captivating and reminds me of their glorious past. It features Brett’s wailing accented vocals, and the guitar talent is now the equal of the original lineup. Suede would have been a favorite at the Melody, moving those inclined to the Smiths and perhaps the Mission UK or Sisters of Mercy. Suede should have been the band that Oasis became, and considering Oasis sucks, we lost out. Suede (the London Suede) has a remarkable back catalog, and I encourage you to explore it; you’ll be very glad you did.
 
Thanks for listening.
 

©2004 Stiffy Biceptz
[Matt Pinfield's name used by gracious permission of its owner.]