Wednesday 3 October 2018

On Stage: Suede @ Paradiso



One of the few bands remaining from the golden britpop generation in the nineties is Suede. The band never reached the same heights as Blur or Oasis but always managed to come up with great music and earned their spot in music history. The band keeps releasing very good albums and it's been a while since I've seen them for the last time. It's a good excuse to head to Paradiso on a Monday night in October.

Suede at Paradiso Amsterdam, October 1 2018



A transparent curtain is closing at the front of the stage, before the show starts and Suede kicks off with 'As One', the lead off track of the new album The Blue Hour. The band members are throwing large shadows on the curtain while playing behind it, partly obscured. Singer Brett Anderson is at the front making contact with the crowd through the curtain while singing "Here I am / talking to my shadow". It has a mysterious effect and it's a nice touch. When the curtain is drawn, the band is picking up speed.



They play a very tight show with a lot of variation: big bangers are alternating with more emotional and slower songs. Anderson's voice is pretty good at the start but is fading throughout the show as if he's losing it. Especially the high notes have turned into hoarse cries towards the end. It doesn't seem to upset Anderson for a bit, who keeps on going with incredible energy.



He's a charismatic front man who is unmistakably the front man of this band. Although the other members are playing more in the background, they are important to the sound of the band. Especially guitarist Richard Oakes is playing stunning riffs and solos, seemingly with great ease. For 'All The Wild Places' Anderson remains on stage all by himself with an acoustic guitar. It is very rare these days, but the audience is dead quiet when he's playing the beautiful song. Later on during one of the new songs 'Flytipping', the sold out venue is completely quiet again. Many kudos to this crowd for giving this band the attention they deserve.



Of course they can't leave without playing big hit 'Beautiful Ones' in the encore and the band closes the night with 'Life Is Golden', while bathing in golden light. This new song could easily grow into a fan favourite and a is a good end to a good show. Even though it wasn't a perfect one, it was one that totally underlines the skill and quality of this amazing band.



All Pictures

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Setlist:
01. As One
02. Wastelands
03. Dawn Chorus
04. Outsiders
05. The Drowners
06. We Are the Pigs
07. So Young
08. It Starts and Ends With You
09. Tides
10. Roadkill
11. She
12. To the Birds
13. Filmstar
14. Metal Mickey
15. Trash
16. Animal Nitrate
17. All the Wild Places
18. The Invisibles
19. Flytipping
Encore
20. Beautiful Ones
21. Life Is Golden


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