Suede @ Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow, 31 Jul

Suede prove that you're never too old to jump up and down and forget about the outside world for a couple of hours, even if it is pissing it down

Live Review by Paul Sinclair | 06 Aug 2019

Kelvingrove Bandstand is a sea of ponchos and watery pints this evening, as the rain chucks it down on everyone who's out to see one of the top British bands of the 90s, Suede. From the looks on most faces, many of the audience are trying their best to ignore the fact that the weather only seems to be getting worse as time goes on, many folk begrudgingly perched on the amphitheatre's wet concrete seating. However, the lack of sun and wet bums are all forgotten when Brett Anderson and co finally arrive via a small door at the back of the stage.

Opening with As One, from last year’s The Blue Hour, it becomes quickly evident that Anderson is still very much the ferociously energetic frontman he was during the band's 90s peak; thrashing around the stage, jumping and sweating wildly, at times even jumping into the crowd to sing face-to-face with the hardcore fans down the front. Fully expecting the audience to keep up with him, they duly oblige. "Come on, this isn't a fucking tea party" he playfully exclaims between songs, before throwing himself to the ground and writhing his way through classic Suede tune The Drowners.

Mercifully, the rain finally decides to ease and spirits rise, with ponchos being thrown off throughout the crowd. "It’s a little damp but we’re not gonna let that spoil it", Anderson says to the crowd. "We’re made of girders here, not like those Londoners!" For a group who released their first album more than 25 years ago, Suede deliver their performance in a lively, punk-rock fashion, still sounding and acting like a band in their 20s.

Pausing for a moment, Anderson addresses the crowd with a poignant thought: "It doesn't matter how many times they grind us down, it doesn't matter how many times they stamp us into the ground, we always come back. 'Cause we’re the lovers on the streets, we’re the litter on the breeze, what the fuck are we?" before launching into their angst-ridden anthem, Trash.

Finishing up with arguably their biggest hit The Beautiful Ones, Suede leave the Kelvingrove audience – from the middle-aged couples reliving their youth with one of their favourite bands, to the younger generation seemingly finding the group and realising their powerful, moody messages – drenched, but happy. Suede show us all this evening that you’re never too old to jump up and down, forget about the outside world and sing along to some killer tunes for an hour or two, even if it is pissing it down.

http://suede.co.uk