Once dismissed as 'low rent' glamour boys, Suede now sell, writes Georgina Lee
Brush with fame
You either love him for his idiosybcratically distinctive vocals or hate him because he appears aloof.
But love definately was in the air for the nearly 6,000 fans who watched Brett anderson, lead vocalist of Suede, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre concert hall on Tuesday night.
Suede is a British pop group that comprises vocalist Anderson; Richard Oakes, guitar; Mat Osman, bass; Simon Gilvert, drums; and Neil Codling, on keyboard.
Suede's music is distinctive, with Anderson's voice fiving its earthy rock'n' roll a detached taste of inaccessible divinity.
Hong Kong was one of the stops in the Suede Asian Tour 1999, hitting Japan and Thailand.
From here, the band would have flown to Taiwan but for the devastating earthquake that forced the cancellation of their Taipei gig.
Performing in Hong Kong for the third time already, Suede were asked at their press conference what differences they had noticed in the SAR, based on the two previous visits.
Vocalist Anderson responded matter-of-factly, " We had a different feeling this time upon our arrival to Hong Kong. First the airport is different, and the hotel is much better."
Later he added, with rock-star directness, " And the fans are getting better too."
Probably this would mean that each time Suede come to Hong Kong they are greeted by a crows of music lovers outnumbering the previous ones.
The venue this time, the Hong kong Convention and exhibition Centre, promised no disappointment for the increased number of fans. Many of the 6,000 seats, sold a a unit price of $380, were quickly snapped up soon after sales began. Organiser Sony Music Hong Kogn said the concert was almost a full house, with over 5,700 seats sold before the night of the preformance.
People's perference for Suede tends to sway this way and that, running hot and cold. In early days, they were a far cry from the band we know today.
They were actually hated by agents and record companies, who used to dismiss their "low rent" glamour. Their gigs were described as disastrous.
However, at the start of 1992 things turned around for the group. People becan to find peculiarity and style in their songs instead of incongruity. In April that year Suede were on the front cover of famed music magazine Melody Maker, and were named " The best new band in Britain".
in 1993 the group won the Mercury Music Prize when they released their eponymously-titled Suede debut in March. Before the release of Dog Man Star, Suede parted company with ex-guitarist Bernard Butler, and recruited the then 17-year-old guitarist Richard Oakes from Dorset.
In the middle of last year, Suede began recording their fourth slbum, Head Music, with new prodicer Steve osborne.
Anderson said that after the last album coming Up, the band had wanted to make a "less emotional" record -- but this is not necessarily a good adjective to describe London fan's reaction to the release, as both She's in fashion and Everything Will flow achieved major positions on the British pop charts.
With the new album Head Music its popularity needs no further proof.