In 2003, a friend texted me to say that Suede were breaking up.

Many people had, sadly stopped caring by this point, but I was not one of them. For the fourth and final time, I went off to see them, this time playing at the then-new Carling Academy in Glasgow. The support band was Razorlight. I paid my final respects, as after all, they had soundtracked a not inconsiderable part of my life. Dog Man Star was and remains my favourite album of the nineties and Oasis could never, ever have touched them in my affections, even at the height of Britpop.

Within a matter of weeks, it was announced that Brett Anderson – who had announced the split of Suede that ‘I neeed to do whatever it takes to get my demon back’ – was working with Bernard Butler, Suede’s original guitarist. Given that the two of them parted company bitterly in Suede in 1994, this was seen as a surprise but good news. They called themselves The Tears and toured. They played Edinburgh on Valentine’s Night 2005, released one album then went their separate ways. Butler has become a noted producer (most famously, Duffy) and Anderson released two solo albums. Which, much as I wanted to love them, were rather disappointing.

So it has now been announced that Suede are reforming. However, Butler is not part of the line-up; sticking to his guns that he finds the wave of Britpop reunions embarassing. So the line-up that will take to the stage of The Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust will be the line-up that released Coming Up and Head Music. In other words, Anderson, original bassist Matt Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert with guitarist Richard Oakes and keyboard player Neil Codling.

Anderson had said at the time of the original split that it might not be permanent. And I cannot criticise anyone for reforming for charity. But no Bernard? Sigh…

Let’s remember them this way…

Suede -‘The 2 Of Us.’ mp3