Suede (band)

Suede
Suede performing at the Royal Albert Hall, March 2010 From left to right: Brett Anderson, Richard Oakes, Neil Codling, Mat Osman and Simon Gilbert.
Background information
Also known as	The London Suede (US)
Origin	London, England
Genres	Alternative rock Britpop glam rock art rock
Discography	Suede discography
Years active	1989–2003 2010–present
Labels	Nude Columbia Warner Music BMG
Spinoffs	Elastica The Tears
Members	Brett Anderson Mat Osman Simon Gilbert Richard Oakes Neil Codling
Past members	Justine Frischmann Justin Welch Bernard Butler Alex Lee
Website	www.suede.co.uk

Suede (known as the London Suede in the United States) are an English rock band formed in London in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Justine Frischmann, and bassist Mat Osman. Drawing from glam rock and post-punk, Suede were labeled "The Best New Band in Britain" by Melody Maker in 1992,^[1] attracting significant attention from the British music press. The following year, their debut album, Suede, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the fastest-selling debut album in nearly a decade. It won the Mercury Music Prize and helped propel 'Britpop' as a musical movement, though the band distanced themselves from the label.

The recording sessions for their second album, Dog Man Star, were tumultuous, ending with guitarist and songwriter Bernard Butler leaving after conflicts with the other members. Guitarist and songwriter Richard Oakes replaced him and joined the band just before the accompanying tour. Though a commercial disappointment at the time, the album received generally enthusiastic reviews upon release and has since been celebrated as one of rock music's great albums.^[2] In 1994, Suede became part of Britpop's "big four," alongside Oasis, Blur, and Pulp.^[3]

In 1996, following the addition of keyboardist Neil Codling, Suede achieved greater commercial success with Coming Up. The album reached number one in the UK, produced five top ten singles, and became Suede's best-selling album worldwide. Despite internal issues, Suede's fourth album, Head Music (1999), topped the British charts. Heavily promoted, the album received substantial media attention upon release; however, fan and critical responses were less enthusiastic than for previous records. Codling left the band in 2001, citing chronic fatigue syndrome, and was replaced by Alex Lee. The band's fifth album, A New Morning (2002), their first after the collapse of Nude Records, was a commercial and critical disappointment, leading to the band's disbandment the following year. In 2004, Anderson briefly reunited with Butler to form The Tears before beginning a solo career two years later.

After much speculation, Suede reunited in 2010 for a series of concerts. Three years after their reunion performances, Suede released their sixth album, Bloodsports. It was well-received by critics and returned the band to the UK top ten. Their seventh album, Night Thoughts, followed in 2016, achieving even greater critical and commercial success than its predecessor. Their eighth studio album, The Blue Hour, was released in September 2018, becoming the group's first top-five record since Head Music. Their ninth studio album, Autofiction, was released in September 2022.