Slow Down, You're Taking Me Over....

Sadly there are some gigs from back in the day that I went to that I have no great recollection of due to a spot of over indulgence beforehand. Back in the early 90's we would regularly go to three or four gigs a week on a good week and one that always sticks out for me was Suede at the now defunct Plaza Ballroom. As a couple of mates had a flat just round the corner it was an ideal venue for us and we made the most of any gigs that took place there. In fact the first gig I ever went to with my wife was to the Plaza when we were courting (!!) but that's for another post.

Feted as the 'best new band in Britain' before they'd even released a single, for a short while Suede more than lived up to the hype. Wearing their Bowie and Morrissey influences proudly on their sleeves, Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler foisted their debut album upon the Great British public in the early 90's and produced one of the best albums of the "Britpop " era. Where it really came together was, however, on stage where Suede took the studio sounds to a different level.They were charismatic, gloriously sleazy, glamorous and, above all, exciting.

They had great songs, an incredible guitarist and a front man who knew how to put on a performance. Fair enough he may have believed his own hype but a good chunk of the arrogance was justified.

Although I saw quite a few bands at The Plaza this was the one that always stood out for me - just don't let on to my lovely wife.

Suede - The Drowners