Lokerse Feesten, Belgium, 8th August, 2012

Because you're beautiful, And if your baby's going crazy, That's how you made me, (The Beautiful Ones - Suede)

Comeback of the 21st century

How many comebacks can Suede make? Certainly, coming back with Coming Up was their tour de force. And coming back last year, certainly was another miracle. Latest news leaves it open if we will see another new Suede song released. The summer tour could be their last, or not? We only can hope they don't end up like The Rolling Stones.

So this great cover with Brett as the Lady Di reigning over brit pop celebrated the fabulous comeback in the Fall of 1996. Suede is all over this issue, with an ad for the Beautiful Ones single, a 2 page overview of all releases until that day, and a full history of the band running over 12 pages. The band were at the height of their powers and becoming a sensation all over Europe and Asia.

Picture by Simon Fowler

He Who Replaced Bernard

So amid all the historical news of the reissues and a grandious return at South-East Asian concerts halls, we look back on some covers that were published around the release of a new album. This is another Tower Records' mag cover from October 1994. Dog Man Star was released and Richard was presented to the world.

This is one of his very first photo shoots. He's wearing an unusual brown leather jacket that goes will with his shoulder long hair. Looking very young and happy.

In the interview Brett is confident as ever about the band having kicked out Bernard, and not at all fearing the future. Almost 17 years on, we know now that history is coming back again. Suede still can't work with Bernard. They will play two of his albums, and he has been in the studio with Brett to do the remastering and running orders of the reissues and DVD's.

The headline here is playing coyly with the title of the legendary Sex Pistols' album.

What's so cute about Suede?

So let's take a look at the covers the band got around the release of all of their albums. The first three will get a full rendition in May next.

This is the cover from Tower records magazine Top, the now gone music chain that had a store at Piccadilly Circus, amongst others. It followed the release of debut album 'Suede' on March 29. The editors doubted to put Suede or Depeche Mode on the cover, but gave it to Suede in the end as "their debut album is already shaping up to be one of the most significant releases by a new UK band this year." Depeche Mode were releasing their equally successful album Songs of Faith and Devotion as well that month.

Suede were heading for worldwide success as well. In fact they never really wanted to be an obscure indie band. "We've never tried to ghettoise ourselves, we've never wanted to be obscure about anything. Our songs are meant to be very accessible - that's the power of a good song."

By the way, the same picture is used as in the Italian magazine Rumore a bit lower.

He's in fashion (again)

To celebrate the incredible news that Suede will perform their first three albums live in full, and that they are reissuing all of their five studio albums remastered and expanded, I get out Brett's sexiest cover ever.

It was done for London fashion magazine i-D. Photographer was the famous French record cover designer and music video director Jean Baptiste Mondino. He made video's and record covers for the world's most famous and influential stars like Madonna, Prince, Eurythmics or Björk.

On the cover, Brett is co-starring with fashion model Stella Tennant. Brett is wearing a school boy suit by Agnès B. Stylist was Zoe Bedeaux.

In the stunning picture there's a great resemblance between the rock star and the fashion model. The hair is identical, both are naked, Brett is only wearing the jacket, and we only see one eye of both of the models. Stella is looking through Brett's earring. The black & white picture makes the contrasts between their white skin and dark hair perfect.

Inside we find another fabulous picture of Brett alone. One of his nipples is revealed, and his lips are pretty seductive. This time he's wearing a necklace as well.

In the interview he's saying: "All I want to do is create. That's all I want to do and that's what I'm on this planet for and I'll probably die in the process of doing it."

Suede contre le reste du monde

Back in their heyday in 1996, Suede was a true gang, who fought against the rest of the world. A band of outsiders for outsiders. This cover from French mag L'Indie illustrates that very nicely. The gang/band looking deadly serious waiting for their enemy to arrive. Only, they look too delicate to really get into a fight.

Coming Up, that was about to be released, is reviewed. The reviewer sees Coming Up as Suede's last chance. En deça du succès planétaire, le groupe en aura fini de jouer dans la cour des grands. How they grabbed that chance.

Picture by Philippe Mazzoni

La pronunciata frangetta di Brett Anderson

Brett may be a fey, Italian waiter, but luckily one that graced the cover of the Italian magazine Rumore. Interviewer Giorgio Valletta had an intervista with Brett. The article focuses on the meaning behind songs like She's not dead, So young or Animal Nitrate.

Suede didn't play Italy on their latest tour, maybe they will go back one day...

Frangetta, I guess that means Brett's fringe...

This is what I get for being that way

Even after almost 20 years, critics still can't seem to cope with Suede's fey and effeminate image. In one of the reviews of the Brussels gig, Brett is described as an unmanly, Italian waiter, and even Mat seemed to accentuate his gay side, according to the critic… What is it that even journalists on the eve of the year 2011 still can't hide their homophobic views?

Luckily, Suede themselves were never afraid about showing their feminine side, talking about gay people they befriended, or defending gay rights or artists. They even featured on the cover of gay magazine Attitude. You couldn't imagine the likes of Oasis there. In the interview Brett and Simon try to explain all misunderstandings about them just posing as gays to grab more attention.

Brett is posing as James Dean, and Simon never looked more handsome.

Pictures by Brad Branson

I hate it when you become more famous than me

Even when tours were over, and the band was writing their next album, they kept being put on music magazine covers. This comes from a March 1994 issue of Vox. Brett was writing Dog Man Star at the time, and already feeling very confident about it, though he was slagged off be his ex-girlfriend Justine saying "that the media feeding frenzy had made it impossible for Suede to produce a strong second album". How wrong that view proved to be.

Brett isn't short of strong quotes as always. "A nation of fags, aren't we? That's what they think in America."

Picture by Barry Marsden.

Whatever happened to the teenage dream?

Back in early 1993, this was unseen. A band with only two singles, and a debut album still in the recording process, crashed the cover of one of the biggest music magazines. Normally, only established stars like U2, Madonna or Prince were put on the cover of Q.

The article and interview are a classic. The writer hails them like Jezus Christ himself who has landed on planet earth again. "Are they, indeed, the new Smiths that everyone's been frantically looking for since 1987?"

"Yes. Oh, yes. Whatever the question was, yes!", he's giving himself over.

Brett is foretelling the future about song titles of his short reunion with Bernard. "He speaks through his guitar, pretty much. He definitely co-stars with me on the songs."

Also, the past in Haywards Heath is extensively revisited. All the Suede drama is there.

Strange enough the next single Animal Nitrate is announced with B-sides Dolly/Samba. Dolly only emerged on So Young, and whatever happened to Samba?

Photo by Paul Rider

Come back and stay for good

Last week, Suede made their big comeback at the O2 arena in London, their biggest indoor gig of their career. And they look determined to carry on in 2011, who could have imagined that a year ago.

Suede are true comeback kids. They came back to promote Dog Man Star when Bernard left, they came back with their second debut album Coming Up, they came back and flopped with A New Morning, and now they are back, again!

This cover comes from Suede's second glory year 1996 (after 1993). It shows us Brett smoking, one of the few times we catch him with a cigarette. Inside the comeback interview runs over 8 pages.

Pictures by Kevin Cummins

Ich bin in einer Satellitenstadt gross geworden

Germany is often thought of as a country with a notoriously bad taste in music. Nevertheless, Suede is hitting Berlin tonight, one of the coolest cities on European playground.

This is a cover from 1999. Wom (World of music) used to be a chain of music shops across German cities.

In sepia and grey

Last night, Suede played the famous Paradiso club in Amsterdam. To my knowledge, Suede never graced the cover of a music magazine in Holland. Of course, the market is much smaller than in France or England, but even longtime running magazine Oor never really put them on the cover, except as second headline with a small picture.

Instead I chose this great picture from magazine Watt. This was a monthly about independent music. This interview was done in a London hotel. The photographer asked if the band could pose outside, but they refused, as their faces were too famous.

Another hilarious quote is that Brett is claiming they are living a simple life. "Take Simon, he's wanking all day."

Rest of the interview is not so funny, but tales about suburban loneliness.

Picture by Ron Kruit

Am I suspended in Gaffa?

Surely, of all the Scandinavian countries Suede were most popular in Denmark. Strangely, they are not playing Copenhagen on this tour.

This is a cover of Danish free magazine Gaffa. The interview was done shortly after the release of A New Morning. The album is reviewed by Brett song by song.

The cover shows us Brett seated in some Danish designer seat.

Picture by Casper Helmer

Am I suspended in Gaffa? That's a line from a great Kate Bush song.

Scandinavia is our playground

So from France and Spain we're heading to the north. Suede will hit Stockholm tomorrow night. Suede were insanely popular in the Scandinavian countries. And every tour will bring them to Denmark, Sweden, Norway or Finland.

This is a cover from Swedish music magazine stereo. The interview was done early 1997, when Coming Up was still running high in the charts. The interviewer is asking them if they are rich now, after selling 800.000 copies. The album reached platinum status in Sweden. I don't speak Swedish but I guess the headline here is saying something like Brett is a megastar.

Picture by Torbjörn Gustafsson

Sexo, drogas y rock & roll

Now that sounds like a headline. "Sexo, drogas y rock&roll para los nuevos reyes de Inglaterra" claims Spanish lifestyle magazine Vanidad (Vanity) quite appropriately. We see Brett in full Coming Up mood. The interview runs over 8 pages. With some of the coolest pictures ever taken of the band. No wonder they ended up in lifestyle magazines.

As far as my knowledge of Spanish reaches, the article says that Suede had much in common with the dandy of glam David Bowie. His studied ambiguity was readapted to perfection by Brett.

Picture by Wolfgang Mustain

Paris and Spain and Vietnam

Tonight, Suede are playing the first gig of their European reunion tour in Barcelona, Spain. Spain featured in quite a few lyrics of Brett, like Europe is our playground, or Simon.

This is a Spanish biography, published in 1996 in the series Imagenes de Rock, making it number 68 of the series. It's telling the whole Suede story, and showing many rare pics, like a very young Richard, Brett with Jane Birkin of Chrissie Hynde, or even the American singer Suede of the same name. In the middle we even find a poster. To end, the three albums up till Coming Up are reviewed.

Donnez-moi la puissance

It seems impossible now, but in November 1996, now 14 years ago, Suede did a tour of France running over seven nights. They played towns like Strasbourg or Bordeaux. This issue of music magazine Magic! had Suede all over it. First we have the beautiful cover with two blue eyes staring at you. Page 2 is a full page ad for the French tour. The interview with Brett is done around themes like "Peter Saville", "USA" or "Image sophistiquée". Furthermore, there's a contest to win 20 vynil singles of Trash, and finally Coming Up is reviewed. The reviewer is comparing Suede to a cat with seven lifes.

Picture by Philippe Lévy

So young and so gone

This must be one of the purest and strongest covers Brett ever graced, looking very young. Les Inrockuptibles is one of the more serious music and film magazines of France, and it's still around. The issue is odd, because it had two different covers: the one with Brett and another one with Luke Haines of The Auteurs. They are both portrayed as being part of a nouvelle vague in 1993.

Funnily, on page 3 of this issue we find a small picture of Brett as a kid in the local football team. The 6 page interview is treating all the classic Suede themes. There's also an ad for the debut album, announcing you get the infamous French He's dead promo, together with the album.

Picture by Renaud Monfourny