Throwback to the Southbank: Can’t Give It Up
Far right marchers shamed London on this next day of the Suede Takeover. Rory from the Litter On The Breeze podcast found a very different atmosphere at Royal Festival Hall on Saturday.
Love, not Poison
On a day where London needed love to counteract its poison, there is no better place to be tonight than the Royal Festival Hall. When Prime Minister Clement Attlee laid its first stone in 1949, he did so with the words "In the art of music, we have no mean record".
At the time he was more likely referring to Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra as opposed to a man in a sweat-soaked white shirt yelling "Don't fuck with me!", but the feeling is the same. As then, we are all here today to bear witness to what creative forces in this country truly can be capable of. Love, not poison.
Excitement and Intrigue
There's a feeling of celebration in the air in the build-up to the show. Despite not quite being able to unseat Sabrina Carpenter from the top of the UK Album Chart, an increase on physical sales for Antidepressants from Autofiction and the near-blanket positive reception for the album means that everyone appears to be in good spirits.
The mood in the foyer is one of excitement and intrigue that not even being told your IPA will cost seven pounds can quite dampen. What will the setlist be? Is any buried treasure to be unearthed? Could they do the whole album in full again? Is there any chance of them braking out a Noel Coward number for the occasion?
What Seated Gig?
As we head into the arena, we remember that Brett has politely reminded us that although this is nominally a seated gig, he expects to see that we should be on our feet throughout. Not for nothing has every recent interview made reference to the power of live music - and as such we know today that we are here not as observers, but as partakers. This is our show as much as the band's...
As One
As the thrum of 'Disintegrate' stomps into life, we can't help but let the beat take us… And after what feels like a lifetime before the band finally emerge and launch us into the riff proper, the venue is at near fever pitch. The remaining 110 minutes serve as both the slow and sudden release. Whether you are fortunate enough to be down at the very front or, as our correspondent is - right up in the gods with a very daunting staircase limiting your own movements - we are all, to coin a phrase, as one.
Brett can't help but break into a small smile as the opening song comes to a close - if there was any doubt that tonight wouldn't be a joyous occasion, it has been eradicated by the final fade out of the opener. It turns out that we're not quite ready to miss each other after all!
An extra 10%
The setlist does indeed both meet and exceed expectations. 'Dancing With The Europeans' and 'Antidepressants' are greeted like returning heroes. 'Personality Disorder' a reminder of where the latest album's characters have come from.
An exultant 'Trash' in which - perhaps surprisingly - the whole band visibly pile an extra 10% into. In this environment, 'June Rain' would and does melt the very hardest of hearts - a moment of intimacy in grand settings matched by a stripped-down and at times unamplified take on 'This Time'. We are on the stage with them. No, they are in the crowd with us.
And there's the buried treasure
Oh yeah, and they only bloody did 'Crackhead' as well! Or at least I think they did... I can't have made that up, can I?
One moment which typifies the whole night: a family of four singing along to 'Killing OF A Flashboy', a b-side from a No.18 single released 31 years ago, treated as if it was the words of their own family motto. A night for everyone. It took until the evening to get there, but this day in the Capital really has been one of love over poison after all. "You've been great - cheers" Brett says. It's always the modest ones…
Litter On The Breeze is a podcast dedicated to Suede, made by fans, for fans. Season 1 explores the band's stories, live shows, interviews and memories, while Season 2 takes a deeper dive into the albums, looking at the songs and the stories behind them. |
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