One year ago: Dancing with the Europeans

It was hot. It was sweaty. It was rowdy. One year ago, Suede filmed Dancing with the Europeans at a packed and sweltering Bush Hall in London. Anaïs Mason, then 16 and now 17, looks back on this unforgettable phone-free gig.

suede at bush hall

on june 7th, i was invited to a secret suede gig at bush hall, where they’d be filming the music video for “dancing with the europeans.” as someone who’s loved suede since I was 11, i wasn’t even sure the message was real! i had been to a few of their shows before, but this one was so intimate and a really “special moment”

the show was on june 9th and i went with my dad (who i drag to every suede gig with me). while we were queuing outside the venue, i ended up meeting 2 other fans. rae and kate (who were also around my age). we started talking, and the conversation just didn’t stop. we were instantly on the same wavelength, and by the time we got inside, it already felt like we’d known each other for ages.

the queue itself was full of life long suede fans who were around our age when the band first started out. even though I’m a younger fan, i didn’t feel out of place at all. being a fan of suede has a sort of “unspoken rule” that we aren’t just fans and that we’re more of a family and it made the whole night feel more like a shared experience than just a gig.

inside, the energy shifted when suede came on and opened with “disintegrate,” the newest single at the time, it felt like the whole room locked in. there was no flashy production or distractions, just the band, the music, and this really focused and intense feel to it.

they then played the song that we were all there for, dancing with the europeans. we all danced while trying to catch the lyrics as brett sung them. it was then followed by absolute bangers like trash, animal nitrate and the drowners. singing those songs with rae and kate felt like suede was the only thing in the world.

they then circled back to dancing with the europeans, that’s when i started to notice the cameras buzzing round the stage which reminded me that i was apart of something i used to DREAM OF. even with the huge cameras on the stage it was so raw, it didn’t feel staged or stilted. it felt so right. (continues under the video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCNdb5zlQLE

after the show we waited outside and saw brett, mat and neil. i got photos with each of them (which are now printed on my wall) and had the chance to chat with them for a bit. they were super relaxed and kind, even though they had loads of fans crowding around them (including me..)

i also showed mat and neil my suede tattoo which I got for my 16th birthday which was a week before the show. they both LOVED it. the thing i loved most about talking to them both was that it didn’t really feel like a fan interaction, it felt like a casual conversation even thought i was dying inside…talking to my idols while trying to remain calm is very tricky.

after meeting them, me and rae had to say bye to kate while i went back to raes hotel room with her to unpack what had just happened. talking about it with someone who felt it all the same way felt so meaningful.

suede has been a main factor of my life since i was aware of music which is why i will never shut up about that day. it wasn’t just about the songs or the band (obviously that’s a huge part of it) it was the atmosphere, the friendships and the feeling of being seen and understood through music.

it was never “just a gig” it was one of those moments that will stick with me for life.