Brooding Brett pop has never sounded so good

TAKING a rare breather during the set, Brett Anderson, right, told the audience that, in the event of his death, “I want my ashes scattered over London.” The Suede’s singer’s mortality y might have seemed an unnecessarily sombre subject but the ritual seemedmed to sum up the band’s aptitude for brooding romance perfectly.

Nearly three decades since they first formed, the five-piece are still rendering their vivid twilight vistas to acclaim, with April’s The Blue Hour arguably their finest album in 20 years. Its Gothic tones were emphasised by an atmospheric staging. Ominous set opener As One was performed behind a gauze, while wintry branches silhouetted behind the band during Wastelands.

The main spectacle was Anderson’s stageg ppresence,, which has become more magmagnetic over the years. Lassoing the mic cablcable during So Young, jumjumping off the monitor at the climax of We Are The Pigs, aand leaning over the bbarriers for every otother song, he was rarrarely still, save for a beabeautiful, unamplified renditrendition of Pantomime Horse thathat commanded awed silence from the entire venue.

For all the classic singles and cult favourites generously sprinkled throughout the set, it’s telling that the night’s highlight came in new track Life Is Golden. An outsider anthem to rival Trash and The Drowners, its message of hope in the face of adversity provided the perfect climax to a compelling performance.