Suede

Group

Suede

English rock band

From
London, United Kingdom
Since
1989–present
Rating
★ 4 (9 votes)
Releases
94
  • britpop
  • alternative rock
  • glam rock
  • art rock
  • rock

About

Suede (known as the London Suede in the United States) are an English rock band formed in London in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Justine Frischmann, and bassist Mat Osman. Drawing from glam rock and post-punk, Suede were labeled "The Best New Band in Britain" by Melody Maker in 1992, attracting significant attention from the British music press. The following year, their debut album, Suede, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the fastest-selling debut album in nearly a decade. It won the Mercury Music Prize and helped propel Britpop as a musical era, though the band distanced themselves from the label.

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The recording sessions for their second album, Dog Man Star, were tumultuous, ending with guitarist and songwriter Bernard Butler leaving after conflicts with the other members. Guitarist and songwriter Richard Oakes replaced him and joined the band just before the accompanying tour. Though a commercial disappointment at the time, the album received generally enthusiastic reviews upon release and has since been celebrated as one of rock music's great albums. In 1994, Suede became part of Britpop's "big four," alongside Oasis, Blur, and Pulp.
In 1996, following the addition of keyboardist Neil Codling, Suede achieved greater commercial success with Coming Up. The album reached number one in the UK, produced five top ten singles, and became Suede's best-selling album worldwide. Despite internal issues, Suede's fourth album, Head Music (1999), topped the British charts. Heavily promoted, the album received substantial media attention upon release; however, fan and critical responses were less enthusiastic than for previous records. Codling left the band in 2001, citing chronic fatigue syndrome, and was replaced by Alex Lee. The band's fifth album, A New Morning (2002), their first after the collapse of Nude Records, was a commercial and critical disappointment, leading to the band's disbandment the following year. In 2004, Anderson briefly reunited with Butler to form The Tears before beginning a solo career two years later.
After much speculation, Suede reunited in 2010 for a series of concerts. Three years after their reunion performances, Suede released their sixth album, Bloodsports. It was well received by critics and returned the band to the UK top ten. Their seventh album, Night Thoughts, followed in 2016, achieving even greater critical and commercial success than its predecessor. Their eighth studio album, The Blue Hour, was released in September 2018, becoming the group's first top-five record since Head Music. Their ninth studio album, Autofiction, was released in September 2022. They released their tenth studio album Antidepressants in September 2025.

From Suede (band) on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

  • Brett Anderson 1989–2003, 2010–now · original member lead vocals
  • Mat Osman 1989–2003, 2010–now · original member bass
  • Simon Gilbert 1990–2003, 2010–now drums (drum set)
  • Richard Oakes 1994–2003, 2010–now guitar
  • Neil Codling 1995–2001, 1999–2001, 2010–now keyboard, background vocals, guitar
  • Justine Frischmann 1989–1991 · original member · former guitar
  • Justin Welch 1990–1990 · original member · former drums (drum set)
  • Bernard Butler 1994 · original member · former guitar
  • Alex Lee 2001–2003 · former keyboard, background vocals, guitar

Discography

Albums 10
EPs 3
Singles 37
Live 23
Compilations 19
Other 2

Links

Instrumental supporting musician

Tribute

Vocal supporting musician

Also known as

Crushed Kid · London Suede · Svede · The London Suede · スウェード

Identifiers

ISNI
0000000121956085
ISNI
0000000439824226

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 6 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.