Suede

• Genre: Brit Pop/Brit Rock
• Hometown: London
• Suede Website

About

Suede (a.k.a. London Suede) sauntered down the Brit Pop catwalk in the early 1990s, throwing an ascot on glam as they spilled the whine of their melancholy forefathers, the Smiths. Unlike Morrissey's morbidly kick-me-and-I'll-stay-down ballads, Suede frontman Brett Anderson's voice cracked with aching emotions as he drooled for drugs and bisexual love affairs with a stubbornly cocky attitude. In 1992, a year before they released their debut CD, British music mag Melody Maker called Suede "the best new band in Britain." In the years following, Suede continued to wrap the U.K. around their pinky fingers, with Anderson charming the press with tales of his unrequited homosexual longings as the band released videos and albums depicting same-sex kisses. While their twistedly tortured songs helped torch the Brit Pop invasion of the last decade, sadly, the band soon lost their rocky footing compared to more abrasively arrogant bands like the Charlatans, Blur, and Oasis, who quickly stole Suede's fire outside the U.K. The CD, Head Music crooned to empty ballrooms as anyone who bought the band's double disc collection of their finest songs, Sci-Fi Lullabies is drenched in all the Suede they'll need.

- Jennifer Maerz