Suede in a live context, at the moment anyway, consists of long-term (arguably founding) members Brett Anderson, Mat Osman, and Simon Gilbert on vocals, bass, and drums respectively – with Richard Oakes and Neil Codling filling out the sound with guitars, backing vocals, and keys since well into the 2000’s. This has been the band’s line-up since their comeback album Bloodsports in 2013. If the critical and commercial reception of the band in this orientation is anything to go by, then Suede may be onto yet another success in an era that has almost forgotten about Britpop.

AUTOFICTION, the upcoming album from Suede featuring lead single ‘She Still Leads Me On’, is available to pre-order now from https://t.co/3DTE4GKm6z. pic.twitter.com/JmxeIZv2xl

— Suede HQ (@suedeHQ) May 23, 2022

While the ’90s in the UK were pretty much dominated by the cool new thing that was Britpop, the longevity of the genre was really to be desired. The guitar-driven attitude worked well for the 90’s but then the boisterous nature was seemingly dropped for something sleeker and more approachable in the 2000’s. Oasis forgot how to write good music in 1997 (I will stand by the fact that Be Here Now is an underrated gem), and Blur took the Britpop sound somewhere completely different after the whole Parklife debacle finished, you could argue that Jarvis Cocker kept the sound going for a while but anything he did outside of Pulp definitely went down a more spoken word route… not really Britpop is it. But Suede have survived. They may not have achieved the same great heights as some more common household names, but all of their output since 2013 has been solid. Respectable even, in a time when they could have been very easily forgotten.

When speaking of the new album in a press release, Anderson explained, “Autofiction is our punk record. No whistles and bells. Just the five of us in a room with all the glitches and fuck-ups revealed; the band themselves exposed in all their primal mess… Autofiction has a natural freshness, it’s where we want to be.”

BBC Wales is delighted to support Gŵyl 2021!

A free, online festival packed with music, comedy and conversation from Wales and the world.

March 6 & 7, 2021@FOVCardiff @FocusWales @OtherVoicesLive @AberComedyFest
Visit https://t.co/KGcxoJVvHm for more info. pic.twitter.com/M5UuDsZy3T

— BBC Wales (@BBCWales) February 10, 2021

BBC Cymru Wales’ Director General Rhodri Talfan Davies told Wales Online that the festival would provide the public with a welcome escape from the mundanities of lockdown . He said “BBC Wales is delighted to be working with Gŵyl 2021. We all need a blast of creativity, comedy and music right now and this unprecedented partnership with four brilliant Welsh festivals promises to be a real gem.”

Arlo Parks‘ performance at the festival comes on the back of a flurry of glowing commercial and critical successes over the last few months. The Londoner – who was awarded the BBC’s prestigious Introducing Artist of the Year prize for 2020 – saw her debut album Collapse in Sunbeams reach number 3 in the Official UK Albums Chart last month. Reviews for the LP were near-universally positive, with NME hailing the record as “a universal collection of stories that’ll provide solace for listeners of all ages and backgrounds for decades to come.”

As was the case for so many artists, Cate Le Bon was forced to sit through a frustrating succession of postponed live dates in 2020 – including a mammoth North American tour with former War On Drugs guitarist Kurt Vile. The Carmarthenshire-born indie-folk musician is expected to treat Gŵyl’s virtual festival-goers to some of the highlights of her five-album back catalogue; included her most recent offering, 2019’s acclaimed Reward. The singer-songwriter – who collaborated beautifully with compatriots Manic Street Preachers on their 2013 track 4 Lonely Roads – will line-up at Gŵyl alongside another of Welsh rock’s big hitters in Gruff Rhys. The musical partnership dates back to 2008, when Le Bon featured on Neon Neon’s single I Lust For You.

Other names on the eclectic Gŵyl roster include Suede and The Tears frontman Brett Anderson (appearing alongside conductor Charles Hazlewood and the Bristol-based Paraorchestra); 2019 Welsh Music Prize winners Adwaith; Romford-raised BBC Sound of 2021 nominee Berwyn; up-and-coming Neath rapper Luke RV; Wrexham indie-rockers Kidsmoke; harpist Catrin Finch; Cardiff hip-hop merchant Reuel Elijah; and Welsh Language Album of the Year winner Ani Glass. Glass’ 2020 debut LP Mirores – which features vocals in Welsh, English and Cornish – was praised by the Wales Arts Review as “a transcendental work of Welsh electronic music that showcases both mass appeal and artistic integrity.”

Their track, ‘When You Are Young’ makes us think about our inner youth, we’re always re-tracing our background through music – Suede makes us feel young.

Presently touring Europe, Suede’s recently released Night Thoughts will unite new fans with the Suede-loyal still clinging to their Indie haircuts, leather jackets, and the female attraction still there for Anderson and co.

‘Outsiders’, a track with that distinctive, catchy melodic voice of Brett Anderson brings back the anthem days of ‘Trash’. Intros with that strong, rhythmic electric guitar is energetic. Night Thoughts is an album which takes listeners on a journey and avoids the notion of tracks been seen as a simple collection of songs. It is distinctive in its own right.

Separating Suede from other bands who have released seven albums, there is a fond identity discovered with their music. This album will highlight that one or two individual songs that get replayed again and again over the coming year(s). For me, ‘Saturday Night’, ‘Indian Strings’, ‘New Generation’, ‘So Young’, ‘She’s in Fashion’, ‘My Dark Star’ are my personal eclectic range that have stuck with me over the years from their previous discography.

Night Thoughts will create a new generation of emotions and its distinctive journey will no doubt prove popular. May Suede remain so young.