The Tears

Having seen Suede before on their Head Music tour and their 'Bowing out' tour in December 2003, I must admit I was in the dark with what to expect. Having never seen Bernard and Brett play together, I was blown away with their energy and to me, it just looked as if they had never been apart. Dog Man Star is an anthem of an album and I was really impressed with this new material. Let's not forget the other band members though. In short, Apollo 13 blew my mind, as did Lovers and Refugees. A Love As Strong As Death was pretty damn fine too. An amazing gig, I felt numb when I left.

The Tears gig I saw last night was so very much better than I had ever hoped for! After leaving Suede in 2003, Brett Anderson hooked up with his former songwriting partner Bernard Butler in one of the most wished for collaborations of the last 10 years and the result, if not groundbreaking, has certainly been successful if last night's show is anything to go by.

In a sold out venue somewhat smaller than Suede's usual habitats, a very upbeat Brett, Bernard and backing band rolled out a bunch of brand spanking new songs that sound something like what Dog Man Star could have been if both men were a bit happier (and more sober) at the time it was written, with riffs straight out of Coming Up-era Suede and features echoes of Butler's work with David McAlmont and also undertones of T-Rex.

The material was based around Bernard's trademark guitar sound; and Brett's lyrics, while somewhat mono-themed in the love song department were definitely more inspired that his recent offerings with Suede. The two men interacted on stage like they'd never been apart and really really seemed to enjoy being up there. In a more modest mood than usual, Brett seemed genuinely touched at the positive response from a crowd full of people, most of whom were hearing the songs for the first time. Surprisingly, I didn't even hear anyone complaining about the lack of Suede songs in the set (a good thing in my opinion. A new project should stand on its own two feet first!)

My personal highlights were:

Brave New Century - this could be "We Are the Pigs" for a sober 21st century. It's a foot-stomping, glam-rock classic.

Autograph - a tale of a doomed one night stand, it's catchy and surpisingly touching.

Refugees (hotly tipped to be the first single) - Thematically this reminded me of "Hand in Glove" by the Smiths. It's got a fantastic guitar riff and will probably end up being one of those songs you hum for days on end.

Beautiful Pain - I thought this was a sappy love song at first until I realised it was an introspective ballad about Brett's former drug problem, which made more sense and is frankly, a much better idea.

The Primitive - Sleazy rock + esoteric, thoughtful lyrics. If Elephant Man off Head Music were any good it would have been this song.

Apollo 13 - A meandering, heartfelt ballad that would not have been out of place on Dog Man Star. Takes the breath away. Just one thing, Brett, what on Earth is an "estuary girl?"

Seriously, if you can, get your hands on tickets to their April tour and buy this album because if what was one of the first Tears gigs ever is anything to go buy, the album is going to be amazing!