Is Suede over?

But... in saying that, I saw them live twice last year and they were really incredible. Neil's departure, if anything, was a plus - the real rut with Suede set in with "Head Music" which he was largely responsible for and which remains as close to unlistenable as any LP can get. If "A New Morning" had followed "Coming Up" my feeling is that with a few songs trimmed out of it and the addition of "Simon" and "Indian Strings" (the highlight of "Head Music") it would have been really well recieved and they wouldn't be in the sorry situation they currently find themselves.

"A New Morning" has some songs that have really grown on me though. "Oceans" is one of the band's finest moments since "Dog Man Star".

I have now seen them perhaps 4 times. They are in fact I think surprisingly excellent. In a way they are too good to split. But the time has probably come. 1993 is long ago.

They meant a thing or two.

Goodbye.

Into
The Next Life
She /
Killing Of A Flashboy
Heroine
My Dark Star
By The Sea
Indian Strings
The Living Dead
Astrogirl
Picnic By The Motorway
The 2 Of Us
To The Birds
Still Life
The Drowners
We Are The Pigs
Metal Mickey
Can't Get Enough
Animal Nitrate
Everything Will Flow
She's In Fashion
Attitude
So Young
Beautiful Ones
Saturday Night
Obsessions
New Generation
Trash

...pretty good way to go, I think. Now, for a final live album...

Saw them at Brixton last night, which is where I first saw them in May 1993. Suede were the first band to matter to me and are still the band that matter most. Suede was my first proper gig (I had to go to hospital the next day because of severe bruising from being crushed against the front barrier by the crowd!) and will be my last proper gig - at the age I am now there is no other band that will inspire me to push my way to the front and sing and jump for two hours solid.
I understand the reasons for the split and think they are good ones. However, that doesn't stop me feeling immeasurably sad.
Dawn, England

See you in the next life. Short and sweet.
Alan Carpenter, UK

Disappointed that this concert will close the door on the creativity of a great band. Annoyed that they felt they had no choice but to cancel their Belfast concert on the 5th Dec, which effectively ruled out any chance of their N Irish fans having a chance to see them live one last time.
Daryn, N Ireland

I saw Suede in Glasgow and it was truly awful. I've seen them 10 times since the early days of The Drowners and I can't believe how bad they become. Brett's voice has gone and they have made the right decision. If they do reform it MUST be with Bernard.
William Boyd, Scotland

Just come back from Brixton - awesome - gig of the year for me. They played everything I could have wished to hear... can't wait for the last one tomorrow. I'll miss you guys - I love all the albums - quit while you're ahead (at least in my eyes).
Vish Vishvanath, UK

I have just seen Suede at Brixton Academy, London and the gig was amazing, inspiring and highly emotional. From the fans reactions tonight, their popularity is higher than ever, and the farewell Astoria gig will be a very sad day for Britpop, and British music in general. Don't leave us with Oasis! (sob)
Annie H, London, UK

I saw Suede at Manchester this month and they were fantastic - truly one of the best bands I have ever seen. Brett proved himself to be a fantastic, energetic front man and the crowd were going wild. Although it is a shame that the band have split up, it was obvious that they had past their peak. They got far more response off their early tracks from the crowd. Their Singles CD shows that at their best they were fantastic, but in the end were repeating themselves.
John Hughes, UK

I saw the Bristol gig on the farewell tour and the amount that they played from Dog Man Star seemed to be an admission that it was their best record. But for all the talk of an amicable split, Brett hardly spoke to the crowd which was out of character. Anyway, I'll miss them as they were one of my favourite bands of the 90s and early 00s... but they should have split one album earlier.
Damian Tichborne, England

They were always a terrible band producing dreadfully tepid music for a generation of shoe gazing students. They lacked the ability to evolve like many of their "britpop" peers and Oasis should take note. The world will be a better place without them.
Nicky Brown, N. Ireland

Really, Suede ought to have split in 1994, when Bernard Butler left the band. Or at least, they shouldn't have tried to carry on under the same name. Their output since Dog Man Star has been consistently good, but never great, and it's always sad to see a once-great band drifting into self-parody (you can see it now with Primal Scream). At least when John Squire left The Stone Roses (the best British band of the past 20 years, in my opinion), Ian Brown and Mani realised pretty quickly that no one would accept them carrying on under the same name and pretending the much-loved old band was still a going concern (it's true that they attempted to continue without Squire, but this attempt lasted only a few weeks). It's amazing that the post-Butler Suede lasted as long as it did, but they're probably right in calling it a day now. If Anderson feels the creative fire's gone out, he's probably correct.
Yvonne Joyce, UK

I am very sad that they have split, but I am angry at them for cancelling their Belfast gig! My friend bought us tickets as a Christmas treat, but two days after the split announcement - where they stated that they would still tour - the Belfast concert was cancelled. So Suede, I'm sorry you'll no longer be making excellent music, but I'm still miffed!
Andi, UK

Saw them at Bristol Academy this week - Anderson is a great writer/performer - I'm sure we'll be seeing more from him.
Pete, UK