Suede & Manics Touring Together - First Time Since 1994
from an outsider's point of view that's what I thought was really strong about the manics was that that they created their world that's what I always wanted with suede as well I never wanted to be part of anything bigger than sued yeah the irony was was that sued actually started Brit pop yeah and which became much bigger than any one single band I can't deny that when suede first came out there I was a little bit jealous you know because they just poof they just started taking off and they started getting enemy covers we might have had no we finding attention welcome to the show two Titans of the music scene Brett Anderson from suede James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers welcome to home time chaps it's great to have you on how with the concept of touring together obviously you guys have done that before you did it way back in the '90s you know it's a venture that works but is there a competitive element that that a healthy competitive element that comes in comes in the tour you know one band's always going to see the other performing first and all that kind of thing I think back back in the day yeah definitely um back in the day we were competitive especially when there was a weekly music press um I think everybody was competitive with each other and that doesn't disappear you have healthy competition but it dims somewhat so to speak um but like yeah I suppose the way you can mark it is some nights uh when we were tour in America um uh when because we swapped headlines you know every other night just about and some nights when sued run first I'd be watching them and uh and and particularly on a night where you know Brett was just going feral and really connecting with the audience I mean really connecting with the audience I'd be thinking I've kind of I'm going have to break out some moves tonight I've got the advantage of only having to having a microphone to carry around you got the guitar as well tricky you can you can try and be disingenous about it but if I only had a microphone in my hand I wouldn't know what the hell to do I'm sure you I need my guitar I need my security blanket so do you worry like obviously like like Richie said you guys have tour together before but it is going on tour with with another band a little bit like going on holiday with a family that you like you might go on each other's nerves like Nikki Hogs the shower matx takes ages to get ready is there is there a worry that you might get on each other's nerves a bit I think we kind of both old enough and experienced enough to know that you've got to sort of give each other space and stuff and we're we're sort of polite and friendly and hang out and all that sort of stuff and you know they they become good mates of ours but we don't kind of like going hassle them and sit in their dressing room cuz I know full well that there's a weird time as a when you're in a band where you just need to be in your own space can another band's Behavior rub off on you a little bit because I remember seeing the manx you guys played with Screaming Trees supporting Oasis wor the Massachusetts back in the '90s my goodness it was a long way back but that was the Oasis tour where Liam and no were like falling out with each other and and then I think they ended up splitting up and stuff it was it was just a nightmare did that rub off on you guys were you aware of it at the time to be at that particular point in time it was just good to see it was it was just good to see another band messing up instead of instead of it being us for once I mean kind of like um yeah it was particularly dramatic too obviously you know you had screaming trees and you had Mark you know and he was going through stuff um I really got on with the guy back then you know God Rest his soul and stuff and then you saw kind of uh Liam just yeah just going full of vus at some points um and it was just nice to watch other people because at that point we were a bit well we we were perceived as a bit of a so Opera so it was good to see it landed on somebody else for once you know well going back to that family metaphor but like the other family's kid is playing up it's kind of a relief of of of of an exciting band though I think it's like I think both one of the things that sued and the manics have got in common is that I think we were both very volatile when we first started and there was always that sense that the band could fall apart and that's exciting that's exciting it's it's it's that chemistry that's always on the edge there's never quite stable um and that's what makes exciting bands you know and I think that can be exciting on stage as well because some nights you know you know you're pushing a song so hard like a song like faster from the Holy Bible and it's it's so ferocious and you're so Nick so worried about like his scissor kicks and Rich you know would be so worried about just like you know just moving as much as he could and he was just near falling apart and that can be exciting to watch you know it can be both bands were nme Godlike genius yeah obviously going to be differences but what would you say the similarities that make it work together but I think for me when we toured together um in 1994 for the first time we were both touring Europe together with our probably our most challenging records we've ever made and interestingly enough that was at the kind of apex of the whole BR poop thing that was happening in the UK and that felt some somehow kind of there was something kind of like telling about that I think both both Suede and the Manx have be always been a kind of Outsiders band and that's how we Bond through our Outsider them in a funny sort of way and I think that's why there's lots of lots of fans that like both bands that kind of like they feel kinship with with both bands because there's a sort of like there's a sort of an outsider them thing going on there I think Nikki said in the interview watch recently that he said you guys both didn't kind of belong to anything which is why you survived so long no he didn't I mean we recognized as soon as s i I can't deny that when you suede first came out and release the drowners then mountain m Etc I was a little bit jealous you know because they just poof they just started taking off and they started getting enemy covers we might have had now we're finding the tension and um but can I recognize something straight straight away you know some of the reviews said that there was like a some of Brett's lyrics were there was kind of JG Bal JG ballardian kind of um kind of vision of of a dystopian future or present that we were Liv in and we had the kind of You Know Rich Neck kind kind of obsessed with the French situationists which is talking about the absurdity of things and we felt as if there was a kinship there and we felt as if we weren't trying to bring people together we were just trying to to to kind of tell it as it was at that point and just show the absurdity of things um so we we felt connected on that definely I think we both both separately trying to form our own Cults in a way yeah you know we both that was that was that was I from an outsider's point of view that's what I thought was really strong about the manx was that that they created their world and the the the sort of the the disciples that gravitated towards them were almost like almost singularly part of that world you became a Manx fan and you and you and you you and you bought into that and I think I that's what what I always wanted with suede as well I never wanted to be part of anything bigger than sued yeah right yeah and and I think the same same goes for these guys and that the irony was was that suede actually started Brit pop yeah and which became much bigger than any one single band it became a kind of a generational but you kind of swerve that Monica I guess we didn't we didn't we were always sort of sucked into it thing because the the debut suede album is is the first britpop album it's it's just you know historically where it's just what happened really and so we were always kind of connected to that even even though we never felt quite comfortable in that slipstream so yeah that's what I'd say I think we I think both bands kind of tried to create their own little worlds I always like bands like that that weren't part of scenes they were part of something strong than that something more individual than that I mean you do you do have mad fans don't you the pair of you in footballing pal they're almost Ultras I think they were in kind of Ultras big flags um kind of they're keepers of the flame I would call them sometimes you know they feel as if sometimes sometimes and I recognize this I can empathize with this feeling sometimes the fans those kind of fans think they know the band better than themselves yeah and I can and I was certainly like that I would get annoyed if like you know a guitarist in a band wouldn't use his sign guitar anymore I'd be like what the hell is wrong with this guy oh actually you noticed that kind of thing yeah i' noticed that kind of thing or you notice if they changed the text and the the font on their records and like why are they doing this why why what are you doing this for so I kind of understand even though that mindset is pretty rabid and quite can be delusional it's important as well yeah when you guys are are are touring together and playing a g together co-headlining can you can you pick out like is it almost sort of like pick out different sort of sets of fans do you see them sort of like moving around when when they know that the other band is coming on later or is it is it really I could talk of recent experience and when we just did this American tour um was late last year yeah there was a lot of excitement because suede hadn't been in America for over 20 years I think about 25 years 25 years so there was a lot of excited about playing some of the gigs and I remember especially in Los Angeles you know the first like five RADS of people were just de sued I was just like oh it's a nice welcome set flares off that a great gig though of your enjoyed that it was maybe because there was a bit of a yeah you need that though don't you I mean speaking of of of the gigs you're playing 1 hour 15 each in these in this co- headliner tour uh just focusing on the set how how do you decide what to play because you both both bands have so many hits we had blur in recently and they they actually outsourc their set list choosing to somebody else who picks their set list for them for their comeback G we have given too much power to the people power to the people how do you decide though cuz you maybe you want a song you want to play that the rest of the band think oh no let's just leave that I've only got an hour 15 Jam I think if folks is you and you just really don't want there to be any spare meet on me um I I'll freely admit that I like to get the audience moving I like I I when I go to see a band I want to see their Topline songs I do if they don't play certain songs I get upset so perhaps that makes me a bit cheap seats I don't know um but you know we'll always play motorcycle we'll always play design we always play Toro it's just the way it is because um people have a people look down on and playing old songs but you can't ever relive that moment unless you're in front of that song in a live performance environment ever again it is every time I got to see a band and they they perform a song that I loved 30 years ago and relive in it and I like that moment but yes you got to mitigate that by just doing stuff from nearly every album you've done and we've always done that you know and we don't wrote test songs but we always play lots of you know old stuff and lots of new stuff we we play everything um but Nick's in charge of the set list oh see you see the man with all that stuff about high Keys now and again you'll say is this is kick no no it's just like you know are there too many songs in e in a row i' be like yes there are is that a thing would that be something you worry about too many songs in E well you try it fell that's good give it a go just thought does he warm up with his stretches for his kicks by the way no no no he's oldfashioned in that he doesn't believe in that just sees what happens I know that Brett's in you you pretty much to your set list on the spot every night no yeah I mean there's always songs like James says there there's always songs got to play you will always play Animal nitrate and whatever beautiful ones but um I don't know I think it's it's kind of boring for people reading a set list sort of 2,000 miles away on the internet and saying that oh they they did beautiful ones again they did trash again but when you're in the room the energy that you can you can only get from the big hits yeah there's there's an energy there's a there's a there's a there's a feeling of unity with the crowd that you can only get from the really big ones of course I like throwing obscure things in there as well I think you've got to keep the band on their toes you've got to keep the audience on their toes a little bit as well yeah but you know you can't it's a balancing act you can't you you know you you can't just write set list for the hardcore fan base because then then literally everyone except the first two RADS and just go to the bar You' got to sort of keep the audience engaged so it's a kind of like it's it's an interesting thing writing a set list it's it's a it's a real skill um and sometimes you get it wrong and and sometimes you hit hit it right hit the nail right on the head and it it very much depends on what you're sick of playing what you haven't played before what you think you can dig out what you think you can get away with you know is there a song of each others in a parallel world that you you look at kind of think oh wish that was ours oh God many I mean trash I was intensely jealous of yeah um uh kind of new generation I absolutely love that song um kind of like so that's two off the top of my head straight that was easy pressure on you now Bret yeah I mean mostess is just a absolute killer Stone Cold classic it really is it's just amazing love it always loved it but um it's got lots of words in it so I'm not sure if I could if I could I do a cover of it every time he's singing like what's he singing what Richie Richie and Nick weren big on pun punctuation you know but it works somehow it's it's it's it's brilliant so what we I love um I love I love tolerate as well it's it's a weird one cuz cuz when when that was um a hit at the time because it was a sort of big hit it sort of passed me by a bit you know how that happens sometimes you're a bit like oh yeah whatever do you know what I mean and it wasn't until we went on two of them in um in the states that I was kind of listening to that every night it's a beautiful song it's really powerful song so I mean what we love about both your bands is that the stuff you're releasing all these years on still sounds kind of current yeah uh you know for example we've recently been playing suedes she still leads me here on absolute radio was a fantastic song I kind of hate it when bands chase the current craze and lose their way a little bit what what is the key to we one of a better phrase not going [ __ ] um interesting drive time perspective we'll see what they do with that um I think like the main thing is like you bring a song into the studio you know we kind of all a meet up with each other in clean in southwales and we just meet up then we play and you know within two minutes whether something is working and usually it's just one of either Nick and Chan pushing me into a corner as a musician where they are pushing in the song One Way Or me trying to push them and and you just and suddenly you can't stop playing and it's brilliant and you just go should we do that again yeah if Sean's just like forget about it I'm just like okay you can kind of get that vine yeah it's all about body language is Sean he's just like that's just that's not good um and that takes a wind out yourselves but as soon as you just all want to keep playing it together it just you just know you're on to something but yeah it's kind of I'm never going to say that you know I'm never going to say that there was always a TR Jazz element to our music just not going to happen I'd love to hear that album though Brett for you what about you yeah it's it's all about like James said it's all about Instinct it's it's kind of it's all about it's all about Instinct and being really honest with yourself I think lots of bands get to you know can is a there's a tendency or or there's a there's a Temptation for bands to kind of like get to a certain stage in their career and sort of assume that everything they're doing is good because they're doing it right and and we're brutally brutally honest with our songwriting when we the last album autofiction that you mentioned SC she still leaves me on on it um that took four years to write oh wow yeah so why why why so long just going back four years to WR ripping stuff up because it took four years to write cuz it wasn't good enough and it still wasn't good enough and still wasn't good enough and four years later it was good enough you kept throwing stuff away basically we kept throwing stuff we we you know we write at least 50 60 songs for every album yeah really wow that's amazing and throw them all the way and for me it's not that's not it's not a problem because that those that you lose you kind of yes you obviously the question is do you ever reuse them sometimes bits of them kind of reappear and stuff like that but that's not the point you're just exercising your muscle your songwriting muscles while you're writing them it's part of the process now you've just announced one hell of a box set yeah previously unreleased hell of a bad box yeah I don't think you anyone here there's a reason you you we scrap songs so yeah a lot of a lot of work a lot of work and and you know it's it's deceptively simple you know what I mean it seem it seems last last Alum was 11 songs and and it seems Seems simple and and straight forward but there's a lot of work behind that and the same the new record we're making at the moment we're kind of uh we've been writing it for about two years now and I think we're about halfway there so wow that's similar time average you're proba we'll probably take another two years for it to be released there's there's six songs that I'm pretty confident confident of bangers and there's there's another six that might kind of go up or down the charts depending but we need we we need another solid five bangers it's an incredible toour you've announc next year all these outdoor venues castles and palaces Alexandra and uh Cardiff and Edinburgh and and such like it it's great for the fans to be able to see like you know two full sets two bands one night one one ticket is there any fantasy world two bands that you would have liked to have sort of seen oh if I could see these two on one night who would it have been wish you'd prep me for that question that's yeah a real prep question isn't it I would have liked to have seen the sax pistols if I was you know in in in 1976 tell you what what would be good be sex pistols and then Johnny stays on and then High Time pill will that' be amazing that's a good answer there we go you've answer yeah I'd like to see and and then then yeah yeah you know rise and uh Clash into Big Audio Dynamite that would have been good yeah as you get older music obviously still big part of your life but you develop the interests and hobbies Bez from Happy Mondays is a beekeeper have you guys got any uh Hobbies or interests that you developed over the years uh since obviously you first appeared on the music scene James no I like to think I like to think that I had a quite a quite rounded life um you know I've always been interested in lots of things that's a very uh pre-prepared statement I'm I'm going have to push you on this James read tell about your hobbies book binding right I read I have thought about that because I know somebody's a book binder and it it looks quite yeah it looks good you can't beat a brilliantly bound book can you no you can't no but I always manag to bust them I always manag to bust a them um sorry I forgot um it kind of like but no i' I've always loved a good walk on the beach with my dog was like okay I've always like running and uh kind of and I've always liked going watch Rugby Football and Cricket so there you go okay cool Brett you got any interest I'm prepared for okay so the only thing I'm going to going to say I I do this thing with my little boy called day camping which I think I've invented sat so what it is is like my little boy friends dads they're all really outdoorsy yeah because we live in the country and they're all kind of like you know Outdoors they build them kind of you know um you know kind of tree houses and things like that anyway he was like Dad can we go camping one night this is Middle midle of January cuz one of his friends had just been camping cuz his dad's in in the army or whatever I'm like no but how about if we go out day camping so what we do is we we go out we take a we take wood for a fire we take marshmallows we take sandwiches yeah and you know a little kind of tent in case it's raining we go to the middle of middle of the forest and we kind of like build a little fire and sit there and chat and get all the good things about camping but without the kind of you know being chewed at 4 in the morning by by by a goat you know that's a what brilliant things so there you go so anyone that lives in the countryside that's my tip for you go day camping day camping day camping brilant I'm going to give day camping to go that's fantastic James back in the '90s uh if it had approached the part of an interview where you're just going over dates and where people can buy tickets be honest would you have got out glasses to go through them oh got adig gam a when I was young all right that's not feel bad thanks a lot that's not something that's changed in in 30 years then um no they get they kind of um yeah they get worse basically I got uh I got Kate kicked in the head in the sand pit uh by by by a kid I was just going to say his name and I don't want to say his and out of angry man fans yeah no no no no he was a good guy actually but remember Kung Fu on the TV he was just like trying to be David kadine in the S pit and Bam I went back home and I had an Apollo Rocket the B my bed and then I was up M and there was three of them and she was like oh God and she looked at me and my eyes roll over the wow so you know yeah thanks for bringing thaty what Anie well you should at least get the chance to take us through the dates cuz you getting James you get a chame for them I they look fantastic Larry grayon CH lanyard I've got one um uh so Friday 28th of June langland International music I say for uh Tuesday 2nd of July Dublin Trinity College uh Friday 5th July cariff Castle uh Wednesday 10th of July Edinburgh Castle like the football results James Alexander Friday 12th of July Manchester catfield ball Saturday 13th of July leads Millennium Square Thursday uh Thursday 18th of July London Alexander Palace Park and the pools forecast is good good well and one thing we were talking about before you guys came in that obviously the manics would have you would have bagsied uh Cardiff Castle right I mean in terms of did you work that out a little bit like uh Alexander Palace part maybe for Suede and then yeah we sort of div it it of seems there are obvious ones we let people doal with it don't we BR your people talk to Amer people it's fine and to be honest you know playing first isn't always the worst thing actually we found that out on the American tour lots of the times we went on first were actually some of my favorite nights so sometimes it's hard it's it just depends on the gig really well listen uh day camping Kung Fu kicks one an end the show uh amazing to have you both on Brett Anderson James Dean Bradfield sued and Manic Street Preachers co-headlining tour get your tickets now it's going to be amazing thank you so much thanks
2023-10-18 01:09
