Ticket
Academy 1 (Manchester Academy)
6th April 1993

This was a huge gig for Suede, maybe one of their biggest at the time; their debut album was sitting at the top of the UK album charts and Radio 1 were broadcasting the gig to an audience eager to find out what all the fuss for ‘The Best New Band In Britain’ was about.

The gig was rammed, uncomfortably so, and I couldn’t see a thing but the band played superbly, I remember thinking they had more power and punk attitude than most of the alt rock / grunge bands they were supposed to be the antidote for. I was a closeted homo in 1993 and was excited that there was this band who were flying a flag for sexuality but strangely the crowd was littered with pre-Oasis Lads, heckling the band between songs, homosexual oppression in action maybe?

The other thing I remember were pockets of girls screaming when Brett posed or wiggled his bum, it was like being transported to a Take That concert, real Beatlemania stuff.

The Radio 1 recording was aired on the Mark Goodier show and has featured on two big selling bootlegs. Search YouTube for ‘Suede Strange Fascination’ to listen for yourself.