Suede are an English alternative rock band, cited as kick starting the Britpop movement, and reinvigorating English rock music. Through their several incarnations, they were able to consistently put out albums that charted well, while still holding the respect of critics. They are considered by some to be one of the most important and influential English rock bands of the '90s.

Hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain" in 1992, Suede broke into the British music scene and soon attracted the attention of the British music press. The following year their debut album, Suede (1993) went to the top of the charts and became the fastest-selling debut album in almost ten years, winning the Mercury Prize. Suede achieved further critical success with follow up Dog Man Star (1994), which was seen as being out of step with other popular bands at the time and is considered by many to be the band's masterpiece.^[1][2] The record was overshadowed by the sudden departure of guitarist Bernard Butler before the album's completion and release.

In 1996 following the recruitment of Butler's replacement Richard Oakes and later Neil Codling, Suede went on to greater commercial success in the UK, mainland Europe and Asia with Coming Up. The album charted at number one, producing five top ten singles and became their biggest selling album worldwide. After the release of Suede's B-sides compilation Sci-Fi Lullabies (1997), lead singer Brett Anderson became addicted to crack and heroin. Despite problems within the band, Suede's fourth album Head Music (1999) went to number one.

Suede's final album, A New Morning (2002), the band's first album to be released after the collapse of Nude Records, was a commercial disappointment and in 2003, after the release of Singles, Suede disbanded.

In 2004, after a nine year hiatus, Anderson briefly reunited with Butler to form The Tears, who released their only album in 2005. The band split after they were dropped by their record company following the cancellation of a European tour.

After much speculation Suede reformed in 2010, featuring the lineup from the Coming Up-Head Music era.

Brett Anderson and Justine Frischmann met in 1989 while studying at University College London and became a couple soon afterwards.^[3] Together with Anderson's childhood friend Mat Osman, they decided they had a core of a band, and spent hours a day playing covers of The Beatles, The Smiths, and David Bowie.^[4] After deciding that neither Anderson nor Frischmann had the skill to be a lead guitarist, the group placed an advert in NME seeking to fill the position.^[4] It ran in the magazine's 28 October 1989 issue: "Young guitar player needed by London based band. Smiths, Commotions, Bowie, PSB's. No Musos. Some things are more important than ability. Call Brett." The advert ensued interest from nineteen-year-old Bernard Butler, who soon auditioned to join the group.^[5] The group settled on the name Suede; lacking a drummer, the band initially used a drum machine.^[6] Despite Frischmann's efforts as the group's de facto manager, the group primarily scored small-scale gigs around London's Camden Town area.^[7]

Suede's first breakthrough came with their second demo Specially Suede which they sent to compete in Demo Clash, a radio show on Greater London Radio run by DJ Gary Crowley. "Wonderful Sometimes" won Demo Clash for five Sundays in a row during 1990, leading to a record contract with the Brighton-based indie label RML.^[8] The song featured on a cassette compilation in April 1990 representing Suede's first official release.^[9] After a series of gigs with an unreliable drum machine, Suede decided to recruit a full-time drummer. Justin Welch briefly fulfilled the role as drummer, though he only lasted six weeks, before joining Crawley band Spitfire.^[10] After Welch's departure, Suede placed another advert seeking a replacement. To the group's surprise, the ad was answered by former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce. Joyce reluctantly turned down the role of drummer as he felt Suede still had to forge their own identity. He felt that by being in a band that had similarities to the Smiths, he would have done them more harm than good.^[11] Joyce stayed long enough to record two songs with the group, which were set to be released as the "Be My God"/"Art" single on RML Records. The band was dissatisfied with the result, and most of the 500 copies pressed were destroyed.^[12] In June 1990 Suede found a permanent drummer, Simon Gilbert, through former manager Ricky Gervais. Both worked at the ULU. After hearing their demo and realising the band were devoid of a drummer, Gilbert asked to audition.^[13]

By 1991, Anderson and Frischmann had broken up; Frischmann started dating Damon Albarn of the group Blur. Frischmann believed the group could accommodate the new situation.^[14] However the situation grew tense; Butler recalled, "She'd turn up late for rehearsals and say the worst thing in the world - 'I've been on a Blur video shoot.' That was when it ended, really. I think it was the day after she said that that Brett phoned me up and said, 'I've kicked her out.'" After Frischmann's departure, the character of the group changed. "If Justine hadn't left the band", Anderson said, "I don't think we'd have got anywhere. It was a combination of being personally motivated, and the chemistry being right once she'd left." Anderson and Butler became close friends and began writing several new songs together.^[15] However, the band's music was out-of-step with the music of their London contemporaries as well as the American grunge bands. Anderson said, "For the whole of 1991, A&R men wouldn't give us a second look."^[16]

Through the end of 1991 and early 1992, Suede received a number of favourable mentions in the music press, garnering them slots at shows hosted by NME and attended by musical figures such as former Smiths singer Morrissey. One of the gigs at the ULU in October 1991, which caught the attention of the media was Frischmann's final gig.^[17] John Mulvey of the NME, the journalist who first wrote about Suede was at the ULU gig. He said "They had charm, aggression, and... if not exactly eroticism, then something a little bit dangerous and exciting."^[18]