Brett Anderson talks collaboration, X-Factor and QPR
Frontman of pioneering indie rock band Suede and The Tears, Brett Anderson has embarked on a solo career, sticking two-fingers up at the past and the music industry.
Brett Anderson, best known for fronting Suede, has long been the underrated hero of the 90s Britpop revolution; waving the flag for counter-culture by mixing the harsh edge of reality with punk-indie-rock, sparking controversy and representing the underbelly of British culture. Anderson has carried on the ethos with his solo career, launched in 2007. Talking about his solo efforts, “I didn’t want to make a Suede mark two, that would be pretty pointless. I want to create a certain coherence with my albums, I had a clear vision of what I wanted.”
On the release of his third solo album Slow Attack, Anderson collaborated with revered multi-instrumentalist and producer Leo Abrahams, “Leo played on, produced and co-wrote the record. A friend of a friend suggested Leo, so I looked up his work. It was beautiful and interesting. He also worked with people like Brian Eno who I respect as an artist. We got on really well and are planning to record a second record together in January. It will be more of a band record with a bass and a drummer. We want to make it like a live improvisation.”
The album is a beautiful mix of tortured lyrics with beautiful strings and has an ethereal orchestral feel throughout. Anderson describes the album, “it’s strange and complex. I wanted to make a record that sounded like a movie soundtrack. I was listening to Gustavo Dudamel with amazing guitar work and spacious feel to it, also Sigur Ros and Talk Talk. It’s stealing lots of bits and making it new.”
I caught Anderson live at the Tabernacle, London; an intimate gig that left the crowd in awe. Brett’s distinctive vocals soared through the converted church. He clearly loved being centre-stage; showing an attentive audience the breadth of his song-writing talent.
Anderson’s second album, Wilderness, was recorded in just seven days, mostly as live takes, on which he played the piano and acoustic guitars. He premiered the album at a special concert in London, giving a free copy of the album on USB sticks to tickets holders; once again, going against the grain of music industry paradigms, “there’s no point moaning about the changes in the music industry, as I can’t change it. The problem is that there is no money in selling music, so bands are concentrating on performing live to make money, but it’s getting in the way of them producing interesting music.”
Despite being the release of Anderson’s third solo album, he has not made waves in popular music circles, “I’m not expecting commercial success, as I’m not making commercial records that will be played on the radio. I’m not in this for vanity, art is about a journey. I need to sell a certain amount to stay in the business, but the charts has lost its meaning. It’s not the same as when Suede first started, we wanted to be a pop band with an edge, so it mattered.”
Since a highly publicised feud with guitarist and co-writer Bernard Butler leading to the demise of Suede, only to patch-up their difference and form flash-in-the-pan sensation The Tears. A relief for Suede fans everywhere, but a departure from the sound that they were best known for, “there are no plans for The Tears, it is what it is and was never meant to be anything more then that.”
Anderson is famed for his androgynous style, causing a lot of controversy in 90s over his sexual ambiguity. However, he bucked the critics by appearing at the face of Aquascutum; affirming him as a modern style icon.
When asked about reality TV shows like X-Factor, “they’re awful shows; it’s a terrible product that make bad records to sell to children. The good thing about it is that it creates a counter-culture. There is some great music out there like Animal Collective, The Horrors, Bat For Lashes; these bands come out making brilliant music to go against what is being produced.”
After discussing our local team QPR, I left Brett to prepare for his interview on Radio 4, which I’m sure will be more hard-hitting!
First published 27.12.2009
Brett Anderson, best known for fronting Suede, has long been the underrated hero of the 90s Britpop revolution; waving the flag for counter-culture by mixing the harsh edge of reality with punk-indie-rock, sparking controversy and representing the underbelly of British culture. Anderson has carried on the ethos with his solo career, launched in 2007. Talking about his solo efforts, “I didn’t want to make a Suede mark two, that would be pretty pointless. I want to create a certain coherence with my albums, I had a clear vision of what I wanted.”
On the release of his third solo album Slow Attack, Anderson collaborated with revered multi-instrumentalist and producer Leo Abrahams, “Leo played on, produced and co-wrote the record. A friend of a friend suggested Leo, so I looked up his work. It was beautiful and interesting. He also worked with people like Brian Eno who I respect as an artist. We got on really well and are planning to record a second record together in January. It will be more of a band record with a bass and a drummer. We want to make it like a live improvisation.”
The album is a beautiful mix of tortured lyrics with beautiful strings and has an ethereal orchestral feel throughout. Anderson describes the album, “it’s strange and complex. I wanted to make a record that sounded like a movie soundtrack. I was listening to Gustavo Dudamel with amazing guitar work and spacious feel to it, also Sigur Ros and Talk Talk. It’s stealing lots of bits and making it new.”
I caught Anderson live at the Tabernacle, London; an intimate gig that left the crowd in awe. Brett’s distinctive vocals soared through the converted church. He clearly loved being centre-stage; showing an attentive audience the breadth of his song-writing talent.
Anderson’s second album, Wilderness, was recorded in just seven days, mostly as live takes, on which he played the piano and acoustic guitars. He premiered the album at a special concert in London, giving a free copy of the album on USB sticks to tickets holders; once again, going against the grain of music industry paradigms, “there’s no point moaning about the changes in the music industry, as I can’t change it. The problem is that there is no money in selling music, so bands are concentrating on performing live to make money, but it’s getting in the way of them producing interesting music.”
Despite being the release of Anderson’s third solo album, he has not made waves in popular music circles, “I’m not expecting commercial success, as I’m not making commercial records that will be played on the radio. I’m not in this for vanity, art is about a journey. I need to sell a certain amount to stay in the business, but the charts has lost its meaning. It’s not the same as when Suede first started, we wanted to be a pop band with an edge, so it mattered.”
Since a highly publicised feud with guitarist and co-writer Bernard Butler leading to the demise of Suede, only to patch-up their difference and form flash-in-the-pan sensation The Tears. A relief for Suede fans everywhere, but a departure from the sound that they were best known for, “there are no plans for The Tears, it is what it is and was never meant to be anything more then that.”
Anderson is famed for his androgynous style, causing a lot of controversy in 90s over his sexual ambiguity. However, he bucked the critics by appearing at the face of Aquascutum; affirming him as a modern style icon.
When asked about reality TV shows like X-Factor, “they’re awful shows; it’s a terrible product that make bad records to sell to children. The good thing about it is that it creates a counter-culture. There is some great music out there like Animal Collective, The Horrors, Bat For Lashes; these bands come out making brilliant music to go against what is being produced.”
After discussing our local team QPR, I left Brett to prepare for his interview on Radio 4, which I’m sure will be more hard-hitting!
First published 27.12.2009
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