home

issue 1 june 2004

steve sutherland, editor of the new musical express, is unequivocal in his support: “the band are totally underrated, and most of their press over the last nine months has been sniping and carping, a typically british sensibility. i’m not an apologist for them by any means, they just happen to make great records, and their new single is the best thing they’ve ever done. you don’t have to have cultural importance to make great music, but suede have it anyway. i can’t say whether or not they’ll be looked upon in years to come as a seminal band, as the music scene is more fragmented now than it’s ever been. but at the moment they are the best we’ve got.”

robert sandal, the sunday times music critic, has rather more reservations: “they are the most hyped band in the history of british rock, but that’s not really their fault. they’re good, but i don’t think it’s possible for them to become as important as they want to be. there’s a humourlessness about them that’s quite disturbing, as they seem to be devoid of irony. as a histrionic rock band, however, they’re great, if a little nostalgic.”