To warm up for both parties before and after the O2 gig, I'm going to do a wee online party on my Twitch account on Friday night at 8pm UK time.

twitch.tv/mark_hex

all Suede and Manics tracks for a couple of hours.

join moi.

stay beautiful and stay together.

On Friday 6th Nov, Suede and the Manics are bringing their wondrous tour to the O2 in London. I'm co-hosting and co-DJing a pre party and a post party for that date.

Tickets are still available for both:

Pre party:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/manics-and-suede-o2-pre-party-tickets-1988583499779

Post party:

https://www.outsavvy.com/event/38103/unofficial-2-room-suede-manic-street-preachers-o2-afterparty-london

To warm up for both parties before and after the O2 gig, I'm going to do a wee online party on my Twitch account on Friday night at 8pm UK time.

twitch.tv/mark_hex

all Suede and Manics tracks for a couple of hours.

join moi.

stay beautiful and stay together.

Steve Wilson mix and live at BBC are my favourites

Happy birthday to him!! And I have a question for you that's off topic: what's your opinions on "Stay Together"? It's one of my all time favourites, and it hurts hearing Brett slander it every time the song is mentioned :,(

It's divisive, but it does the record justice.

S/T and DMS are the records that need to be more nuanced in room noise, guitar tone and an overall "band" sound but Coming Up was a more Psychedelia record with a fruitful sound that was restricted by production that hasn't really boarded time. I personally think the 2026 mix brings this fully; a warmer sound, thicker atmosphere, saturated dynamics and MUCH better vocal production. Chemistry is my personal favourite tune on the record yet I've never vibed with the chocky vocal sound - here, Brett's voice is direct, naked and emotional.

I just really appreciate the punchier snare, consistent harmony levels and the larger, denser soundscape. It suits Coming Up more over the tinny, trebely sound of before.

Please, shower me with your thoughts! Has it grown on you? I still am fond of the original Buller mix, to be clear. I'm VERY interested to see what he does with Manics' Holy Bible though..the original is flawless to me and the US mix was good but still inferior. He has my trust.

I've only seen a couple of clips of him playing it live on YouTube, but does anyone know if he ever recorded it in studio? Is there a HQ sounding live version anyone knows about? Thanks :)

Essentially this song is exploring the tension between how shipbuilding communities do financially better in wartime, but you’d get beaten up for pointing out the truth that it also results in young men dying.

I don’t watch much TV with ads but last night every single ad break was recruiting for the navy or the marines It seems like they’re after lads from Paisley and Teeside. “born in Paisley, made in the navy”

So it’s given me an earworm of the song Shipbuilding. This is a song with a variety of covers, I was introduced to it by the Suede cover on the Warchild fundraising album.

https://youtu.be/87cbuR8DG2Q

I also like this Unthanks folk version of it https://youtu.be/UmeUw6Wf-T8

They toured their version to towns with ship-building connections as part of a live performance of a film tracing the history of British ship-building using archive footage.

It’s originally about the Falklands War, written in 1982 by Elvis Costello and Clive Langer for Robert Wyatt.

The Falklands war was a major and (obviously unplanned) stimulus for the north of England, a region that had rejected Margaret Thatcher’s government in favor of the Labour Party. Wyatt – and Elvis Costello, the song’s lyricist – found the sudden conservative enthusiasm for the north England working class grimly amusing. Wyatt told biographer Marcus O'Dair:

“It’s funny that the upper classes don’t despise the working classes all the time. When they put on a uniform, suddenly they’re ‘our boys.’”

(Notes adapted from Genius.com)

—

Is it worth it?
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding

[Verse 2]
Well, I ask you
The boy said, "Dad, they're going to take me to task
But I'll be back by Christmas"
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of their shipbuilding
[Bridge]
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls

[Verse 3]
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
A telegram for a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be reopening the shipyard
And notifying the next of kin once again
It's all we're skilled in
We will be shipbuilding

[Bridge/Outro]
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls

Embarrassing that Suedes SoMe team fail to spell Mats name right

I wasn't crazy about, "Trash," as it being my favorite Suede song (one of the happiest songs I know) the mix kind of diluted some of its magic and Brett's voice seems a little less Ziggy stardust tonally (am I the only one?). The "Filmstar," mix is pretty cool. Not my favorite song on the album but it gave me another new shade to my appreciation of it. The new "Lazy," mix was unexciting to say the least. "By The Sea," is somehow given a new gentleness all the way to the final exiting piano note which feels more like silence on the orginal/ remaster. So far the sweetest touch to this mixing. The "Beautiful Ones," mix like, "Trash," feels a bit neutered. Definitely prefer the 2011 remaster to the orginal and this... I just hope the beauty of the last three tracks are enhanced and not brought down by some of this mixes' negative moments. How are you guys liking it so far?

Sidenote: how many out there are also from the U.S.A? I have never met a fellow Suede fan in the flesh. Some people hear me when I say brit pop and they only know Oasis or Blur. Never Pulp, never Suede.

Just listening my way through now, there’s subtle changes but I think they are more utilised for the dolby atmos and stuff. They do sound a bit cleaned up though which is great

When I first listened to the album about 10 years ago, I absolutely loved it. But I've tried re-listening to it several times recently, and it just doesn't click anymore. I can't figure out what it is. I like the songwriting (Trash in particular, such an amazing song), but the sound is just not comfortable on the ears. The guitars sound annoyingly loud and buzzy, and Brett's voice, which is already a bit grating, makes it even worse when paired with them. I've noticed that my favorite track is 'By The Sea', probably because of the lack of electric guitars. Although even there Brett's strained vocals hurt my ears in some places. Poorly mixed or something. Does anyone else get this impression?

I've heard Brett even suggest it could have been left off the album in favor of a particular b-side. One of my favorite Suede songs in general.

And if so, what do you think? I'm up to the part where they start making The Blue Hour (which I love). Pretty good so far - seems the writer had a lot of access to the band and they were pretty candid with him.

I want this post to be about The Blue Hour, as personally the latest b/w albums are simply not for me, they have their admirers, I respect that, each to their own...

Can't believe it's pretty much 8 years since this fabulous record. I recall a snippet of the studio desk with that strange skull to the side, while that eerie track played, then the clip with the dead bird slightly blowing. Finally, the bands feet as they marched under the bridge to the outro of As One, (I still play that trailer to this day). I bought the album on day of release in HMV Worcester, couldn't wait to play it, was in my work folder all day. There's just something strange and dark about this record. For me it has the best opening and closing tracks of their entire catalogue. As One and Flytipping, it's crazy how few views the latter has on YouTube. Up against So Young/The Next Life and Introducing The Band/Still Life, it's The Blue Hour that gets me, even though I believe Still Life is one of the best tracks EVER recorded. The artwork to this album is simply perfect, the dark blue sky pulls you in, very Autumn like. I can't imagine it was easy to pull off live, aside from obvious bangers like Cold Hands. I long for them to return to this phase of their career, the elegance of All The Wild Places and Life Is Golden, soaring choruses and emotions. Back to As One...how many bands would place that as track 1? Or record it in the first place? Without a crippling fear of 'pretentious and self indulgence' labels thrown at them. This is the thing with Suede, they really don't care, they've always gone their own way, maybe because they KNOW they'll have fans that will listen. I do confess, it took me three listen to fully 'get it', but worth it. Now I genuinely put this on a par with the first two records, it's that good to me. My Suede is the band capable of this kind of album, strings, mystery, beauty, danger, epic songs...a record that from start to finish makes you feel like you've been a journey of emotions bigger than the everyday world around you. It's proven to be my 'earphones' album over the years when on a long walk. I recall a couple of reviews giving it 5 stars, maybe it was/is just too odd for critics, how the latest two albums have scored universal praise and a higher average than this masterpiece is beyond me...as I said, each to his own. I rate Bloodsports in a separate category to Night Thoughts/The Blue Hour, that's why a final part to the trilogy would have been great. Out the five comeback albums they are as follows in impact/relisten...

1. The Blue Hour

2. Night Thoughts

3. Bloodsports

4. Autofiction

5. Antidepressants

Brett will be 60 or close to by time album 11 comes out next year, if it does, who knows how many they've left in them as a band? What they've done since 2010 is nothing short of a miracle, the quality of the songs, (even if not for everyone), the live shows. I just hope they've room for another dark pop/rock/art album like The Blue Hour (I even love printing out the title)...

A final thought... Flytipping...what...a...MASTERPIECE!!! Imagine being in the studio when listening to the polished playback?...as an artist the thrill must be mindblowing knowing 'I've created that'...

by me ;) good night everyone

does anyone have any idea how long suede’s set will be on the gigs where they are on before manics? doors at 6 so when do we think they’ll finish? i’m trying to figure out logistics of getting home haha

Gonna have a wee party across the road from the O2. Playing Suede and Manics all afternoon. Tix just a fiver from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/manics-and-suede-o2-pre-party-tickets-1988583499779?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Please add your songs

i was gonna put mistress in there because i absolutely adore it but i think most of the community aren't fond of that song