Excuse Me While I Go and be an 18-year-old Again

This is probably an overstatement for many, but for me, Brett Anderson's pronunciation of "oh" as "ahh-haaaooow" in Suede songs was a defining noise of the nineties.

It was a sound that diminished as drugs and tobacco ravaged the singer's hitherto fine delivery; and one that disappeared altogether with the band's dissolution at the end of 2003. Because I am a big fan, I was very disappointed (not just at the end of the ah-haow's, but also at the end of a great band). But for the same reason, I almost wet myself in excitement when I read last year that Brett had teamed up with estranged and definitive Suede guitarist Bernard Butler to form The Tears.

Naturally, Brett's been trying to distance his new work from what he did with Suede. It was thus with some trepidation that I hit the 'play' button on a bootleg I found of one of The Tears' first gigs. Because it was a poor recording, I can't comment much on the arrangements and energy of the music, but it sounded good enough. When it came to Apollo 13--their reputed standout track, however, I sensed something great was going to happen. The verses built up slowly and my hairs stood on end as Brett reached the chorus and sang "Oh, but if you follow me, I will follow you to the unknown".

Goosebumps then exploded when he let rip with the next line: "ahh-haoooow, like Apollo, like Apollo we'll fly to the moon".

I'm so sorry if this post has disturbed anyone.