Brett Anderson confesses performing is about creating the ‘illusion of confidence'
The Suede frontman made the admission while speaking backstage to the NME ahead of a secret gig at
London's Bush Hall which was used to film a live video to go with the band's new single Dancing With the Europeans.
He said: 'Playing live is all about confidence – or the illusion of confidence, which is the same thing.
'People don't want to see a stumbling, apologetic performer – they want to see someone who seems to command a sense of magic.'
The 56-year-old singer is fronting the fourth single to be taken from Suede's upcoming tenth album Antidepressants, following the release of the tunes Disintegrate, Trance State and the title track from the record.
The London performance, held for a crowd of invited fans, was designed to capture the live energy of the new post-punk material.
Brett added before the set: 'Hopefully people will go crazy and there will be a stage invasion, and then we'll go home to bed.'
Describing the meaning behind Dancing With The Europeans, the singer went on: 'It's a song about connection. I have this phrase: connecting in a disconnected world. I feel as though the 21st Century is a paradox. The more we're connected, the less we're connected.'
The song, he added, was inspired by a performance in Spain during a difficult time in his life.
Brett added: 'I was going through a bad time personally, and the gig was just amazing.
'You feel like you're bigger than something that's just yourself – you're part of a group of people.'
Asked about the audience reaction at the shoot, Brett said: 'What is it about Suede fans that makes them so insane? I don't know!
'The music is about passion. I've always wanted to inspire passion in people.
'The best live music is always incredibly loud or incredibly quiet – nothing in between.
'That's what I try and do with my music. I either go full-on rock, or I get my acoustic guitar and go off-mic and no one can quite hear what I'm saying.
'I quite like those extremes.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
Catherine Zeta-Jones' make-up artist reveals her secret to gothic glamour
Catherine Zeta-Jones' make-up artist has revealed the secrets to her gothic glamour look. The actress turned heads at the premiere of Wednesday season two in London this week (30.08.25) and now Brett Freedman has revealed exactly how he created her striking make-up. Brett told WWD he started with a case of Farmhouse Fresh's Cactus Comfort Moisturizer followed by Aleph foundation and Mac Blot Powder and then used Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Cheek Tint in shade 42 on Catherine's cheeks. To create Catherine's smokey eyes, Brett turned to Makeup by Mario's Master Mattes Palette and Victoria Beckham's Satin Kajal Liner in bronze which was finished with Ardell's Naked Lash number 421 and Lash Clusters false lashes. He told the publication: "I wanted to glisten up her lash line. This [eyeliner] pencil has the creamiest slide; it's like a precision cream shadow." The look was finished with a plumb lipstick, with Brett adding: "For Catherine, this is definitely out of the box for her, but also feels right in a strange way." Brett also made sure Catherine's body also had a fresh glow so he used Farmhouse Fresh's Whoopie Cream Shea Butter and the brand's Golden Gleam Serum. He added: "Zeta-Jones was showing so much skin I wanted to amp up the light catching shine, but not get too slick or bronzed. Golden Gleam is skin care, but it's also an amazing luminizer for the face and body." Catherine plays Morticia Addams in hit Netflix show Morticia Addams and Brett revealed the actress previously worried about looking too much like her character when promoting the show, but had decided to lean into the look a bit more this time around. He explained: "I will say for the first season, they were like: 'Oh, you know, nothing too Goth.' She [Zeta-Jones)] didn't want to look like Morticia. "She had lightened up her hair a touch, and was doing tons of waves. We were making her a little bronzy, just doing anything to lighten it up and have a little separation." The premiere took place at Central Hall in London's Westminster with the stars walking a purple carpet instead of the traditional red. Catherine wore a couture gown by Stéphane Rolland and took along her 10-year-old niece Ava Zeta as her date.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Brett Anderson confesses performing is about creating the ‘illusion of confidence'
Brett Anderson says performing is about creating the 'illusion' of confidence. The Suede frontman made the admission while speaking backstage to the NME ahead of a secret gig at London's Bush Hall which was used to film a live video to go with the band's new single Dancing With the Europeans. He said: 'Playing live is all about confidence – or the illusion of confidence, which is the same thing. 'People don't want to see a stumbling, apologetic performer – they want to see someone who seems to command a sense of magic.' The 56-year-old singer is fronting the fourth single to be taken from Suede's upcoming tenth album Antidepressants, following the release of the tunes Disintegrate, Trance State and the title track from the record. The London performance, held for a crowd of invited fans, was designed to capture the live energy of the new post-punk material. Brett added before the set: 'Hopefully people will go crazy and there will be a stage invasion, and then we'll go home to bed.' Describing the meaning behind Dancing With The Europeans, the singer went on: 'It's a song about connection. I have this phrase: connecting in a disconnected world. I feel as though the 21st Century is a paradox. The more we're connected, the less we're connected.' The song, he added, was inspired by a performance in Spain during a difficult time in his life. Brett added: 'I was going through a bad time personally, and the gig was just amazing. 'You feel like you're bigger than something that's just yourself – you're part of a group of people.' Asked about the audience reaction at the shoot, Brett said: 'What is it about Suede fans that makes them so insane? I don't know! 'The music is about passion. I've always wanted to inspire passion in people. 'The best live music is always incredibly loud or incredibly quiet – nothing in between. 'That's what I try and do with my music. I either go full-on rock, or I get my acoustic guitar and go off-mic and no one can quite hear what I'm saying. 'I quite like those extremes.'
Perth Now
23-07-2025
- Perth Now
Idles' new album is 'more driven'
Idles have "recorded a bunch of songs" for their new album and it's going to be "more driven" than their previous work. The band's fifth record Tangk was released in 2024 and frontman Joe Talbot has now revealed they've been hard at work on number six and have already got about 10 songs laid down, but they will be taking a break from the studio and coming back to finish it off in late 2025. Joe told NME: "I'm working on lots of music. It's album time, and lots of other things ... We've recorded a bunch of songs. We've got like 10 songs and we're going to go back and do a bunch more. "We're doing some other projects in between, but we're going to come back to the album later in the year and get it finished. We're recording with Kenny [Beats] and Nigel [Godrich] again. It's really magic, I can't wait." He added of the new record: "This album is more driven. That's all I can say, really. There's more a drive to it.' The band is currently focusing on their upcoming gigs in Bristol's Queen Square next month. The Idles Block Party will feature two performances from the band on August 1 and 2 as well as sets by Soft Play, Lambrini Girls, Sicaria, The Voidz and Hinds across the two days. Joe added of the shows: "Bristol is our first outing. It's our homecoming show, and the only UK show we're doing this year. It's something we've been building towards for a very long time ... "These shows are a celebration of everything we've got to so far. We want to do it with music we love and people we love in the city we love." Joe also revealed Idles will be playing two different sets at the gigs to keep fans entertained. Idles won critical acclaim for Tangk and landed five nominations at the Grammy Awards earlier this year, but Joe insisted they don't rely on industry prizes for "validation". He told Variety: "You shouldn't ask another person for validation, you should be able to just believe in yourself. But we have entered into a conversation of validation by making something and putting it out into the world - which is the Grammy conversation. "It's not something you root for or beg for - you work for it. So I understand how lucky I am and I'm very grateful to be here, and to be part of that conversation is beautiful. But to need validation from the award itself would be toxic."
