Suede (or The London Suede in the United States, although they were often called by their original name by fans in that country) were an English rock band of the 1990s and early 2000s that helped start the Britpop musical movement. Through their several incarnations, they were able to consistently put out albums that charted well, while still holding the respect of critics. Though they never achieved great success in North America, they were considered by some to be as big in the UK in the 90s (at least in terms of popularity) as The Smiths were in the 80s, or Roxy Music in the 70s.
Suede were formed in London in 1989 by bassist Mat Osman, singer Brett Anderson and his then girlfriend, Justine Frischmann, on rhythm guitar.
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They soon added guitarist Bernard Butler " who was recruited through an advertisement in Melody Maker. Along with a drum machine as percussion, Suede were signed to RML Records, a label from Brighton. Comedian Ricky Gervais (who later found fame with The Office) managed the band for a brief period before they were signed to a record label.
With Mike Joyce (formerly of The Smiths) famously filling in as drummer, Suede's first record "Be My God"/"Art", was printed but never released due to a dispute with the label. The few surviving records out of a batch of 2000 are considered amongst the rarest of Suede collectibles. Simon Gilbert soon replaced the drum machine and Suede signed to Nude Records. Though still living with Anderson, Frischmann was ejected from the band around this time because of her failure to attend rehearsals while flaunting her new relationship with Damon Albarn of Blur.
The band's first single "The Drowners" was released amid a media frenzy that began before Suede had released any actual music. The band was on the cover of Melody Maker, which proclaimed them as "the best new band in Britain" prior to any official release.
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