Suede.

It's been a long time since I last saw Suede perform live.

Back then ( 1992) at the Students Union where I worked they played a mesmerizing gig the week of their chart debut (Metal Mickey). They were the most talked about band in the country and, for those of us unmoved by the rather boorish Madchester thing, they were the most important thing in music since The Smiths.

It didn't last!

And when they disintegrated a decade later, it felt like their best days were long behind them.

Suede are back. The new album Bloodsports is as punchy and dramatic as their best work and onstage they still sound passionate and exciting. Lead singer Brett Anderson is probably the most energetic front man I've ever seen and the audience is one of the most devoted crowds I've known (witness how they go nuts for the obscure b-side Killing of A Flashboy).

In a year of stunning live gigs - this was one of the best!