What can we expect from the new album, A New Morning?
I think you can expect 10 or 11 new really good songs that don't make you want to skip onto the next track. I think with the last album there were a few fillers. With this one each track has its own particular beauty and I think people will fall in love with it - hopefully.

A lot of people have said it's a return to your early work - is that true?
Very much so - it's more like the first album in the way it was recorded - we went in and recorded the songs, rather than theorising about them with producers and fiddling around with them.

Stephen Street is a joy to work with as a producer - we just set up and played the songs a couple of times. The more you fiddle with them, you tend to lose track of the songs. So it was a real breeze to do them, we recorded the whole album in about six weeks. We'd obviously recorded them before with Tony Hoffer which took six months with drum machines and crap like that - it was very disheartening to be honest, but this has made up for it.

Suede playing live in Belfast earlier this year

Is there any significance in the album's title, A New Morning?
Yeah, it's a fresh start, a new band and a new fresh outlook. I know we've all cleaned up our drug problems and there aren't so many drugs involved, which is nice.



...has that had an impact on the music?
I think it has, I think you can tell in the songs - they aren't so self-indulgent, they're brighter and more open.

And how is your new band member, Alex settling in?
Yeah, he's great, a real breeze. He's given the band a kick up the arse really. He's a great musician, he can pretty much play anything and he's a great bloke to have around - especially playing live. He's like a conductor which we've never had before. In rehearsals if we we're playing a song too fast, he'd stop us and tell us, which we've never been told before.

How difficult was it for an 'outsider' to fit into such an established unit?
He slipped in pretty well - he was filling in for Neil anyway, when he was ill, so you didn't really notice that he was on guitar now. He fitted in really well. He's got the same sort of humour and been in many bands before - he fitted in perfectly.

You've been going 12 years now, did you ever think you would last this long?
It's a long one isn't it! I don't think we ever imagined that we'd still be in the band. People like the Sex Pistols were only around for 18 months, but made a huge impact. It's really hard to say when you first set out where the band is going to be in 10 years.

What do put your longevity down to?
The love of the band and the music - it's something we've all wanted to do. People have left along the way, who obviously weren't 150% into being in Suede - it's the love of Suede, rather than individuals that's kept us going.

Who are in the audience for your gigs now? We've always had a pretty diverse audience. When we started we had eight year olds, who came with their parents, and now we still have eight year olds - it's weird! It spreads across the whole board really - we get rock kids who are into Iron Maiden who will come and see us as it's quite a rocky live show.

Suede's music seems to play a big part in people's lives - does that surprise you?
It's quite wired cos being in the band you don't think of it as being a long time ago when we did songs like Metal Mickey - it just just seems like one constant chain of events. We were on a flight to Singapore and the steward came up and I thought he was quite old but he said: "I remember you when you played in Singapore when I was at school!" It was like, oh my God - really weird!

Have you memories of playing in Southampton?
I always like playing in Southampton - as a kid we used to go to the beach somewhere around there. I remember coming off stage the last time we were there and the shipping forecast was on the radio - it's kinda funny having the sea around when you're used to living in London.

Do you still pay much attention to what the music critics say about the band?
When you first start the first thing you do is run to the newsagents whenever you've got a record out, but now I never buy the NME. I like reading fan letters who are genuinely passionate about the music - even if its a bad review. We've got a website message board and its actually better to see if they think the album is good or bad, rather than someone who's been paid to do it.

Is there anyone you'd still like to work with?
I'd like to work with Nick Cave on live tracks - I'm a big fan of his, I really like his Birthday Party stuff. But otherwise no, I don't think any of us would survive outside Suede!

I really wouldn't want to do any other music stuff with anyone else. If the band stopped tomorrow I'd go off and buy a coffee shop in Amsterdam - I've got a love for this band and have done for 13 years. I don't think I could feel the same way about any other band.

Alan Partridge - keeps Suede amused

What do you do to amuse yourselves in the tourbus?
Watching endless Alan Partridge and Fawlty Towers videos - we've seen them all! I can't wait until the new Alan Partridge series in the autumn, cos I'm sick of seeing the old ones! When we stay in exotic places like Singapore and Thailand, we go out on the town and have a bit of a laugh!

What's your favourite place that you've played?
I think we all like Singapore. When we play out there it's insane - 800 screaming girls at the airport, it's a very strange and bizarre situation but really interesting.

..and when you're not gigging or working with the band, what do you like doing?
Well I've just moved to the country so I like long walks and being completely isolated - surrounded by cows and sheep. Knowing that you're going on tour, and that's pretty much rock and roll 24 hours a day, it's nice to know that when I go back to England I can chill out in the country rather than being surrounded by it all again in London.

Do you see the rest of the band socially?
Pretty much no, we see each other so much anyway that we go our own separate ways after we tour. After 13 years you really have run out of things to say to each other!!! I'm sure I'll get fed up with living in the country on my own. Joking apart, I really wouldn't mind living in Amsterdam - something different to do and experience a different outlook on life - who knows?

What's your favourite website?
I'm not a nethead. It would have to be one of the Suede fan websites - I prefer the unofficial ones, they are much more honest and not governed by a huge record company!