The Tears - London

It seems typically perverse of Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler that in these times of almost compulsory critically accepted reunions (Pixies, Gang of Four, House of Love ad infinitum) that they've chosen not to rekindle their creative partnership under their Suede moniker but rather under the zeitgeisty (Two words. First word 'the', second word ends in 's') name of "The Tears." Why they've chosen to do this becomes even more uncertain as the night progresses and the music is quite clearly Suede Mk3. Maybe Bernard Butler was unwilling to play the songs that his replacement Richard Oakes played on. Maybe they thought in the mad rush of reunion that they'd embark on a new career as a drum and bass duo. Whatever the reason it's quite clear that this "I can't believe it's not Suede!" group are ploughing the same star crossed junkie lovers struggling vainly to protest their undying love for each other against a backdrop of the harsh neon urban jungle furrow that the previous incarnations ploughed.

When the delicate opener (played with just Brett and a keyboard player), "A Love Stronger Than Death," has the reverential silence it creates broken by a lone despairing voice calling out from the balcony, "God..this is AWFUL," you do wonder if this is going to be a night of schadenfreude disaster. But Bernard struts on, mutters a sarcastic, "Thanks" and riffs into the up tempo The Lovers and the iceberg is avoided.

Brett still looks fantastic, that's the first thing that strikes you. Stick thin and with a ballet dancers posture he can pout and bang a tambourine with the best of them. There are a lot of pretenders around right now trying to lay claim to his patented black shirt and skinny suit uniform. Last week I saw Brandon Flowers of The Killers trying to pull it off and tragically ending up looking like Ducky in Pretty in Pink. Brett makes it look good. Of course he's had to raise his game a bit now that Bernard gives the group two front men - they each egg the other on and keep trying to upstage the other - and for now it seems to work, with each and every tarty bit of Mick and Keef bump and grind between them greeted with hand-held-to-head teeny bopper screams...but you can't help but feel that not too far down the road we'll be watching another episode of "When Egos Collide."

Single Apollo 13 strives to be epic and almost gets there but starts to grate towards the end with it's trite "follow me, I will follow you" line repeated to death. The autobiographical drug tale of "Beautiful Pain" is better and brings hope that the good material (Refugees and 2 creatures are fantastic (and they know it) can lift The Tears out of the Suede-Lite hole that they could so easily fall into. It's too early to say if any of these songs will rival "Dog Moon Star," and if they don't then should they, and we, be bothering?