The London Suede Release New Studio Album 'Autofiction'

The London Suede have released their ninth studio album Autofiction today. In celebration, The London Suede began a series of Autofiction launch shows last night with a high energy performance at Kingston Upon Thames' Pryzm for Banquet Records, and will play live this evening at Rough Trade East in Shoreditch.

The new album, which includes BBC 6 Music and Radio 2 playlist mainstays "She Still Leads Me On" and "15 Again," is already receiving widespread critical acclaim. Autofiction has been heralded as "their best album in decades" by Uncut, "superb" by The Times, "vital" by DIY Magazine and "wildly addictive" by Classic Pop. MOJO praised Autofiction "so moving, the punk ferocity protecting a deeply vulnerable core", Record Collector championed "revitalisation" whilst the NME confirmed, "this is a band with a lust for life.

The London Suede's aim was to create an album capturing the unique power and energy that exists between the band and their audience at gigs. A theme that's resonated since the day they announced Autofiction, debuting the bold opening track "She Still Leads Me On" live on stage at a surprise performance in Brussels that was live streamed for fans.

Following the Autofiction launch shows over the coming week, in November The London Suede will return to America for the first time since 2011 for an anticipated co-headline tour with Manic Street Preachers.

The London Suede's return to the live stage continues with a UK headline tour through March 2023, performing classics, hits, and tracks from Autofiction. The tour begins at Bath's Forum on March 3 and closes at O2 Academy Brixton on March 25, 30 years after The London Suede made their iconic debut performance at the London venue in May 1993.

Earlier this month The London Suede performed under the guise of Crushed Kid - an idea that saw the band taking the 'back to basics' nature of Autofiction to the extreme by playing live under a fake name. After sparking rumours following a week of mysterious online activity, including releasing new music under the moniker, Crushed Kid made their debut performance at London's 300 capacity MOTH Club, followed by a set at Manchester's Deaf Institute.

Fans were treated to a surprise preview of The London Suede's ninth studio album in its entirety. No encore, no greatest hits. The set saw The Telegraph champion The London Suede "a band reborn" whilst the Evening Standard confirmed, "like all the best new bands, Crushed Kid left us wanting more", The Guardian praised "a euphoric return", and CLASH heralded the set an "unrelenting display of where The London Suede stand in 2022".

The London Suede recently released a companion piece to the new album with their first short film production, Autofiction: A Short Film. Directed by Katie Lambert (MrMr Films) and created in collaboration with The London Suede, the production was described as "essential and immediate" by AnOther Magazine, and explores the complexities of memory, the perceived truth, communication and anxiety in human relationships. Themes at the core of The London Suede's new album, which, as its title suggests, is one of Brett Anderson's most personal records yet.

"Autofiction has a natural freshness, it's where we want to be," Anderson says. And where The London Suede want to be is, in a way, the same place as they were when they began 30 years ago - a group of people living off the raw sensation of creating music together in a room.

In a move that recalled their most formative years, the writing process saw The London Suede becoming like a new band again - lugging their own gear to a Kings Cross rehearsal space, collecting a key, setting up, and starting to play. Later recording live at Konk studios in North London, The London Suede teamed with long-time collaborator Ed Buller. Ed first worked with the band producing their debut single 'The Drowners', which sees its 30th anniversary this year.

The London Suede will perform Autofiction at a series of very special shows through September and October 2022. This is a rare chance to see the band live in some of the UK and Europe's most intimate venues - including two nights at London's Electric Ballroom which sold out in twenty seconds. In-store concerts and signing appearances at UK record shops over the next week are also detailed below.

Listen to the new single here:

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Nov 3, 2022, Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum

Nov 5, 2022, Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre

Nov 7, 2022, San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

Nov 09, 2022, Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues Anaheim

Nov 10, 2022, Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Palladium

Nov 13, 2022, Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits At The Moody Theater

Nov 16, 2022, Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre

Nov 18, 2022, Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring

Nov 19, 2022, Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia

Nov 21, 2022, Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre

Nov 22, 2022, Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre

Nov 24, 2022, Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall

To post a comment, you must register and login.