The Tears biography
The Tears were an English rock band, formed in 2004 by ex-Suede bandmates Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler. The band was a much anticipated reunion of an acclaimed songwriting couple, and music critics praised their first concerts and their debut album, Here Come The Tears. However, this was to be their only release, as they disbanded in 2006, due to Brett Anderson moving his focus towards his solo albums (and later on, reuniting Suede without Butler), and Bernard Butler retiring from performing and starting a career as a producer and songwriter (for Duffy and Kate Nash among others).
History
In 1994, when Bernard Butler walked out of Suede, they were the biggest new band in Britain. "When he left the band we pretty much hated each other as much as two people can hate each other," admitted Anderson in an interview with
The Times. It would therefore be fair to call the reunion between the pair as unexpected. As Suede soldiered on and Butler forged a solo career - both with varying degrees of success - they continued to snipe at each other in the press. which ends with the line: "The only sound heard is the sound of tears".
The band played their first ever live show on December 14, 2004 at the Oxford Zodiac. Things went as expected for the "new" band, and most new songs were received well by those attending the first set of shows. When asked during a concert by a fan to play Suede song, "The Drowners", Anderson replied saying, "Did somebody say they wanted to hear The Drowners? You've come to the wrong gig, mate."
Apart from relatively minor reviews of the first clutch of live shows, The Tears first press, a review of "Refugees", interview with Anderson and a poster was in The Sun on 15 April. The next major article was by Alex Petridis in The Guardian, which ended on an extremely optimistic note: "the pair seem artistically reinvigorated by each other's company. Anderson talks excitedly of Tears songs like the ballad Asylum, inspired by his father's struggle with depression, as having moved away from "Suede cliches or Brett Anderson cliches ... it's not, you know, opiated fop territory". There's even a hint of the old provocative flash and arrogance when talk turns to the future: Here Comes the Tears feels like a debut. It will be massively bettered. On this at least there's no hint of disagreement. "This album's like rocking the boat a bit. There's been a few splashes," nods Butler. "Next time, I want to get rid of the sails and see what happens."
From the start, Anderson was insistent that the band would not be playing any songs by Suede. Things would change over time, however, as the band ended up playing the B-side, "The Living Dead", to an enthusiastic reception, during an encore for their show at the Sheffield Leadmill in April. In April 2005, the band's first single, "Refugees", was released. The single was a success and peaked in the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.
Biography from
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