Suede’s Brett Anderson has teamed up with Nadine Shah for a moving version of Mercury Rev’s ‘Holes’ – check it out below.
The collaboration has come about as part of a project led by Paraorchestra, and their founder and artistic director Charles Hazlewood, who have put together the album ‘Death Songbook’.
The 12-track record features original compositions and new versions of “iconic songs exploring love, loss and transcendence” by artists including Depeche Mode, Suede and Japan.
Watch Anderson and Shah’s live performance of ‘Holes’ here:
‘Death Songbook’ will be released on April 19 via BMG, and you can pre-order it here.
There will also be two live performances of songs from the album, at London’s Roundhouse on April 24, with Shah and Gwenno joining Anderson and Paraorchestra. Gwenno will also join them at Manchester’s Factory International on April 26. Any remaining tickets can be found here.
Anderson and Shah have performed ‘Holes’ together before, as part of a previous collaboration with Paraorchestra in January 2021 at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre.
Speaking about ‘Holes’, Anderson has said: “There’s this sense of regret about it that resonated with me. That line about “holes, dug by little moles”, there’s something so sad and childlike about that.”
Shah added: “I hope people get as much out of ‘Holes’ as I have singing it and I look forward to performing it with my talented friends at one of my favourite venues, the Roundhouse.
“I’ve worked with Paraorchestra on a few occasions now, one on the hottest day imaginable at Glastonbury. Their talent is insurmountable and I love to sing with them. I’m a great admirer of both Brett Anderson and Charles Hazlewood so an opportunity to do this all again on ‘Death Songbook’ was one I would be sure not to pass up. A moment of melancholic magic with a bunch of fellow goths.”
The first taste of the project was released earlier this month, which saw Anderson covering the Echo & the Bunnymen’s classic ‘The Killing Moon’. Other artists set to feature on ‘Death Songbook’ include Gwenno, Seb Rochford of Sons of Kemet and Adrian Utley of Portishead.
Paraorchestra is the world’s only ensemble consisting of both professional disabled and non-disabled musicians playing an unconventional mix of traditional orchestral, acoustic, and electronic instruments and using assistive technology.
The release follows the announcement this week that Suede are to play a huge outdoor headline show as part of the Heritage Live concert series in the grounds of Audley End in Saffron Walden, Essex on August 1, with Shah acting as a special guest, as well as Johnny Marr.
Tickets go on general sale at 9am BST on Friday, April 5 – you’ll be able to buy yours here. Alternatively, fans can access a pre-sale at the same time next Wednesday (April 3) – register here.
Suede released their ninth and latest studio album, ‘Autofiction’, in 2022. In a four-star review, NME said the project “finds the indie greats getting back in the garage to make a racket. This is a band with a lust for life.”
The group are also set to head out on a joint UK and Ireland tour with Manic Street Preachers this summer, and will perform at the 2024 Isle Of Wight Festival in June.