It’s funny in life how quickly traditions can develop. Due to how my annual leave gets structured I often get to March needing to book time off, which is now developing into a routine of disappearing off somewhere in Europe for a long weekend of gigs. Luckily in 2026 this coincided with Suede taking to the continental road and with rising stars Swim School added as support the biggest decision was to decide which of the nineteen dates to attend, with Stockholm finally winning out after much deliberation.
Former warehouses converted into concert venues are generally not amongst my favourites, but at least B-K had the unique claim of being the only former banana storage and ripening facility I’ve been to a gig in (B-K being short for Banana Kompaniet). Located on the entrance of the Ladugårdsgärdet docks, venue’s bright look and distinctive appearance made me initially wonder if I’d accidentally misread Google maps and ended up at a fancy out of town hotel complex rather than a down and dirty gig venue.
Having seen Swim School numerous times in smaller clubs there was a tiny question mark in the back of my mind about how their sound would adapt to what was one of the largest venues they’ve played in their career, on what was also their maiden performance in Sweden. Whilst some understandable initial nerves were on display the band played through the highlights from their debut album, with Always on my Mind and Alone with You in particular expanding to fill the cavernous venue as singer Alice Johnson’s vocals soared to the rafters. Whilst a brief fit of laughter almost derailed indie banger On and On, by the time of the adrenaline ride finale of Heaven the band had clearly added swathes of the audience to their fan base.
Suede have spent their current era labelling themselves as the anti-nostalgia band and as such it was no surprise to see them opening up with a trio of songs from recent album Antidepressants. Whilst these songs may not have been familiar to the fans there looking to relive the nineties, such is the quality that Suede have dug out since their reunion in 2010 that this initial threesome set the tone for the evening. Not many bands hit new peaks over thirty years into their careers, but if Suede were to perform a set comprised of songs purely from their recent punk influenced ninth and tenth albums nobody would leave the shows disappointed.
That said, when the classics from their early years were introduced the atmosphere within the venue became electric. The early barrage of Trash and Animal Nitrate roared into action as voraciously as when the band were in their early days. It spoke highly of the band’s performance that classics like The Wild Ones, The Drowners and We are the Pigs were omitted from the set yet their absence not felt, especially when this freed space for recent hits like Personality Disorder and She Still Leads Me On.
As always Brett Anderson proved the focal point of the band (asides from the occasional bit of Dad style jiggling form Mat Osman on bass), dripping with sweat from the early stages of the show and expending enough to make performers half his age baulk. Whilst it wasn’t a faultless performance – Brett dropping the microphone and losing his position midway through Dancing with the Europeans and keyboardist Neil Codling leaving stage at the wrong point, those mistakes felt endearing rather than catastrophic, showing the challenges of pushing their performance to the edge rather than relaxing in their comfort zone.
As is now the tradition for Suede tours each night has half a dozen songs from their extensive back catalogue rotated in for the evening. I’ve often cited the theory that the memorability of a Suede show depends on what rarities appear as part of this lottery – whilst the trio of Filmstar, New Generation and Can’t Get Enough were entertaining yet relatively safe additions, the later appearances of Dog Man Star classic The 2 of Us and an acoustic rendition of Life is Golden gave the latter stages of the evening a powerful emotional clutch.
The main set concluded as has become standard with So Young, Metal Mickey and The Beautiful Ones; the introduction of the middle of these ripping through the venue like a jet engine firing up. The only slight complaint of the set was the use of The Only Way I Can Love You as the encore, a song that didn’t even the emotional crutch or popularity to round off such an accomplished and thrilling evening, but such was the quality of the rest of the evening this felt like only a minor gripe. The show was only Suede’s third headlining show in Sweden in a decade, but such was the breath taking performance I couldn’t help leave the venue feeling that the Stockholm locals will be treasuring the memory of the night for many a year.
Have you seen Suede on their current tour? Know of a better venue that used to be used primarily for the storage of bananas? Make sure to leave a comment below – and don’t forget to subscribe or follow on Twitter for more live music news.
Swim School performed:
Suede performed:
Disintegrate
Dancing with the Europeans
Antidepressants
Trash
Animal Nitrate
Personality Disorder
Flytipping
Filmstar
Can’t Get Enough
New Generation
June Rain
She Still Leads Me On
Shadow Self
Trance State
The 2 of Us
Life Is Golden
So Young
Metal Mickey
Beautiful Ones
***
The Only Way I Can Love You
Alex Reviews Gigs 
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