Suede have performed a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’, check it out below.
The Britpop icons put their spin on the track during a recent appearance on Jo Whiley’s Sofa Sessions for BBC Radio 2. Their slot on the show comes following the band announcing their 10th studio album ‘Antidepressants’ in May, which is the follow-up to 2022’s ‘Autofiction’. It will be released on September 5 via BMG, and you can pre-order it here.
Appearing with Whiley on July 30, the band gave unique live performances of a handful of their songs, including recent singles ‘Trance State’ and ‘Dancing With Europeans’ – both of which are taken from the forthcoming record.
They also broke out a rendition of their classic hit ‘Trash’, which was released in 1996 and featured on their third LP, ‘Coming Up’.
One of the most intriguing performances, however, came when they performed a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s hit track ‘Hungry Heart’. The song was originally shared by the American rock icon back in 1980 as part of his fifth album, ‘The River’.
When asked why they chose that song for their cover track on Sofa Sessions, frontman Brett Anderson simply said: “I don’t know really, it’s ‘Hungry Heart’ by Bruce Springsteen and it’s just a great rock song. He’s one of the greatest songwriters ever. He’s a very special writer. His songs are amazing, and this is one of them that is amazing.”
Check out their rendition of the song above, which sees them put a subtle Britpop spin on the Americana classic.
Ahead of the slot on Radio 2, Suede spoke about what fans can expect from their new album. “If ‘Autofiction’ was our punk record, ‘Antidepressants’ is our post-punk record,” the frontman said. “It’s about the tensions of modern life, the paranoia, the anxiety, the neurosis. We are all striving for connection in a disconnected world. This was the feel I wanted the songs to have. The album is called ‘Antidepressants’. This is broken music for broken people.”
The record was recorded live with Ed Buller, who has produced a number of Suede’s records since they first worked together on debut single ‘The Drowners’ in 1992. “It is genuinely exciting being in this band,” Anderson continued. “It feels like we’re still pushing creatively.”
To celebrate the album release, September will see the NME Godlike Genius recipients take over London’s Southbank Centre for a series of four exclusive headline shows.
These will mark their first shows at the venue since playing David Bowie’s Meltdown Festival in 2002. Anderson recently said: “Expect old songs, new songs, borrowed songs, blue songs, drama, melody, noise, sweat and a couple of surprises.”
The fourth show will also be Suede’s first-ever full orchestral headline show, in collaboration with the Paraorchestra. Find any remaining tickets here.
Recently, Anderson spoke to NME about the charisma the band look to capture when on stage, saying: “Playing live is all about confidence – or the illusion of confidence, which is the same thing. People don’t want to see a stumbling, apologetic performer – they want to see someone who seems to command a sense of magic.
“It’s a quasi-religious thing. The lead singer is the high priest and the audience are the acolytes. That sounds hierarchical, but you’re all after the same thing,” he added. “You’re all after the sense of connection: you’re doing something that’s bigger than any individual. We have it in politics, we have it in sport, and we have it in music as well.
“When it goes well with Suede, I do feel like there’s a real magic in the room. I’ve learned to get better at manufacturing that magic.”
