THE TEARS
Shepherd’s Bush

SQUEAKY Suede singer Brett Anderson clearly thinks too much of himself. Guitarist Bernard Butler is worse. Maybe they have been told they are great too many times.
So, when you see the pair, now calling themselves The Tears, prance around on stage it feels like you have intruded on a party they have thrown just for themselves.
Rather pleased with themselves, they milk the astounding adulation from the Anderson loyalists but all interested parties are heading for a crashing fall.
The material was sadly anaemic.
It is boring and belies both musicians’ true talent; a tame shadow of yesteryear.
It’s a disappointment and a genuine shame because these guys clearly merit their chapter in Brit pop rock history and the lavish praise poured on them over their years.
Their track record of doing things differently just makes it harder to take the fact that as The Tears they aren’t very good.Anderson and Butler, who famously didn’t speak to each other for years after Butler quit Suede, may argue that they want to do something different and that we should all stop going on about Suede.
Yet there is nothing new here and the paucity makes you hanker for them to burst into one of the hits of old.
Shamefully, Butler’s show-off guitar descends into something like prog rock.
Such a waste.
Anderson tries to spin a winner with his softly sung Migrant Worker song – but while the lyrics may be worthy, the song is disappointing. Everybody in the Shepherd’s Bush Empire fell quiet but the fidgets seemed desperate for a burst of Trash or the Beautiful Ones.
The ears pricked up when first Tears’ single Refugees kicked in. Lyrically, it feels like another effort by Anderson to prove he is caring and thoughtful.
But at least, this time, there is a tune which at least hints at past glories. It was the highlight of an under-par evening. Perhaps when they shudder down to earth, they might get back to doing what they do best.