Book Review: Brett Anderson, Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn

Interviewed by Hot Press last year about his memoir on his upbringing, Coal Black Mornings, Suede frontman Brett Anderson was equivocal about when the sequel might arrive, if it all. A mere 18 months later, though, the singer has delivered Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn, a fascinating reflection on Suede's meteoric rise to zeitgeist-defining '90s stardom.

As with all the great rock sagas, it's a potent mix of highs and lows. For Anderson, Suede's dizzying success - classic albums, unforgettable gigs and delirious critical acclaim - was offset by the darkness of addiction, inter-band bust-ups (including the acrimonious departure of guitarist Bernard Butler) and a bitter love rivalry with Blur's Damon Albarn over Elastica's Justine Frischmann.

Accurately described by the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant as "a compelling personal account of the dramas of a singular British band", with Afternoons..., Anderson has again penned one of the finest music books of the year.