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As One: Remaking Suede
The official, intimate and candid biography charting the second act of Suede, one of the UK's biggest bands.
This year will mark thirty-three years since Suede released their debut eponymous album and sixteen since their glorious and unexpected comeback in 2010.
Their two most recent albums - Autofiction in 2022 and Antidepressants in 2025 - both reached number two in the UK charts.
As One is an intimate and candid biography of one of the UK’s biggest band’s during the unlikely second act of a career that spans four decades. It is a book that studies the band from close up and afar, written by award-winning author Rodge Glass, who has been granted unprecedented access to the band at home, on stage, backstage, in the studio, rehearsing and promoting over the past three years.
It is an honest, long-term interrogation of what it is really like to be in Suede. The book asks difficult questions about how great bands survive and thrive over time, many years after their first flush of success. How do you build back up from nothing? How do you reconnect with your audience, while avoiding simply rehashing old ideas? How do relationships in a band change with time? How do you remake Suede?
This year will mark thirty-three years since Suede released their debut eponymous album and sixteen since their glorious and unexpected comeback in 2010.
Their two most recent albums - Autofiction in 2022 and Antidepressants in 2025 - both reached number two in the UK charts.
As One is an intimate and candid biography of one of the UK’s biggest band’s during the unlikely second act of a career that spans four decades. It is a book that studies the band from close up and afar, written by award-winning author Rodge Glass, who has been granted unprecedented access to the band at home, on stage, backstage, in the studio, rehearsing and promoting over the past three years.
It is an honest, long-term interrogation of what it is really like to be in Suede. The book asks difficult questions about how great bands survive and thrive over time, many years after their first flush of success. How do you build back up from nothing? How do you reconnect with your audience, while avoiding simply rehashing old ideas? How do relationships in a band change with time? How do you remake Suede?
- GenresMusic
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2026
About the author
Rodge Glass
32 books12 followersRodge Glass is the author of the novels No Fireworks (Faber, 2005) and Hope for Newborns (Faber, 2008), as well as Alasdair Gray: A Secretary’s Biography (Bloomsbury, 2008), which received a Somerset Maugham Award in 2009. Recently, he was co-author of the graphic novel Dougie’s War: A Soldier’s Story (Freight, 2010), which was nominated for several awards. He is currently a Programme Leader in Creative Writing at Edge Hill University, and was Associate Editor at Freight Books. His novel, Bring Me the Head of Ryan Giggs, was published in April 2012 by the multi-award winning Tindal Street Press, then as a paperback by Serpent’s Tail, and it appeared as Voglio la testa di Ryan Giggs in April 2013 (66thand2nd, Roma). His latest book, LoveSexTravelMusik, was published by Freight Books in April 2013 and was nominated for the International Frank O’Connor Award. His fiction has been published in Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Danish and Italian.
(from http://rodgeglass.com/ )
(from http://rodgeglass.com/ )
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 30, 2026
Tell me, Muse, of those two unsung heroes of Suede, who wandered far and wide after returning to the world of Love and Poison. Many the songs whose possibilities they saw, whose ways they explored. Many the sorrows they suffered in the studio, while trying to bring themselves and their songs back to life. Yet despite their wishes, they failed to save them, because of their own un-wisdom, foolishly succumbing to self doubt, so the god denied them their existence. Tell us of these things, beginning where you will, Goddess, Daughter of Zeus.
Rodge Glass begins where most readers will be very happy to begin: in the apartment of Brett Anderson. But he moves on quickly. By page two, I was already thinking: how disturbing — as Rodge describes Brett’s decision-making process.
But soon enough, Neil Codling and Richard Oakes get a voice too.
Finally.
This, my fellow readers, is a work of brilliance: the song of two unsung heroes.
As One: Remaking Suede is no hagiography. It is the odyssey of a band determined to be more than a nostalgia act, and Glass gives us its protagonists in all their strengths, weaknesses and contradictions.
Worshippers in the Church of Saint Brett may suffer reading this book. Others — like me — will see some of their suspicions confirmed. Rodge lets the facts, and the way everybody looks back on things, do the talking.
There were plenty of times when I wanted to put my arm around either Richard or Neil and those who know me know that I’m not much of a hugger. The part about the ballet score - I will never forgive some people for that decision, or for what it made my two heroes feel - brought a tear to my eye.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster.
However, what partially redeems Brett is that he has allowed all of this to be in the book. Whatever else you think of him (and after reading this book, you will certainly have a lot of opinions), that takes a lot of courage. It is brave to allow yourself to be portrayed as something of a dickhead, particularly when you know Team Oakling will be reading along.
Delving into The Blue Hour, the fourth-best record ever made on this planet, was such a joy. I loved reading about how it came about, the rabbit holes people went down, the ideas they chased, and how Neil ultimately made it the stroke of genius that it is. And boys, don’t ever let anyone gaslight you into believing otherwise.
And let’s not forget about the bass player. I really enjoyed Mat’s philosophical reflections. He has a rather different vantage point: he’s the uncle who turns up at the occasional family party, observes the kids from the sidelines, and showers them with wisdom and granddad stories.
As One — OMG, I am forgetting to mention that it is named after my favourite song — is more than a biography. It taught me a lot about what I, as a fan, am actually looking for in music: art, not a band for a night out. Experimentation. Musicians who push themselves. Something alive, rather than nostalgia.
I want to connect with the now. I don’t want to relive the feelings I had in the past, which seems to be what so many nostalgia fans are looking for. I want music to make me feel something now, to surprise me, to take me somewhere I haven’t been before.
And I feel that Richard is the one who truly understands that a not insignificant part of the diehard fanbase feels this way. Hero!
I recommend this book to everyone from the bottom of my Suede heart. Rodge Glass is a wonderful bard (and interviewer), and he has brought this epic brilliantly to life. Given how difficult these men sometimes seem to find it to work together, it is something of a miracle that Suede are still a band — and perhaps an even greater one that they are better than ever in the second half of their career.
And now, dear reader, having read their tale, I shall go and sacrifice some tea to the gods that these men are still making music together — and hopefully soon better than ever.
Rodge Glass begins where most readers will be very happy to begin: in the apartment of Brett Anderson. But he moves on quickly. By page two, I was already thinking: how disturbing — as Rodge describes Brett’s decision-making process.
But soon enough, Neil Codling and Richard Oakes get a voice too.
Finally.
This, my fellow readers, is a work of brilliance: the song of two unsung heroes.
As One: Remaking Suede is no hagiography. It is the odyssey of a band determined to be more than a nostalgia act, and Glass gives us its protagonists in all their strengths, weaknesses and contradictions.
Worshippers in the Church of Saint Brett may suffer reading this book. Others — like me — will see some of their suspicions confirmed. Rodge lets the facts, and the way everybody looks back on things, do the talking.
There were plenty of times when I wanted to put my arm around either Richard or Neil and those who know me know that I’m not much of a hugger. The part about the ballet score - I will never forgive some people for that decision, or for what it made my two heroes feel - brought a tear to my eye.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster.
However, what partially redeems Brett is that he has allowed all of this to be in the book. Whatever else you think of him (and after reading this book, you will certainly have a lot of opinions), that takes a lot of courage. It is brave to allow yourself to be portrayed as something of a dickhead, particularly when you know Team Oakling will be reading along.
Delving into The Blue Hour, the fourth-best record ever made on this planet, was such a joy. I loved reading about how it came about, the rabbit holes people went down, the ideas they chased, and how Neil ultimately made it the stroke of genius that it is. And boys, don’t ever let anyone gaslight you into believing otherwise.
And let’s not forget about the bass player. I really enjoyed Mat’s philosophical reflections. He has a rather different vantage point: he’s the uncle who turns up at the occasional family party, observes the kids from the sidelines, and showers them with wisdom and granddad stories.
As One — OMG, I am forgetting to mention that it is named after my favourite song — is more than a biography. It taught me a lot about what I, as a fan, am actually looking for in music: art, not a band for a night out. Experimentation. Musicians who push themselves. Something alive, rather than nostalgia.
I want to connect with the now. I don’t want to relive the feelings I had in the past, which seems to be what so many nostalgia fans are looking for. I want music to make me feel something now, to surprise me, to take me somewhere I haven’t been before.
And I feel that Richard is the one who truly understands that a not insignificant part of the diehard fanbase feels this way. Hero!
I recommend this book to everyone from the bottom of my Suede heart. Rodge Glass is a wonderful bard (and interviewer), and he has brought this epic brilliantly to life. Given how difficult these men sometimes seem to find it to work together, it is something of a miracle that Suede are still a band — and perhaps an even greater one that they are better than ever in the second half of their career.
And now, dear reader, having read their tale, I shall go and sacrifice some tea to the gods that these men are still making music together — and hopefully soon better than ever.
September 10, 2026
This is a deeply researched book with some great critical insights, covering in-depth the part of the band's career that would otherwise be condensed into a dozen pages on the back end of a full-career bio for seeming want of drama. But oh, there's some real drama here as the two main tunesmiths occasionally struggle to please the singer, the producer, and sometimes even themselves. But in the end we the fans reap the rewards of their tortured creative process, as well as the rewards of the understanding Glass brings to us through this wonderful tome.
August 27, 2026
“As One” narrates Suede’s post-reunion era. I was impressed by the level of detail in this book. The fact that Rodge is close to the band makes this an excellent read for Suede fans and anyone wanting to get into “Suede world”. I enjoyed the coverage of gigs both in the UK and abroad. It also features interviews with the band members, showcasing their creative process when recording the albums. The 2025 summer overview was a thrilling read, building towards the release of ‘Antidepressants’. I found this book quite moving, it explores many different emotions and is perfectly documented.
September 4, 2026
A solid and interesting read, especially for Suede fans, I liked the behind the scenes look at the band and their journey back together. Some parts felt a little detailed, but overall I enjoyed it.
September 8, 2026
David Barnett’s Love and Poison is the definitive account of Suede’s first life: a brilliant, intimate and gloriously turbulent history of the band from its beginnings to the point where it eventually went on hiatus. It is a hard act to follow. Rodge Glass’s As One: Remaking Suede does not try to. Instead, it tells a different story: how Suede came back and, more importantly, how they became a creative force again.
And it is absolutely fantastic!
Glass gets extraordinarily close to the members of the band. So close, in fact, that when I read their quotes, I hear them in their own voices in my head. There is an immediacy to the book that makes it remarkably difficult to put down. At times, you feel less as though you are reading about Suede and more as though you are sitting in the rehearsal room with them, watching songs emerge, arguments unfold and ideas gradually turn into records.
Structuring the book around the albums is a particularly inspired choice. It gives the story a natural chronology while also providing a thematic framework for each stage of Suede’s second life. We get a fascinating insight into the process of writing and developing the music: songs that work, songs that don’t, ideas that change shape, creative disagreements, frustrations, breakthroughs and the complicated dynamics between five very different people trying to make something together.
One of Glass’s greatest strengths is knowing when not to tell the reader what to think. Occasionally, he takes us very close to something intensely personal or sensitive. He describes what happened, sometimes in considerable detail, but resists passing judgement or explaining it away. He trusts the reader to make up their own mind. That restraint makes those passages considerably more powerful.
And then there are the absolute heroes of the book: Neil Codling and Richard Oakes.
These two immensely talented, extraordinarily hardworking and very different men, who so often seem perfectly content to stand slightly outside the spotlight, are finally placed squarely in it. And they shine.
The trust between Glass and both Neil and Richard is palpable. They have opened up to him not only about their work and their contributions to Suede’s music, but about emotions, frustrations, insecurities and relationships. The result is that two people who can sometimes appear enigmatic from the outside emerge as wonderfully complex human beings and absolutely fundamental parts of what Suede became after reforming.
That may ultimately be what I loved most about As One. It does not reduce Suede’s remarkable second act to Brett Anderson and a supporting cast. It shows just how collaborative, difficult, fragile and occasionally messy the process of being a band actually is and how much talent, work and trust it takes to keep five individuals moving in the same direction.
Barnett gave us an extraordinary account of how Suede became Suede. Glass has done something equally valuable: he has shown us how, years later, they managed to become Suede again.
For a Suede fan or anyone else interested in music, As One is an absolute treasure.
And it is absolutely fantastic!
Glass gets extraordinarily close to the members of the band. So close, in fact, that when I read their quotes, I hear them in their own voices in my head. There is an immediacy to the book that makes it remarkably difficult to put down. At times, you feel less as though you are reading about Suede and more as though you are sitting in the rehearsal room with them, watching songs emerge, arguments unfold and ideas gradually turn into records.
Structuring the book around the albums is a particularly inspired choice. It gives the story a natural chronology while also providing a thematic framework for each stage of Suede’s second life. We get a fascinating insight into the process of writing and developing the music: songs that work, songs that don’t, ideas that change shape, creative disagreements, frustrations, breakthroughs and the complicated dynamics between five very different people trying to make something together.
One of Glass’s greatest strengths is knowing when not to tell the reader what to think. Occasionally, he takes us very close to something intensely personal or sensitive. He describes what happened, sometimes in considerable detail, but resists passing judgement or explaining it away. He trusts the reader to make up their own mind. That restraint makes those passages considerably more powerful.
And then there are the absolute heroes of the book: Neil Codling and Richard Oakes.
These two immensely talented, extraordinarily hardworking and very different men, who so often seem perfectly content to stand slightly outside the spotlight, are finally placed squarely in it. And they shine.
The trust between Glass and both Neil and Richard is palpable. They have opened up to him not only about their work and their contributions to Suede’s music, but about emotions, frustrations, insecurities and relationships. The result is that two people who can sometimes appear enigmatic from the outside emerge as wonderfully complex human beings and absolutely fundamental parts of what Suede became after reforming.
That may ultimately be what I loved most about As One. It does not reduce Suede’s remarkable second act to Brett Anderson and a supporting cast. It shows just how collaborative, difficult, fragile and occasionally messy the process of being a band actually is and how much talent, work and trust it takes to keep five individuals moving in the same direction.
Barnett gave us an extraordinary account of how Suede became Suede. Glass has done something equally valuable: he has shown us how, years later, they managed to become Suede again.
For a Suede fan or anyone else interested in music, As One is an absolute treasure.
Review of advance copy
(Advance copy picked up at the launch event)
This book is an absolute treasure trove for Suede fans, giving a deep dive into how they made each of their five ‘reunion’ albums and their interpersonal relationships. I devoured it, from the “what did Suede do in their breakup years” info to the diary of the Southbank residency. I’ll admit that I’m biased as a huge Suede fan - I was at every night of that residency plus many of the gigs Rodge Glass mentions in passing on the way to it (finally answering the question, why did Richard and Mat take so long to leave the venue in Glasgow that time?) - and many of my friends get lovingly written about. It’s probably a book for the Suede fan rather than the casual observer, but as a Suede fan, that gets no complaints from me.
The star of the book, for me, is Richard Oakes. Always something of an unsung hero in Suede, the book sensitively portrays his struggle to adapt to post-band life in the 2000s and his journey to find his voice and regain confidence. The story of how he met his wife is heartwarming, and his sarcastic one-liners made me laugh out loud on several occasions.
I didn’t expect Brett Anderson to be the villain of the piece, and reading about the way he so casually discards work that Neil and Richard have poured themselves into, or makes decisions on behalf of the five without consultation, made me develop some ill-feeling towards him. There’s plenty of Brett to love in here too - and I have no interest in the meandering arty Suede ballet that he cancelled - but at times he doesn’t come off well.
My highlights: Neil’s in-depth research of folk horror when making The Blue Hour was a fascinating insight into how he creates. The passage about AJ’s one-man campaign to get ‘The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me’ played live. Finding out that ‘night thoughts’ came from something Justine Frischmann would say to get Brett to stop being so morose and go to sleep.
If you love Suede as much as I do then you’ve probably already ordered the book. If you haven’t it is a must-read and I encourage you to seek out a copy as soon as possible.
This book is an absolute treasure trove for Suede fans, giving a deep dive into how they made each of their five ‘reunion’ albums and their interpersonal relationships. I devoured it, from the “what did Suede do in their breakup years” info to the diary of the Southbank residency. I’ll admit that I’m biased as a huge Suede fan - I was at every night of that residency plus many of the gigs Rodge Glass mentions in passing on the way to it (finally answering the question, why did Richard and Mat take so long to leave the venue in Glasgow that time?) - and many of my friends get lovingly written about. It’s probably a book for the Suede fan rather than the casual observer, but as a Suede fan, that gets no complaints from me.
The star of the book, for me, is Richard Oakes. Always something of an unsung hero in Suede, the book sensitively portrays his struggle to adapt to post-band life in the 2000s and his journey to find his voice and regain confidence. The story of how he met his wife is heartwarming, and his sarcastic one-liners made me laugh out loud on several occasions.
I didn’t expect Brett Anderson to be the villain of the piece, and reading about the way he so casually discards work that Neil and Richard have poured themselves into, or makes decisions on behalf of the five without consultation, made me develop some ill-feeling towards him. There’s plenty of Brett to love in here too - and I have no interest in the meandering arty Suede ballet that he cancelled - but at times he doesn’t come off well.
My highlights: Neil’s in-depth research of folk horror when making The Blue Hour was a fascinating insight into how he creates. The passage about AJ’s one-man campaign to get ‘The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me’ played live. Finding out that ‘night thoughts’ came from something Justine Frischmann would say to get Brett to stop being so morose and go to sleep.
If you love Suede as much as I do then you’ve probably already ordered the book. If you haven’t it is a must-read and I encourage you to seek out a copy as soon as possible.
Review of advance copy
Crow and I had the best of times catching up with friends at the launch of As One: Remaking Suede by Rodge Glass, an account from the inside and outside alike of Suede's second life. I've already read it in under 24 hours, and it's a fantastically incisive account of the past 16 years of work by a band who've given us everything.
Fun story, one of the first things that happened when Crow and I met properly at school in 1995 was that I gave her a full presentation on the wonders of Suede, including mix tapes, posters, and a top five of the best pictures of Brett's hair. My enthusiasm clearly led her to think, guess we'll grow up together, move in together, start a vintage paperback book box business and in 21 years' time finally be able to get married. Our Suede adventures included a disastrous V99 where I fell right out of love...for years...only to be miraculously healed by the Autofiction era, where we jumped so firmly back on board with the band, the music, and the fans that we're approaching our 40th show any minute.
So, to have a book that charts the ride back to recapturing my heart is a magnificent thing, and I'm entirely grateful to Rodge Glass for encapsulating, and teasing out, what it is that makes this lot so very special. Process IS what's interesting, and at last night's event at Union Chapel, when Brett Anderson said, "what I want is just, Suede, over, and over, and over again", I thought, yes, so say we all. To have a band that works so hard at being itself: what a joy. All the more so to have them open up like this and lay out the detail of it all. I hope we all get to hear album 9.5 one day, but in the meantime, roll on the next show!
Fun story, one of the first things that happened when Crow and I met properly at school in 1995 was that I gave her a full presentation on the wonders of Suede, including mix tapes, posters, and a top five of the best pictures of Brett's hair. My enthusiasm clearly led her to think, guess we'll grow up together, move in together, start a vintage paperback book box business and in 21 years' time finally be able to get married. Our Suede adventures included a disastrous V99 where I fell right out of love...for years...only to be miraculously healed by the Autofiction era, where we jumped so firmly back on board with the band, the music, and the fans that we're approaching our 40th show any minute.
So, to have a book that charts the ride back to recapturing my heart is a magnificent thing, and I'm entirely grateful to Rodge Glass for encapsulating, and teasing out, what it is that makes this lot so very special. Process IS what's interesting, and at last night's event at Union Chapel, when Brett Anderson said, "what I want is just, Suede, over, and over, and over again", I thought, yes, so say we all. To have a band that works so hard at being itself: what a joy. All the more so to have them open up like this and lay out the detail of it all. I hope we all get to hear album 9.5 one day, but in the meantime, roll on the next show!
August 30, 2026
Time and time again I remind myself how fortunate I am that Suede is my band, still putting out some of their best music 30+ years after their debut. It’s because they are so unique amongst their peers that this recent history is deserving of attention, and As One: Remaking Suede has just right the level of respect and questioning to make this an essential read for both casual and hardcore followers alike.
The author is the fly on the wall that any fan would love to be. He writes with wit and sincerity, intertwining intricate details of songwriting with the band members’ personal and professional lives, and puts the reader there – at the performance, in the writing room or rehearsal space, for the whole of Suede’s reunion years (and that tricky in-between period, after the split but before the reformation).
On the face of it, the drama is in the music this time around, rather than the rollercoaster played out in the public eye of Suede mark 1; however, the story is no less engaging. There’s no magic wand for producing 5 glorious albums after the band had been written off (including by the band members themselves); rather, the book shows the inherent tensions between different viewpoints, working methods and visions for who the band really are.
A must-read for anyone with an interest in Suede old or new, discovering success in longevity and what success actually means in the creative world.
The author is the fly on the wall that any fan would love to be. He writes with wit and sincerity, intertwining intricate details of songwriting with the band members’ personal and professional lives, and puts the reader there – at the performance, in the writing room or rehearsal space, for the whole of Suede’s reunion years (and that tricky in-between period, after the split but before the reformation).
On the face of it, the drama is in the music this time around, rather than the rollercoaster played out in the public eye of Suede mark 1; however, the story is no less engaging. There’s no magic wand for producing 5 glorious albums after the band had been written off (including by the band members themselves); rather, the book shows the inherent tensions between different viewpoints, working methods and visions for who the band really are.
A must-read for anyone with an interest in Suede old or new, discovering success in longevity and what success actually means in the creative world.
September 9, 2026
For those of you that have been following the band for a long time, it will give you some insightful background to the why and how-come? of some of the decisions that appear strange from the outside.
For those casually interested in the band .
It is a lovely peek into what it is like to be creatively minded in later life, something many of us are dealing with. Not only is the external landscape different from when we started, but our internal thought processes, our anxieties as individuals have matured, Glass’s writing puts that on the page.
for me, reading several new perspectives on the recordings made me listen to the albums again, and for some of the songs, it is like I am hearing them for the first time.
Whether you like the band or not, Rodge has done an amazing job of conducting deep and personal interviews and weaving the personal ambitions and fears of the individuals through the history of songwriting of the last five albums.
There is great insight here in what it is to be old; if you have lived a full life; taken risks; hidden away from risks and live with regrets.
The book really gives you a warm sense of the camaraderie, and ups and downs of suede, and the responsibilities you have to yourself as someone in a band. It’s a fascinating read, I had to stop myself from reading it too fast, and enjoy the journey.
Soak in every word, it is the literary equivalent of the front row experience at a suede gig.
For those casually interested in the band .
It is a lovely peek into what it is like to be creatively minded in later life, something many of us are dealing with. Not only is the external landscape different from when we started, but our internal thought processes, our anxieties as individuals have matured, Glass’s writing puts that on the page.
for me, reading several new perspectives on the recordings made me listen to the albums again, and for some of the songs, it is like I am hearing them for the first time.
Whether you like the band or not, Rodge has done an amazing job of conducting deep and personal interviews and weaving the personal ambitions and fears of the individuals through the history of songwriting of the last five albums.
There is great insight here in what it is to be old; if you have lived a full life; taken risks; hidden away from risks and live with regrets.
The book really gives you a warm sense of the camaraderie, and ups and downs of suede, and the responsibilities you have to yourself as someone in a band. It’s a fascinating read, I had to stop myself from reading it too fast, and enjoy the journey.
Soak in every word, it is the literary equivalent of the front row experience at a suede gig.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Such an amazing book! As a huge Suede fan, it was incredible to read about Suede's second act and the barriers the band overcame. Rodge did a wonderful job of delving into the lives of the band and fans, and added plenty of observations and facts that I really enjoyed! It was especially lovely to see so much appreciation of Neil and Richard's journey. If I could give more than 5 stars I would 🩷
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews