THE tranquil surroundings of Westonbirt Arboretum on a glorious mid-summer’s day provided the venue for Britpop legends, Suede on Saturday.

Following the release of ‘Bloodsports’, one of the albums of last year, you might expect that this gig would be a surefire sell out.

Disappointing though, there was a distinct lack of people in attendance. Much of the crowd was made up of picnickers, who were content to sit down and munch on sandwiches and sip elderflower juice.

After a slow start, the crowd sprang to life three songs in with ‘Trash’. It was clear to see that Suede were in spectacular form and it would be a night to remember. The group proceeded to play an exuberant set, which saw them play a set mainly made up of their old classics, such as ‘Wild Ones’, ‘Animal Nitrate’ and ‘Filmstar’.

Although the gig did not have as much atmosphere as you might expect at a Suede gig in London, the group played enough crowd pleasers to sustain a euphoric mood.

Front man Bret Anderson, who is in his 40s, may not be the indie-kid he once was when the group burst onto the scene in the early 90s but he still flamboyantly swaggers around the stage and was able to captivate the crowd, with his trademark moves.

After a captivating set, Suede came back on stage to perform one of their biggest hits ‘Beautiful Ones’ - a perfect song to end a spectacular evening .

Suede really put their heart and soul into this performance and it is very plain to see why they still a very much a force in the music industry all these years on. It was just a shame that so few were there to witness such a perfect gig on what was the longest day of the year.