Brett Anderson of Suede has joined forces with Nadine Shah for a touching rendition of Mercury Rev’s “Holes,” which can be seen below. The project came about thanks to Paraorchestra, and its founder/creative director, Charles Hazlewood, who put together the album “Death Songbook.” The 12-track record contains original pieces and new covers of “iconic songs investigating love, loss, and transcendence” from various artists like Depeche Mode, Suede, and Japan. The collaboration with Shah is also part of this album.
The “Death Songbook” album will be released on April 19th through BMG, and it’s now available for pre-order. There will also be two live shows featuring songs from the album, as Anderson and Paraorchestra will be joined by Shah and Gwenno at London’s Roundhouse on April 24th. Gwenno will also be there to support them at Manchester’s Factory International on April 26th. Remaining tickets can be found on Paraorchestra’s website. Anderson and Shah had previously joined forces to perform “Holes” as part of another collaboration with Paraorchestra at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre in January 2021.
Anderson stated, “There’s this sense of regret about it that resonated with me. That line about “holes, dug by little moles,” there’s something so sad and childlike about that.” Shah added, “I hope people get as much out of ‘Holes’ as I have singing it and I look forward to performing it with my talented friends at one of my favourite venues, the Roundhouse. I’ve worked with Paraorchestra on a few occasions now, one on the hottest day imaginable at Glastonbury. Their talent is insurmountable, and I love to sing with them. I’m a great admirer of both Brett Anderson and Charles Hazlewood, so an opportunity to do this all again on ‘Death Songbook’ was one I would be sure not to pass up. A moment of melancholic magic with a bunch of fellow goths.”
Other musicians set to be featured on the “Death Songbook” album include Gwenno, Seb Rochford of Sons of Kemet, and Adrian Utley of Portishead. Paraorchestra is the world’s only ensemble with a combination of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians playing an unconventional mix of traditional orchestral, acoustic, and electronic instruments while also utilizing assistive technology.
As for upcoming shows, Suede has also announced a massive concert with Johnny Marr and Nadine Shah as the special guest in the Heritage Live concert series at the Audley End in Saffron Walden, Essex. Tickets go on sale at 9 am BST on Friday, April 5th, so if you’re interested, act fast!
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