Suede
The first gig Oakes attended was one of Suede's at the Poole Arts Centre in May 1993. Upon hearing that guitarist Bernard Butler had left the band and that the band were auditioning for a replacement, he recorded versions of Suede songs and some of his own material on a 4 track recorder, which he sent to the band's fanclub along with a note that read "Take me or leave me." When drummer Simon Gilbert heard Anderson playing back the tape whilst going through audition tapes, he mistakenly believed it to be an early Suede demo. After the second audition Oakes was invited to join the band.
At the age of 17, and after beating approximately five hundred candidates, Oakes officially joined Suede on 17 September 1994 (exactly 2 weeks before his 18th birthday). Oakes first public appearance with the band was on Top of the Pops, while his first full live appearance was at a secret fan club gig at London's Raw Club on 10 October 1994. The first song he performed live, and the first video he appeared in, was "We are the Pigs".
His first co-writing credits were the B-sides of single "New Generation", "Together" and "Bentswood Boys".
Oakes went on to co-write many songs with Anderson on subsequent albums and B-side material, several of which went on to become hit singles in the UK.
Oakes joined his former bandmates for three UK Suede concerts in 2010, and it had since been announced on the band's resurrected web site that they will perform at London's O2 Arena in December, following festival appearances in Sweden, Hultsfredsfestivalen in July and Denmark and Norway in August, leading to speculation of a more permanent reformation.
Read more about this topic: Richard Oakes (guitarist)
Famous quotes containing the word suede:
“It’s one for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to get ready,
Now go, cat, go!
But don’t you step on my Blue Suede Shoes.
You can do anything but lay off my Blue Suede Shoes.”
—Carl Perkins (b. 1932)