Suede’s Brett Anderson grabs fans’ phones during Singapore concert, scolds them for filming

SINGAPORE – Suede frontman Brett Anderson knows how annoying it is to be blocked by fans who hold up their mobile phones at a concert.

The lead singer of the British rock band scolded front-row audience members for obstructing the view of those behind them. This was at a joint gig with Welsh rock group Manic Street Preachers at The Star Theatre on Nov 22.

His outburst was captured on fan videos and shared on Instagram and TikTok.

At one point, Anderson, 57, could be seen heading towards the barricade at the front of the crowd, where he tussled with a front-row male audience member, demanding that he put down his device.

He then leapt over the barricade and confronted those in the front section of the venue who were busy filming him. He started pushing fans’ hands down, grabbing phones off them, and putting them on the floor.

“It’s so much better if you could possibly put your phone down,” he said when he returned to the stage.

Pointing to those who still had their devices up, he berated: “Put your f****** phone down. If you want to film, go to the back. Don’t take up space out here. These people want to have fun. If you want to stare at your f****** phone, go to the f****** back. Am I right?”

Concertgoer Desiree Koh, 29, was stunned by Anderson’s actions. “The row I was in was very near the stage, and the entire row became silent for a while,” she told The Straits Times.

“We were shocked by his behaviour. Someone near me had her phone swiped out of her hand, and she was very upset as there are now scratches on her screen,” Ms Koh added.

Anderson’s rebuke was greeted with cheers and applause, but some did not take heed and continued to film his performance.

Suede, who made their name with Britpop anthems such as Animal Nitrate (1993), The Wild Ones (1994) and Beautiful Ones (1996), last played here at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2022.