Suede bassist Mat Osman has dismissed Liam Gallagher's cutting remarks about the band, laughing off the Oasis frontman's comments that they 'dressed like estate agents'.
Liam took to X in April to criticise Suede and the Manic Street Preachers, calling them 's**t' and saying they 'lack attitude, swagger and style'. He added: 'F**k them.'
Mat Osman unfazed by Gallagher's jibes
Speaking to Metro after Suede's album Antidepressants was nominated for the 2026 Mercury Prize, Mat said: 'I think he said we were dressed s**t. I mean, I've met Liam many times, and he's always been lovely.' He added: 'What he says in the press is always designed to stir things up.'
Bandmate Neil Codling recalled that Liam had previously called their song It Starts And Ends With You an 'effing tune'. Neil quipped: 'I will take that.'
Britpop label and Mercury Prize history
Suede have never embraced the Britpop label. Mat explained: '[The genre] is something for other people to deal with. It's a useful way to put you in a record bin, but it doesn't really mean anything to us.' The band won the Mercury Prize in 1993 for their self-titled album and were nominated again in 1997 for Coming Up. Oasis have been nominated twice but never won.
Mat noted that their previous win might be a disadvantage, as only PJ Harvey has won twice in the award's history. 'I think it's probably a disadvantage,' he said. Neil added that 'statistically' this year might not go their way.
Reflecting on the album and the ceremony
On why Antidepressants has resonated, Mat said: 'I think the message of it, the openness of it, and the mix of tension and community.' Neil attributed it to the 'confessional' elements, saying: 'People really appreciate people being honest.'
The band will attend the ceremony in Newcastle on Thursday, October 22, 2026, before heading on tour. Mat joked it was a 'rehearsal' for their gigs, adding: 'We're not going to win.'
