Melody Maker Magazine 23 August 1997 Suede Brett Anderson Blur Prodigy NP008

Original Melody Maker Magazine dated 23 August 1997, featuring Suede and their charismatic frontman Brett Anderson as the main cover attraction.

This is a particularly distinctive late-1990s issue, combining a major Suede feature with extensive coverage of V97 Festival, Reading Festival, Britpop, alternative rock and contemporary British music culture.

The front cover features a large colour photograph of Brett Anderson standing with his arms folded, wearing a pale shirt and dark trousers against a blue background.

The main cover headline reads:

“You! Outside! Now! SUEDE”

With the accompanying strapline:

“Brett Anderson gets Reading to rumble”

This makes the issue particularly appealing to collectors of Suede, Brett Anderson, Britpop and original 1990s British music publications.

Suede – Brett Anderson Cover Feature

Suede dominate the front cover, with Brett Anderson photographed in a confident pose.

The cover promotes the band's Reading Festival-related coverage, capturing their place within the British alternative rock scene during 1997.

The large photograph is credited to Tom Sheehan, a photographer closely associated with British music journalism.

The distinctive orange and blue cover design, together with the prominent Suede headline, makes this an attractive period piece for collectors of the band.

V97 Festival – Major Live Coverage

The upper-left section prominently advertises:

“THE MAGNIFICENT V97!”

With live coverage of:

• Blur

• The Prodigy

• Kula Shaker

• Beck

The cover specifically references performances in Chelmsford and Leeds.

A smaller live performance photograph accompanies this section, adding further interest for collectors of 1990s festival memorabilia.

Reading Festival – Gigantic Preview

The front cover also advertises a:

“Gigantic Reading Preview”

Featuring:

• Metallica

• Cast

• The Cardigans

• Terrorvision

• Symposium

This gives the issue additional appeal for collectors interested in Reading Festival 1997, especially those collecting original press coverage of the festival's major performers.

Free Tattoos – Special Cover Promotion

Across the top of the magazine is the prominent announcement:

“FREE TATTOOS”

The right-hand side expands on this with:

“5 FREE TATS! Including MANICS! PRODIGY! SPICE GIRLS!”

This refers to a promotional temporary tattoo offer featuring:

• Manic Street Preachers

• The Prodigy

• Spice Girls

Important: The actual temporary tattoos are not visible in the supplied photograph, so their inclusion cannot be confirmed.

Other Featured Artists and Personalities

The left-hand side of the cover advertises further features involving:

• Travis – Scottish alternative rock band.

• Hurricane #1 – British indie rock group.

• Super Furry Animals – Welsh alternative rock band, referred to on the cover as Super Furries.

• Teenage Fanclub – Scottish alternative rock band.

• Tanya Donelly – American singer-songwriter.

• Kevin Spacey – actor.

• Grass-Show – Swedish alternative rock band.

• Dinosaur Jr – American alternative rock band.

• Silver Sun – British power-pop group.

The upper-right corner also promotes Melody Maker's expanded Gig Guide.

Collector Interest

This issue is particularly interesting because it combines three major aspects of the British music scene in August 1997: Suede's prominent festival-era coverage, the V97 performances and the upcoming Reading Festival.

With Brett Anderson on the cover and advertised appearances by Blur, The Prodigy, Metallica, Kula Shaker, Beck and numerous other acts, it provides an excellent snapshot of the late-1990s music press.

Magazine / Item Details

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition with visible age-related handling and storage wear.

The following assessment is based on the single supplied front-cover photograph.

Front Cover: The main Suede photograph remains clear and colourful, with the large headlines and printed artwork well preserved. There is visible surface waviness and some light creasing, particularly across the lower portion and around the outer margins.

Spine / Left Edge: The left-hand edge shows minor compression, waviness and handling creases. There is some light roughness along the folded paper edge.

Right Edge: The right-hand edge is visibly uneven, with slight fraying and roughness consistent with the thin newspaper-style paper stock. Some minor discolouration and handling wear are present along the pale outer margin.

Top Edge: The top edge shows some waviness and slight bending, particularly towards the upper-left corner. The paper appears mildly curled from storage.

Bottom Edge: The bottom margin shows light creasing, unevenness and general handling wear. There is slight curling along the lower edge.

Corners: The lower-left corner has visible bending and wear, with a small irregularity to the paper edge. The lower-right corner is softened, while the upper corners show mild bending and storage wear.

Discolouration: There is visible age-related yellowing/toning around the pale outer margins, particularly along the right-hand and lower edges.

Surface Marks: Minor handling marks and small spots are visible, together with some light rubbing across the cover. The main photograph and printed text remain clearly readable.

Tears / Damage: No obvious major tears or large missing sections are visible on the photographed front cover. Minor edge irregularities are present.

Interior Pages: The interior pages and back cover have not been photographed, so their condition and completeness cannot be fully assessed.

Promotional Extras: The cover advertises free temporary tattoos, but these have not been confirmed in the supplied photograph.

Overall, this is a vintage reading and collecting copy with visible age-related wear, while retaining an attractive and clearly presented Suede cover.

Please examine the supplied photograph carefully, as it forms an important part of the condition description.

Packaging & Postage

The magazine will be carefully and safely folded and packed inside a protective cardboard box for posting.

It will be securely packed to help reduce the risk of crushing, excessive bending and further damage during transit.