Neil Codling joined the band

In the autumn of 1995, the band was joined by new member Neil Codling , a cousin of Gilbert who played keyboards and second guitar. His first appearance was at a fanclub gig at the Hanover Grand on 27 January 1996, which turned out to be one of Suede’s most important performances. A short set, devoid of Butler’s songs, was well received by critics. “A set that says, ‘No need,’” observed Steve Sutherland in NME . Even before Dog Man Star was released, bassist Mat Osman told Select magazine in September 1994 that he wanted to move on from the regimented recording process and expansive, multi-layered guitar sounds of that era and focus on more radio-friendly pop music, citing ” Losing My Religion ” by R.E.M. as a song that “doesn’t show off in the slightest and is still brilliant.” Anderson shared a similar outlook, saying that, in contrast to the band’s previous albums, which he felt “suffered at certain times from being quite obscure,” he intended the forthcoming album to be “almost like a ‘greatest hits.’” Suede’s third album, Coming Up , was released in September 1996 and was preceded by the successful lead single, ” Trash “, in July. The single was popular and tied with “Stay Together” as the band’s highest-charting UK single, reaching number three. The album would become the band’s biggest mainstream success, earning five straight top-10 singles and becoming a hit throughout Europe, Asia, and Canada. Coming Up never did find a significant audience in America, partly because it appeared nearly a year after its initial release and partly because Suede only supported it with a three-city tour. The tour was further complicated by problems in Boston, Massachusetts , where the band’s music equipment was stolen, forcing them to play the remaining shows with acoustic guitars. Nevertheless, the album topped the UK chart and became the band’s biggest-selling release, setting expectations high for the follow-up. With the success of the album, Suede secured top billing at the 1997 Reading Festival . Suede’s next release was Sci-Fi Lullabies , a collection of B-sides, which reached number nine on the UK Album Chart. The compilation was well-received, with disc one of two being described by critics as the band’s strongest collection of songs.