It must have been a surreal experience for Suede.

East Anglian Daily Times: SuedeSuede (Image: Roger Sargent)

In their early days they played sweaty student unions, then hit the festival circuit and last night, 25 years on, they headlined at the Forestry Commission Live gig at High Lodge, Thetford Forest.

Before the band came on, the audience sat around their picnic blankets dunking crudites in hummus, drinking Pimms and basking in the warm evening sun, while the warm-up acts played in the background.

The queue for the bar was almost nonexistent.

But Suede have grown up and so have their audience.

When my husband first saw them during his university days, he would have been three back from the stage, thrashing around with a beer in his hand.

Last night, he lifted his six-year-old daughter onto his shoulders and danced around the field, enjoying the chance to share a slice of his youth with us both.

Suede came on stage at 9.15pm, and one by one the picnics blankets were rolled up, the chairs folded and the audience moved closer to the stage.

We had been worried about how our little one would react, so went prepared with ear defenders - thinking she might find the noise a little disturbing.

Far from it, she insisted we join the crowd in moving forward, and given half a chance, would have been in her father’s favourite spot - three back from the stage.

And as we got lost in the music, she cheekily lifted her ear defenders off so she could fully immerse herself in the music.

Started slowly the band built up to We are the Pigs, and this proved to be the turning point which reawakened their fans

Lead singer Brett Anderson was on fire, his voice strong and his stage presence as electric as it was in the early days.

Half an hour in, he upped the tempo and launched into what is probably their most well-known hit, She’s in Fashion, this was the highlight for most last night.

The only criticism was that Suede’s set was erring on the short side at around an hour and a quarter, including an encore.

Afterwards, we strolled back to the car - which was barely 50 metres from the gate - visiting the cleanest portable toilets ever.

As gigs go, it was on the sedate side, but a perfect introduction into the world of live music for little ones. Next stop: Glasto.

Natalie Sadler