Bernard Butler Moves On

HE'S A DIFFICULT bugger, everyone says so. David McAlmont said so, as he walked away from a potentially chart-topping partnership, complaining the guitarist was a homophobe. London Suede said so, as Butler himself walked away in a huff, muttering darkly about lifestyle and unfulfilled ambitions. And the guy at the gig on Tuesday night said so, after he clapped in the wrong place and was told to shut up. Yeah, he's a difficult bugger, and it's even more difficult when he arrives late but smiling, quietly spoken and gently polite, and apparently completely untouched by the rainstorm which has just drowned north London.