Still defiant and gloriously contradictory, the Manic Street Preachers return to the Barrowlands with new anthems, deep cuts, and unwavering passion. A band reborn—again.
Well once again the Manic Street Preachers play the Barrowlands and once again they storm the place. The band who famously declared their debut album would sell 16 million copies, go to number 1 and they would break up afterwards are somehow approaching their 40th anniversary together. Well, Generation Terrorists didn’t sell 16 million copies and the Manic continue to release and tour. To love the Manic’s is to love their fascinating contradictions, a working class punk rock band from Wales that sung about miners strikes but won brit awards. Cultural outsiders who quote Nietzsche and headlined Glastonbury (after calling it a shithole). While operating with a bass player and lyricist who is obsessed with hoovering, nice hotel rooms and who prefers cricket to playing guitar.
Tonight, they open the tour for their new no2 charting album Critical Thinking. It’s a Friday at the Barrowlands in Glasgow so it goes without saying the crowd are in fine liquor and fine voice even before the Manics anthems take centre stage.
Opening with Decline and Fall, Critical Thinking gets a healthy airing with the new songs going down well. James Dean Bradfield sounding on fine form particularly on the lively Brushstrokes of Reunion. Then the crowd get the rare pleasure of hearing a certain Mr Nicky Wire singing. The Manics’ bassist is now routinely afforded a couple of vocals per album. The charming Hiding in Plain Sight is the first Wire vocal to be released as a single. Wire builds himself by chanting the words to Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain before eventually launching into the aforementioned song, its very endearing even if Wire’s voice is less polished than Bradfield, though he adds a suitable naiveté.
Along with new songs, a few rarer songs are given an airing much to delight of the crowd. When Peeled Apples is played the man next to me punches the air (okay, okay I admit it there was no man that was me, your impartial, objective reviewer who has seen the Manics 11 times). That’s just the fervent devotion this band inspires, with many in the crowd dressing in a striking mix of leopard print and strong eye liner in tribute to Manics early style. The concert continues with a solo Bradfield airing of This Sullen Welsh Heart. The Everlasting brings an end to Bradfield’s acoustic portion of the evening, with half the song acoustic and the latter half full band as the crowd wholeheartedly join in. Further hits are aired with A Design For Life now played halfway through the set with customary confetti and another very loud singalong. While Motorcycle Emptiness as always sounds buoyant and energetic with its undeniable guitar riff. The set is finished with an incendiary run through of Motown Junk and then If You Tolerate This You Will Be Next takes us home.
God save the Manics, til the next time.
Words: Ben Lamont @badphotosfromgoodgigs
Pictures: Kevin Rooney @knkography