Manic Street Preachers
Usher Hall, Edinburgh
“WHAT a lovely bunch,” said Nicky Wire, still the politest revolutionary out there. “You make three 50- year- olds feel ver y energetic.” More than 30 years since Manic Street Preachers unleashed their f i r s t s i ngle, t his nostalgic anniversary show was for an album which arrived a decade into their existence, their fifth and most successful record: This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.
The first half of the show was an almost i n- order r e a d i n g o f t h e a l b u m, offering the familiar pop hooks of The Everlasting, You Stole the Sun from My Heart and Tsunami alongside fan- pleasing readings of little- played songs like Black Dog on My Shoulder and the Bond- like S. Y. M. M. The running order was changed to allow If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next to go last, a song which might as well soundtrack the nightly news.
After this false finale, a selection of hits and other bits demonstrated with a swagger not only the group’s unfailing ability for great pop music and effective sloganeering, but also their sheer power as a live band. Amid the exquisite melancholy of Your Love Alone is Not Enough and A Design for Life, and the raw power of Motorcycle Emptiness and La Tristesse Durera, Wire paid emotional tribute as ever to the band’s fallen f ourth member, Richey Edwards, before the serrated You Love Us.
James Dean Bradfield’s roari ng vocal, meanwhile, was deployed on a ferocious, unexpected cover of Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine. “You think we’re miserable f*** ers,” smiled Wire, “but we can have fun.” They can dish it out too.