Manic Street Preachers
Music of impact capable for contemplative solitude or thousands singing in a field, Wales’ Manic Street Preachers have been, for over a decade, one of the UK’s most vital talents.
A peculiar blend of Guns ‘N’ Roses solos, the ideals of Public Enemy and the edginess of Joy Division, the Manics first burst on to the scene with the debut-single, and implausibly rare, ‘Suicide Alley’ in 1989. The single was championed by alternative press and sold out, a collectors-item to this day. A series of independent releases followed, including the likes of the now-monumental ‘Motown Junk’ and ‘You Love Us’ and, before long, the majors were interested, and the band’s vitriolic political views and equally powerful material were set to hit mainstream ears in the following years (thank you, Columbia Records).
Their debut-LP ‘Generation Terrorists’ was a messy, yet beautiful, introduction; a double-album, full of tunes, brimming with angst and showcasing an act unafraid to take over the world. Cocksure press-quotes coincided with its arrival, the four-piece’s arrogance and unrelenting posture allowing the baggy scene prior to them to seem flaccid and pointless. The follow-ups ‘Gold Against The Soul’ and ‘The Holy Bibles’ – the latter particularly well-received – proved more influential, notching the band’s status to just below ‘popular’, additionally aided via a top-ten single in the shape of their cover of ‘Suicide Is Painless’.
But disaster struck. One of the band’s key lyricists and spokespersons, Richey James, went missing on the eve of a US tour in February 1995. To this day, he has never been found, despite numerous allegations as to his whereabouts. The band were to continue as a three-piece, James Dean Bradfield remaining on guitar, Nicky Wire remaining on bass, and Sean Moore remaining on drums. The press-attention attracted was near-impenetrable, and by the time the band’s come-back single surfaced – the brave, anthemic dismissal of consumerism which forms ‘A Design For Life’ – the group were on their way to becoming superstars... It’s just so disparaging that such an occurrence resulted following such tragedy…
The following album ‘Everything Must Go’ spawned hit-singles and sell-out arena-tours. The band became untouchable, and epic. The following album ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’ fared similarly – even granting the group their first number-one, ‘If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next’, but provoking criticism that the band had lost their edge.
In fact, it was during this period that many lost faith in their once treasured alternative-figures – the band that once wore glitter and vowed to split up in a blaze of glory and controversy could often be found rummaging around on up-market high-street retailers and living a life the rest of us would deem ‘pedestrian’. The trio became branded ‘sell-outs’.
So, cue to the intended ‘return to form’ period, though even this was presented with what some saw as flaws. Despite triggering another number-one with the post-Xmas, available-for-one-day-only rock-out that was the essential ‘Masses Against The Classes’, and creating a wave of sensation for a legendary Millennium show in their native city of Cardiff, MSP’s next studio-effort ‘Know Your Enemy’ became slated by the press for its alleged overblown endeavours to appear true to the band’s original ethic. Whatever, festival-appearances were headlined, singles continued to tower the upper reaches of the charts, and a memorable trip to Cuba saw the ‘Preachers become the first Western rock-band ever to play live on the island.
With 2002 ending with a further sell-out arena-tour and a greatest-hits album ‘Forever Delayed’, some bitter few maintain the notion that the Manics are a shattered fragment of their past. Even if so, they still hold their position as Britain’s most outright daring and important rock-band, and, arguably, their legacy should be cherished as opposed to criticised.
OFFICIAL SITE: The band\'s distinctly fashionable effort - surprisingly colourful and in line with the current artwork for their \'Forever Delayed\' package.