The Welsh indie icons may know they are closer to the end than the beginning on their 15th studio album, but in amongst personal reflections on time passed, they remain as politically sharp as ever.
Yesterday, I went to a special album launch show by the Manic Street Preachers at a relatively small club in Kingston-upon-Thames. They were originally going to play one gig, but sold out in seconds so they added an earlier afternoon show. I managed to get a ticket for that one and really enjoyed it. 60 minute show with a good mix of classics, 3 new songs, and some deep cuts that have not been played for a long time (She is Suffering since 2015 and Peeled Apples since 2010!).
Get the Manic Street Preachers Setlist of the concert at PRYZM, Kingston upon Thames, England on February 1, 2025 and other Manic Street Preachers Setlists for free on setlist.fm!
www.setlist.fm
The late show featured a slightly different setlist, with 4 new songs (one of them, Dear Stephen, has not been released as a single yet):
Get the Manic Street Preachers Setlist of the concert at PRYZM, Kingston upon Thames, England on February 1, 2025 and other Manic Street Preachers Setlists for free on setlist.fm!
As Manic Street Preachers reveal new record Critical Thinking, the original edgelord Nicky Wire opens up on how he’s endured and evolved across a career spanning four decades.
Manic Street Preachers frontman wasn’t convinced by his fellow Welsh musicians, until he discovered the Steely Dan and Little Feat elements of their 11th album
The Manics were superb in Bristol last Saturday. 1 hour and 44 minutes gig in a nice intimate venue (capacity of approximately 2200), with a setlist covering most of their discography, including 5 new songs, some oldies rarely played (Sleepflower, Motown Junk), timeless classics (I will never get tired of seeing A Design for Life, Motorcycle Emptiness and If You Tolerate This Your Children Will be Next), and a segment as a 3 piece playing songs with lyrics by missing band member Richey Edwards (She Is Suffering and Peeled Apples). The acoustic solo set by James Dean Bradfield showed that he is not only a guitar god, but an outstanding singer: we got a snippet of From Despair to Where, followed by Ready for Drowning (sung partially in Welsh), Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky and The Everlasting, with the rest of the band re-joining the moment James was going to play his solo.
I cannot wait to see what they have prepared for 2026, which according to their touring agent would be pretty big.
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