Manic Street Preachers

Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Still manic, still preaching. And if this is their “one last shot at mass communication” the message came across loud and clear – and the masses were there to hear it.

The Manics rocked a sell-out Civic Hall last night with a blistering set delivered with an energy that belied a band 20 years in the business.

They may be on the road as a result of the release of Postcards From A Young Man, but the Manics do not tour an album, they tour themselves – a point driven home by the opening number, Stay Beautiful – the first single from debut album Generation Terrorists.

That opening is followed by Your Love Alone Is Not Enough and Motorcycle Emptiness (if ever a song was designed to get a crowd bouncing it was this) before the first song from Postcards… the brilliant (It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love.

There are plenty of numbers to send the crowd into a frenzy, including You Stole The Sun From My Heart, Motown Junk, The Masses Against The Classes and, of course, You Love Us, but there are also moments of almost introspection with songs like Life Becoming A Landslide and Of Walking Abortion.

Lead singer James Dean Bradfield also proved he is self-aware, saying of My Little Empire that it would give him the chance to rest his hip replacement and of Solitude Sometimes Is: “This is off Lifeblood so some of you might go to the bar now.”

Not many did, as energetic number followed energetic number, punctuated only by Bradfield’s traditional acoustic spot, which this time around produced a quite fantastic version of Everything Must Go (as well as allowing bass player Nicky Wire to slip into something a little more comfortable).

A trio of numbers performed with the sole intent of leaving the crowd on a high wrapped up the evening. Suicide Is Painless led into You Love Us before the inevitable climax of A Design For Life.

“Are you listening Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg?” bellowed Wire.

Still manic. Still preaching.

By David Burrows