Manic Street Preachers

DECEMBER 1998, AND NICKY WIRE IS TALKING TO BBC RADIO 1. THE BASSIST IS DISCUSSING THE POPULARITY OF THE MANIC STREET PREACHERS, AND THE UK REACTION TO THEIR FIFTH ALBUM, ‘THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS’. NICKY IS IN TYPICALLY FORTHRIGHT FORM.

SUCH SELF-BELIEF HAS ALWAYS BEEN A KEY ELEMENT IN THE BAND’S STYLE. AFTER ALL, AT THE START OF THE DECADE, THE MANICS HAD RATTLED THE MEDIA BY REVEALING THEIR FLAMBOYANT PLANS. THEY WANTED TO SOUND AND TO LOOK MORE SPECTACULAR THAN ANY OF THEIR PEERS. THEY PREDICTED HUGE SALES AND DRAMATIC SCENES. THEY AIMED TO ENGAGE BOTH THE HEART AND THE INTELLECT. THE MANICS ASPIRED TO EQUAL THE BEST PARTS OF THEIR PASSIONATELY MAINTAINED RECORD COLLECTIONS.

MANY SCOFFED, AND PREDICTED A SORRY END. BUT THE MANICS REALISED MOST OF THEIR GRAND IDEAS. WHILE OTHER ACTS WERE SLEEPWALKING THROUGH THEIR CAREERS, THIS WELSH ACT WAS EVER-ALERT, CONSISTENTLY FIERCE.

SO, AT THE START OF 1999, THE BAND COULD LOOK BACK ON ANOTHER REMARKABLE YEAR. THEIR SINGLE, IF YOU TOLERATE THIS YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE NEXT TOPPED THE BRITISH CHARTS ON AUGUST 30 1998, THE FIRST WEEK OF RELEASE. THEIR FIRST NUMBER ONE SINGLE.

LIKEWISE WITH THE ALBUM, THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS, A MONTH LATER. BOTH RECORDS FEATURED STRONGLY IN THE END-OF-YEAR MAGAZINE POLLS. NICKY WASN’T BRAGGING WHEN HE CALLED THE MANICS “THE PEOPLE’S BAND”. THEY WERE THE READERS’ CHOICE ACT IN THE NME AND MELODY MAKER HEADING THE POLL RESULTS IN MANY CATEGORIES, INCLUDING BEST BAND, SINGLE, ALBUM, VIDEO AND LIVE ACT. MEANWHILE AT Q MAGAZINE, THE READERS HAILED THEM AS “BEST ACT IN THE WORLD TODAY”.

AUDIENCE DEMAND LED TO THE BAND PLAYING AN ARENA TOUR IN DECEMBER, WHICH CULMINATED IN TWO ROUSING, PRE-XMAS CELEBRATIONS AT THE CARDIFF ARENA. THEY WERE NOMINATED FOR THREE BRIT AWARDS: BEST BRITISH GROUP, BEST ALBUM BY A BRITISH ARTIST AND BEST SINGLE BY A BRITISH ARTIST. IN FEBRUARY 1999, THEY WON TWO OF THEM.

SHORTLY BEFORE THEIR ALBUM RELEASE, THE MANICS WERE THE SUBJECT OF A BBC TV DOCUMENTARY. THE ‘CLOSE UP’ PRESENTATION WAS MADE WITH THE BAND’S CONSENT, AND IT GAVE AN ILLUMINATING INSIGHT INTO THEIR PAST. THE CAMERAS TRAVELLED TO THE FORMER MINING TOWN OF BLACKWOOD, IN SOUTH WALES. IT TRACED THE FABRIC OF THE BAND, WHO WERE OLD CHILDHOOD FRIENDS (SINGER/GUITARISTS JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD AND DRUMMER SEAN MOORE ARE COUSINS). IT MEASURED THE MUSIC AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE MID-’80S MINERS’ STRIKE, THE POLITICISATION OF THE REGION AND THE SUBSEQUENT DISENCHANTMENT WHEN THE STRIKE WAS BROKEN.

THE MANICS, FORMED IN ’88, NOURISHED THEMSELVES ON THE POLEMIC OF PUBLIC ENEMY AND THE ROCK AND ROLL VIGOUR OF GUNS ‘N ROSES AND HANOI ROCKS. THEY TOOK A DARKER ASPECT FROM BRIT INDIE ACTS SUCH AS THE SMITHS AND JOY DIVISION. AFTER A SERIES OF LOW KEY RELEASES; SUICIDE ALLEY (1989), NEW ART RIOT EP (1990), MOTOWN JUNK (1991) AND YOU LOVE US (1991), THEY SIGNED TO COLUMBIA AND RELEASED A DEBUT, DOUBLE ALBUM, GENERATION TERRORISTS (1992).

SUBSEQUENT LPS, GOLD AGAINST THE SOUL (1993) AND THE HOLY BIBLE (1994) WERE INCREASINGLY BLEAK AND UNFLINCHING, ESPECIALLY THE LATTER. IN FEBRUARY 1995, THE BAND’S GUITARIST, RICHEY JAMES WENT MISSING ON THE EVE OF AN AMERICAN TOUR.

THE BAND RETURNED AS A THREE PIECE IN 1996. THE SINGLE, A DESIGN FOR LIFE HAILED THE (VANISHING) POSSIBILITIES OF THE WELFARE STATE, WITH ITS OPENING LINE, “LIBRARIES GAVE US POWER”. A TREMENDOUS BALLAD, IT WAS AWARDED AN IVOR NOVELLO SONGWRITING AWARD, AND REACHED NUMBER TWO IN THE UK CHART. THE ALBUM, EVERYTHING MUST GO CAPTURED THE TUMULT OF THE ERA AND THE BAND’S PERSONAL SITUATION WITH MUCH SKILL.

THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS TOOK ITS TITLE FROM THE WELSH POLITICIAN AREURAN BEVAN, THE ARCHITECHT OF THE WELFARE STATE. ITS REFERENCES INCLUDED THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR (‘IF YOU TOLERATE THIS…’), OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (‘MY LITTLE EMPIRE’) AND THE CRASH-AND-BURN NATURE OF WELSH ARTISTS SUCH AS RICHARD BURTON AND DYLAN THOMAS (‘READY FOR DROWNING’). NO ORDINARY RECORD THEN. NICKY CALLED IT “THE ALBUM WITH THE MOST SENSE OF PURITY AND THE MOST SENSE OF BEAUTY”.