Manic Street Preachers - Clwb Ifor Bach - 31st March 2022
In October 1990, Manic Street Preachers were due to play at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach but had to pull out, for the very good reason that they were signing their first record contract. Or least, so goes the legend, but Nicky Wire isn’t quite so sure. ‘It was either that we were signing to Heavenly which sounds familiar to me, or that I was having an operation on my neck because I had glandular fever,’ he told Huw Stephens on BBC6 Music shortly before the gig. ‘I’m not quite sure which one it was, but I’m glad we’re repaying the debt, finally after all these years.’
Forever Delayed indeed. 14 albums and 32 albums later, they’re back in the Welsh capital to write that wrong for a special (‘This is sacred ground.’) homecoming (ish, give or take 18 miles) show If they had sounded anywhere near as vital and alive as this (which is a fair assumption), it would have been some gig.
One would expect the atmosphere to be electric in a such a small venue before one of the country’s biggest and best bands take to the stage, and the 200 lucky punters in attendance crackle accordingly. Launching straight into ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, the scene is ably set and the melancholic rocker sets a benchmark that would be impossible to sustain, were it not being followed by the series of musical explosions that is From Despair To Where.
The excitement largely comes from both the venue size and the unknown: having not performed since December, predicting the Manic’s setlist was difficult, but the band balance proceedings for this special occasion perfectly, like the masters of their craft they are. With the excellent The Ultra Vivid Lament barely six months old, it would have been understandable if they had wanted to showcase some of their newest material. But sixth album Know Your Enemy has just reached a significant milestone (21 years) and gets it’s chance in the limelight with no lack of crowd-pleasing hits comprising the rest of the set, alongside a few other surprises.
Time has been kind to Know Your Enemy. ‘His Last Painting’ grumbles and growls, James Dean Bradfield intricately immersing himself in his guitar, while the gloriously breezy The Year Of Purification (one of their countless ‘should have been a single’ offerings) glistens beautifully. The 2001 tracks bookmark the robotic shuffle/grenades of 1999 single ‘You Stole The Sun From My Heart’ and the regal ‘Still Snowing In Sapparo’ from last year.
Before introducing the latter, Nicky Wire (looking every bit as majestic as you would hope from 10 feet away) acknowledges the crowd and is in reminiscent mood, recalling previous shows in the Welsh capital, noting that their hottest gig was at the Astoria was also likely the last time they played the wiry (no pun intended) Methadone Pretty. Bradfield also engages in good camaraderie with the audience; when certain members throw in requests such as Faster or, amusingly, ‘I Killed The Zeitgeist’ (a Wire solo track), the singer jokingly responds, ‘We’re not a fucking human jukebox you know!’
The set highlights the responsibilities Bradfield carries on his shoulders. As well as lead vocals and guitar (and what a fabulous guitarist he is), he sings all lyrics on duets such as ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’ (admittedly with some assistance from an eager and willing crowd), ‘The Secret He Had Missed’ and ‘Blank Diary Entry’, filling in for Nina Persson, Julia Cumming and Mark Lanegan respectively.
The recent passing of the latter is acknowledged by Bradfield, who voices his concern that his attempt to match the American legend’s gravitas may be found wanting yet it’s a more than noble effort. Also in tribute, drummer Sean Moore is adorned in a Taylor Hawkins T-shirt and pounds his skins relentlessly in such a vein that would have made the Foo Fighters man proud. A word too for keyboardist Nick Nasmyth, who always serves the song, adding subtlety and innocence to the likes of ‘You Stole The Sun From My Heart’ and grandiosity (‘A Design For Life’) as required.
Bradfield’s burden is briefly shared on ‘Spectators Of Suicide’ as Welsh musician Gwenno supplies elegance, poise and a reminder that, although it may be thankfully unremarkable these days, Manic Street Preachers have long been leading the charge for feminism in rock music. Elsewhere, ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’, their only No.1 single, resonates perhaps more than it ever has done.
Tonight’s show displays everything you want from a) a rock gig and b) Manic Street Preachers themselves, complete with whirlwind rotations from Bradfield and scissor kicks from Wire, despite his doubts earlier in the day; ‘The 53-year old back sinews are not quite what they were, so I think I’ll be alright!’
Jaunts down memory lane occur in Wire’s recollections, but also looks to the future with the newer material. As an extra treat for the lucky punters, the group also cover Madonna’s 1984 single ‘Borderline’ before a closing salvo of the mischievously arrogant ‘You Love Us’ and a cathartic ‘A Design For Life’, overexposure having done nothing to dent it’s power, along with a shout out to Richey Edwards: gone but never, ever, forgotten.
An emotional and devastatingly powerful way to start the weekend, the first show of the first ‘real life’ 6Music Festival for three years has commenced with one hell of a bang. Manic Street Preachers threw down the gauntlet with panache and style. IDLES, Little Simz, Johnny Marr et al had their work cut out for them.