Manic Street Preachers LIVE @ The Roundhouse – 15.12.14

The Manic Street Preachers arrive in London as part of their long awaited tour of iconic album The Holy Bible.
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Any stranger passing by the Roundhouse last Monday could be forgiven for thinking that a full-scale militia had descended upon Chalk Farm Road; albeit an army with tiaras and feather boas to go with the military jackets and berets. For this iconic band to be playing such an iconic album in it’s entirety, you could almost touch the excitement as it rippled through the crowd. Doing away  with a support act, the Manics divided the evening into two sets: the first for The Holy Bible, and the second for hits and the odd rarity from their back catalogue.

Other bands could learn a thing or two when it comes to stage times; at 20:50 on the dot strobe lighting danced across the venue, while a disco remix of ‘Faster’ bellowed from the speakers as Wire, Bradfield and Moore sashayed on to the stage before exploding into ‘Yes’. The snippets of dialogue that bookend each track on The Holy Bible are just as important as the lyrics and music, connecting each song to the themes it explores. Tonight, the crowd shouted along to each quote, and it was heartening to hear the boos and hisses at the beginning of ‘ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart’ when Margaret Thatcher’s name was heard; it was as though the Iron Lady’s ghost had put in an appearance.

It’s no secret that The Holy Bible was Richey’s autobiographical anguish put to record, a mix of anger, cynicism and love. This intensity is no more apparent than on ‘4st 7lbs’, where the rage of the music and tender lyrics combine to devastating effect. Even if you strip away the lyrics and vocals, the music somehow articulates the harshness of these most personal songs. During the ‘Intense Humming Of Evil’ I find myself zoning in on Wire’s ominous and imperious bass line.

“This winter’s sing-a-long hit”, said Bradfield with a knowing smile, as if he knew that we were all waiting to see how he would tackle the near-impossible vocals of ‘Mausoleum’. However, instead of throwing himself wildly into it and risking a massive cock-up, each and every word received careful attention as he punched out the words. Following the chaos of set one closer ‘PCP’, the band announced that they would be back in ten…

Ten minutes later they were back as promised. James had swapped his rather dashing Russian sailor suit for a loose shirt and tie combo, while Nicky had scrubbed his face of the camouflage face paint and donned a Navy hat and sunglasses. Whether Sean had changed, I couldn’t say, as he was tucked away behind his drum kit. Immediately, we were whipped up into a frenzy with ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’. Set 2 was a mixed bag of surprises; not only were we treated to well-loved classics such as ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’ and ‘You Love Us’, but also lesser known tracks such as ‘1985’ and ‘Donkeys’. Germanic goddess Nina Hoss joined the band on stage for the rousing ‘Europa  Geht Durch Mich’, perhaps out of necessity, as it may have been difficult for James to recite the German verses.

The Holy Bible tour is one that every Manics fan has been anticipating for a long while, and every expectation was well and truly met. The album itself has extremely difficult truths to deal with, ranging from the Holocaust to anorexia. However, these issues were given voice and treated respectfully in the passion and velocity of James’ vocals, despite being breathless in places due to illness. Choosing to skip on the support act was a wise decision, as set two allowed us to celebrate an intense and passionate recital of such an iconic album.

Nicky Delisle

@ManicNicky

Nicky Lee-Delisle

Nicky Lee-Delisle