Its Manic Street Preachers week on BBC 6Music, the station I listen to more or less every day. Among other things, they have recordings of 7 songs from the Manics gig from the Astoria in London, in December 1994. Hard to think it was 10 years ago, but Ray and I were there. It turned out to be the final gig including Richey Edwards, who disappeared two months later and hasn’t been seen since, though of course nobody knew that at the time.
Anyway the concert footage shows what a good guitarist James Bradfield is and frankly how ropey Edwards was on rhythm guitar (though he never claimed he could play). You can barely hear Edwards most of the time because he was basically there to co-write the lyrics and look cool. Both of which he managed to pull off with some aplomb. I recall them smashing the equipment up a bit at the end of the gig and us standing around as the place emptied and there being debris strewn around the stage.
And they are one British band who I doubt I’ll ever see in New York or anywhere in America again after their experiences here in 1996 and 1999, which we witnessed. Seeing them pay a 30 min slot as one band among six at Wetlands in 1996 will always stick in the memory.