Page 50 - Black Velvet Issue 101

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MANIC STREET PREACHERS – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY, 23.05.19
How is it 20+ years since the Manics released ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’? So much has happened since then, including eight further Manic
Street Preachers full-length albums, international touring, awards, headline festival appearances, solo albums, top ten chart positions, Welsh football
team theme songs and more. The longevity, conviction and success of the Welsh band is to be applauded, and tonight, and this tour, focuses on the
anniversary and celebration of ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’.
Following fellow
Welsh artist
Gwenno, the band
get to work and per-
form the 1998-re-
leased album in its
entirety. There are
two stand-out
changes – ‘If You
Tolerate This Your
Children Will Be
Next’ is moved to
the end of the album
set, and ‘Nobody
Loved You’ is omit-
ted, and in its place
is ‘Prologue To His-
tory’ - like on the
rereleased, remas-
tered anniversary
edition of the album.
It seems the band
regretted ‘Prologue’
only ever being a ‘B-
side’, so now it has
pride of place on the updated release and in the
show. Quite rightly so as it ups the energy exactly
when needed.
Because, while the show kicks off with the
rich and smooth feeling of ‘The Everlasting’ be-
fore sparking into dazzling action with ‘You Stole
The Sun From My Heart’, arguably the best song
on ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’, there is an
overriding mellowness to a large portion of the set
with the likes of ‘My Little Empire’, ‘I’m Not Work-
ing’ and ‘Be Natural’ all possessing a melancholy
tone. ‘Tsunami’ is a ray of splendour, while James
Dean Bradfield performs ‘Born A Girl’ on his own
(giving Nicky Wire the chance to change into a
sparkly collared jacket with ‘WIRE’ on the back).
James spots a kerfuffle in the audience, not once
but twice, and stops the show to break up the
fight, calling for security. The second time, he tells
the brawling men to stop it quite adamantly.
Credit to James for not ignoring it and taking a
stand – something that the band have always
done in all areas of their lives and work. Although,
after telling a joke while the security are trying to
separate the boisterous ones, he claims he’s run
out of banter – which shows how, despite all the
success and fame the band have had, they’re still
just like you and I, not outrageously outgoing, and
occasionally at a loss for words.
With ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will
Be Next’ moved to last, the band end the album
set on a high before adding on an array of hit sin-
gles and fan favourites. ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’
never gets old and wins arguably the biggest
sing-along of the evening. ‘From Despair To
Where’, ‘La Tristesse Durera’ and ‘You Love Us’
all help bring the set back up to the magical cli-
max that it deserves. These oldies are most def-
initely all goldies. With the Manics asking fans on
social media in March what song they wanted to
hear close the show, we’re happy to discover that
it’s still ‘A Design For Life’. There’s no better an-
them to round off a Manics show and set. While
‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’ is not our
favourite Manics album, hearing it live is a special
experience, one that evokes both nostalgia and
just all-round general appreciation for the band.
YYYY
Shari Black Velvet
James Dean Bradfield (Manics) Photo By Shari Black Velvet
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