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Manic Street Preachers
On Tour333,055 listeners (8,118,501 plays)
Listening now: spykecub
rock, britpop, indie, alternative, alternative rock
Blackwood, South Wales (1986 – present)
Manic Street Preachers (often known colloquially as “The Manics”) are a Welsh rock band often associated with the Britpop scene, who gained mainstream popularity in the UK in the early 1990s. They are known for their intelligent and often political lyrics and have a dedicated cult following. Although during the early part of their career they were regarded as a punk rock band, their music is now often generally regarded as alternative rock, due to changes in their sound. Co-lyricist and guitarist Richey James Edwards (Richey James, as he preferred to be known) mysteriously disappeared in 1995; his whereabouts are unknown.
Politically, the Manics appear as a socialist group — a stance inflected by their working class upbringing in Blackwood, South Wales (they grew up during the miners’ strike of the 1980s) as evidenced by their often highly politicised lyrics and actions (they once dedicated an award to Arthur Scargill, leader of the National Union of Mineworkers and later the Socialist Labour Party). The band also played a highly publicized gig in Cuba.
They came together in 1986, when James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore and rhythm guitarist Flicker formed Betty Blue in the small South Wales town of Blackwood. Two years later, Flicker had left and Nicky’s friend Richey Edwards (previously the group’s driver) joined in his place. Richey would later say in Vox magazine, “If you built a museum to represent Blackwood, all you could put in it would be shit. We used to meet by this opening called Pen-y-Fan. It was built when the mines closed down but now the water has turned green and slimy. They put 2,000 fish in it, but they died.
Politically, the Manics appear as a socialist group — a stance inflected by their working class upbringing in Blackwood, South Wales (they grew up during the miners’ strike of the 1980s) as evidenced by their often highly politicised lyrics and actions (they once dedicated an award to Arthur Scargill, leader of the National Union of Mineworkers and later the Socialist Labour Party). The band also played a highly publicized gig in Cuba.
They came together in 1986, when James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore and rhythm guitarist Flicker formed Betty Blue in the small South Wales town of Blackwood. Two years later, Flicker had left and Nicky’s friend Richey Edwards (previously the group’s driver) joined in his place. Richey would later say in Vox magazine, “If you built a museum to represent Blackwood, all you could put in it would be shit. We used to meet by this opening called Pen-y-Fan. It was built when the mines closed down but now the water has turned green and slimy. They put 2,000 fish in it, but they died.
Similar Artists
James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Suede, Mansun, Pulp, Ash, The Tears… see all
See moreVideos
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Play
Manic Street Preachers - Autumnsong
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Play
Manic Street Preachers - Indian Summer
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Play
Manic Street Preachers - Send away the tigers
Top Tracks
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A Design for Life
full track
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Motorcycle Emptiness
full track
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You Stole the Sun From My Heart
full track
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The Everlasting
full track
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Tsunami
full track
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Everything Must Go
full track
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Australia
full track
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Kevin Carter
full track
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Faster
full track
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Top Albums
Shoutbox
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Mythtall wrote:
But yeah, people just use the disapearence of Richey as an excuse as to why they call them bad. Not nameing anyone but people wanted the next new "fix" when Richey left (as happens after a year with almost all bands) and even if they were to create the best album ever people wouldn't listen cause they want the next big thing :P
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Mythtall wrote:
The Richey stuff is bad (exaggeration) :P
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ShadyAdy wrote:
'La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)' isn't high enough in the chart. For shaaaaame! [/Grampa]
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rainicola wrote:
Been loving this band for the past ten years.
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hastega wrote:
wow. this is god awful.
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LCDBill wrote:
i love that photo. and in response to _fishnetmonkey, although songs with richey are arguably better they only reached a certain few (comparatively) emotionally. it would be really interesting to see what they band would be like if whatever happened to richey hadn't.
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_fishnetmonkey wrote:
it's upsetting that only one song from the richey era is in the top 10. :( the post-everything must go stuff is so painfully rubbish - listening to it makes me really sad.
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monkeyhappy wrote:
i have been converted, i didn't used to like this band i must admit. i even despised the advert that used your love alone, yet i am now sat here loving every millisecond of every song, all thanks to a holiday where the only track by the manics on the playlist was why so sad. thank you for my enlightenment, for i am not proud of my once-stubborn disliking
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oceanfairy wrote:
wattsville blues(i like the intro...)
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nancyboyo wrote:
and i totally agree with TeenageCreep....
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TeenageCreep wrote:
they just gotta play another gig in romania
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METALHEAD_ro wrote:
Photos with MANIC STREET PREACHERS in Romania A photo Gallery with MANIC STREET PREACHERS from B'ESTFEST Romania (5th of July 2008) in front of 5000 people can be seen here: http://www.metalhead.ro/Galerie-Foto-362-Pagina-1.html
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yellowrocker wrote:
Archives of Pain need more play.
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Coivisto wrote:
Did they even relise it as a single? Dont you guys even know why they made it? They made if for NME because they gave them the God like genious award. And exactly how have they been losing their integrity. Seriously WTF?
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pushpullpulk wrote:
because it's a pop song. pop=popular
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luistua wrote:
You Know It's Going To Hurt::Video is here: http://mx.youtube.com/watch?v=RB0icltIkj4
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Rotuhiiri wrote:
how the jesus titty f*cking christ can Your Love Alone.. be above Design For Life??, everyone must be on crack. [2]
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k_izal wrote:
manic still are great, and yeah they are one of the greatest bands ever
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bodysnatcher4 wrote:
i agree Falk_Oomikami, it was extremely disheartening. I'm a big fan of everything this band made until 1998, but i think they've been losing their integrity ever since
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Falk_Oomikami wrote:
I don't know the general concensus about this band (not that it really matters), but the Umbrella cover is ridiculous. As if we hadn't heard that annoying song enough already (it wasn't that annoying the first few times, but it was all the other times). And obviously it's not the only one, who's next in line for some cheap bucks ? (in fact I don't care much, they can cover whatever they want, but that it gets played on the radio, like so many other useless covers, when so many good and original tunes exist, quite bothers me)
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Events
- Jul 18 Positivus AB Festival Salacgrīva, Latvia, Latvia
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Jul
23
Manic Street Preachers
Б1, Москва, Moscow, Russian Federation
85 shouts
| 278 attendees -
Jul
25
Qstock
Kuusisaari, Oulu, Finland
46 shouts
| 326 attendees
Recent Activity
- Kearns tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘genius’. Friday morning
- Azrael74 connected Manic Street Preachers to the group The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time. Friday morning
- Heroism tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘rock’. Friday morning
- Elizium52 tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘seen live’. Friday morning
- Lormetazepam tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘rock’. Thursday evening
- Nancyboyo tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘biggest fookin wankers’. Thursday evening
- Notodisneyland added Manic Street Preachers to the lineup of Manic Street Preachers at Newport Centre. Thursday afternoon
- kearns and mimosaflower tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘seen live’. Thursday morning
- noel230 and josephschaeffer tagged Manic Street Preachers with ‘britpop’. Wednesday afternoon
Groups (202)
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Manic Street Preachers Society
620 members
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ForeverDelayed
179 members
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James Dean Bradfield
100 members
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Richey Edwards
144 members
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Brett Anderson
207 members
More Information
- Links
- Band Members
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- Flicker (1986 - 1988)
- James Dean Bradfield (1986 - present)
- Jenny Watkins-Isnardi
- Nicky Wire (1986 - present)
- Richey James Edwards
- Sean Moore (1986 - present)
