Manic Street Preachers, the Welsh alternative rock band composed of frontman James Dean Bradfield, bassist Nicky Wire and drummer Sean Moore, is currently touring Europe for the first time in ten years.

The current tour takes place in small, cozy venues, with Manic Street Preachers performing a selection of the singles released during their career. The band released in October 2011, the compilation album ‘National Treasures – The Complete Singles,’ which includes all the singles ever released by ‘The Manics.’

Toonari Post had the chance to attend one of their concerts, in Vienna, Austria; the show was presented by Skalar Entertainment GmbH. Before the concert the crowd was already extremely excited, with people coming from several countries, such as Italy, Croatia, Hungary and the U.K.

Being the first European tour in ten years for the Welsh band, it was clear that fans had been looking forward to the event. Not only different nationalities characterized the audience of the performance; about three generations were represented by the show attendees, stressing the continuing relevance of the band’s music.

Although in a small venue, the show had the features of a big arena concert: the stage was studied and equipped with objects to create an extravagant choreography: shiny body and animal figures, dragons drawings, and trees decorated with delicate lights, framed the performance. Bass player and lyricist Nicky Wire played the perfect queen of this scenario, with his shiny make up and peculiar clothes.

The show was opened by the support band ‘Peace,’ a group of young guys who are very good at doing what they do. They set a pleasant atmosphere for the upcoming show, increasingly awakening the interest of the crowd. Manic Street Preachers then took the stage.

For those who are only familiar with the more pop-oriented side of Manic Street Preachers, which mainly comprises the last of their studio albums, the show would be a surprise; those, instead, who have a complete vision of the sonorities of the band, characterized by good rock ‘n’ roll, will not be disappointed.

The band carried on an energetic performance, with a triumph of guitars emphasized by solid drums. The crowd was on fire, singing and dancing along the glorious rock played in the venue. The band played for about two hours, with the mood of the show growing until the end, without any downward peaks. Every track announced by the band increased the excitement of the crowd. The audience and the band would push each other’s energies resulting in a perfect merging for a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll.

Manic Street Preachers closed the show with the infamous ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next,’ resulting in a touching performance. The band then left the stage with no encore, but a great show behind.

Image Credit:  Valerie Phillips

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About the author

Veronica Cinti
Italian native, extremely passionate about music in general. Although she appreciates a wide variety of music genres, her strongest field of expertise is Rock music, Grunge and Punk among its styles. Contact the author: veronica.cinti@toonarimedia.com; Follow Veronica on Twitter: @VeronicaCinti

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