[ originally published 29/06/2015 ]
MANIC STREET PREACHERS
Newport Centre, Newport - 13th September 2013
Support: Telegram
My 100th gig? I could swear that would have been a lot earlier than this, which kind of confirms that my memory has let me down and I've completely forgotten about a number of shows over the years. Still, if this really was show #100, it is worthy of the landmark.
The first time I saw the Manics was in Torquay in July 1993. They were fucking awful, all make-up and glam-punk posturing, little in the way of substance. They turned me a few years later, surprisingly as a support act for Oasis at Knebworth. It was at that point I ‘got it’ and became a fan, though I never saw them live again, until… Ffwd 17 years: playing to a home crowd in Newport, the Manics are absolutely in their element. This didn’t have the feel of yet another rock & roll concert, this was like having some old friends round for a chat about the rugby and a sing-song, except these old friends were bonafide rock stars. “In the 70s you had albums like ‘UFO Live at the Budokan’,” observed James Dean Bradfield, as a reminder of how rock bands made a statement of how huge they were with the release of a live album recorded in a mega-sized venue. “Ours would be ‘Manic Street Preachers Live at Newport Leisure Centre’.” Oh, and it’s worth noting Richard Hawley dropped by to do a tune as well; the icing on the cake as it were.
I should also point out that MrsRobster is most certainly not a fan of the Manics. She agreed to come to this show because Public Service Broadcasting were the advertised support, even billed as such on the tickets. Two days before the show, I noticed they were on a festival bill for the same date. I emailed the band to see what was going on and I got a personal email back from J. Willgoose Esq. himself admitting that there seemed to be a balls up on the promoter's part; they were not supporting the Manics until the second leg of the tour. I broke the news to MrsRobster - she was not best pleased. The band that actually supported, Telegram, were never going to make up for things, but bless her, MrsRobster endured the Manics show regardless, keeping herself amused with a good session of people watching. She enjoyed that!
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