Manic Street Preachers Live Review @ Royal Court Theatre (Liverpool) - 09 Apr 2005

Photos:Elly Roberts

Live Review

Down-sizing their venues from the familiar huge arenas,it was Liverpool's turn to see the award-winning Manics at a more intimate Royal Court Theatre.In one hour forty five minutes,the sloganeering Welsh super-group rocked the 67 year old Art Deco building to its foundations.These boys don't hang about:they get on,and get on with it.Opening with a rasping Found That Soul,they set the tone for the night.Chunky guitarist James Dean Bradfield was dwarfed by towering bassist Nick Wire,as the pair fronted the trio's stage antics of air-splits and leaps,which added to the electrifying energy of the night.Thumping away on the sticks,drummer Sean Moore was almost un-noticeable in the background.Visually they're an odd combo.Bradfield looks the military type:short hair and beefy.Lanky Wire added the tacky glamour.With a feather boa wrapped around his mic stand,and glittered eye make-up,he's a peculiar contrast to his band-mate.With his low-slung bass,long arms and legs,Wire loped around the stage like a lost soul,occassionaly dipping in to a little foot routine.As a unit they're one of the best I've heard,with all songs sounding sharp:the balance was perfect.Bradfield's powerful vocals engulfed the theatre,and for a change,they were crystal clear,unlike many rock singers.The set was a mix of singles and album tracks,and surprisingly they dropped their first major hit Design For Life as the second song,which sent the two thousand crowd into raptures.From then on they couldn't go wrong.They romped through the 23 songs at a blistering pace.Highlights were anthemic hits You Stole The Sun From My Heart,If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next,with mellower Let Robeson Sing and Everlasting making just as much impact.Finishing with a raucous Paradise City/Motown Junk they left the stage without an encore.

No need:a job well done.

Free Download!

Manic Street Preachers will make their 'God Save The Manics' EP available as a free download from April 20th. The EP includes three brand new previously unreleased songs. The confirmed tracklisting is as follows: