GIG REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers
- Posted on December 12, 2007 12:01 PM
- 0 comments
Brixton Academy
11th December.
Clad in black, with a military jacket, the Manic Street Preachers’ Nicky Wire is, quite literally, skipping on stage. Though his technique is in dire need of attention, this frivolous entrance is perfectly suited for him. With the first of many leaping scissor-kicks, he and the band launch into Motorcycle Emptiness; one of the three songs played from their debut Generation Terrorists. The stage is spacious, with James Dean Bradfield up front and Wire to his left. Drummer Sean Moore is relegated to a riser 10ft or so behind the two front-men, with a faceless, adolescent-looking rhythm guitarist and middle-aged keyboard player on his right; both of whom are technically efficient yet horridly devoid of spirit. Wire’s mic stand is adorned with resplendent, white-feather boa, as indeed are a few members of the audience.
The Manics’ light show is extraordinarily dazzling and goes some way to explaining why it has taken over an hour of them to appear on stage. With the zeitgeist of energy saving and carbon emissions permeating rock and roll royalty, the lights seem somewhat out of step. Perhaps they serve to justify the £30 ticket price.
Bradfield spits on stage and asks “Are you ready to rumble?” and 'You Love Us' temporarily ignites pockets of the crowd as they point at the stage in time with the song but any expectations of this being an electric or dynamic show should be immediately shelved. The security guards help a total of two crowd surfers during the concert and even the epic 'Everything Must Go' is flat and lifeless.
Though Wire recounts a story of sharing make-up with Richey Edwards prior to dedicating Slash and Burn to him, whilst Bradfield changes yet another guitar, the choreography appears so clinical that any mania is replaced by boring, flabby placidity.
Set highlight, La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a sigh), with its sweeping melodies points to former glories now lain to waste by pomposity and arrogance. As Bradfield says “This song is just one great Nicky Wire lyric after another”, this frankly unjustified praise of 'Your love Alone is not enough is enough' to grate.
Temporarily blinded as I am by the myriad of flashing lights during 'Kevin Carter' and 'If You Tolerate This,' it occurs to me that if the band lived up to their name and were as committed and passionate as any street preachers, this would have been a night to behold. Sadly the complete turgidity and utter dullness of tonight is all I can record from this now facile and vacuous band who no longer appear to have anything to say.
For more info on The Manic Street Preachers, check out their website.
For Manic Street Preacher and other gig tickets, check out Seatwave's lisitings.
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