Manic Street Preachers Bristol Beacon 2025
Iconic Welsh heroes return to Bristol
The Manic Street Preachers were back in Bristol this month as part of their spring tour post Critical Thinking release.
The Bristol date sold out fast when it went on sale, with the Beacon packed out to every available space.
Despite the cost of refurbishment of the Beacon coming in at over £100m, the sightlines for people standing are atrocious unless you are at the very front or well over 6ft.
This makes venues such as Bath Forum or Utilita Arena Cardiff far superior for standing audiences. Cardiff more so with its perfectly elevated stage.
Venue annoyances aside, the band pulled together a fairly balanced set drawing from their huge back catalogue.
Nicky Wire performed Critical Thinking with an amusingly large prompt sheet.
James Dean Bradfield teased the audience with a verse and chorus of From Despair to Where during an acoustic mostly solo set.
Coming part way through the gig, the acoustic section featured From Despair To Where, Ready For Drowning, Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky and The Everlasting.
He performed The Everlasting in both Welsh and English before the full band picked up half way through.
Every fan has a favourite song from either one of their more obscure covers or B sides or commercial hits such as Everything Must Go.
But one absence people felt was the loss of You Love Us.
There was a poignant moment when James Dean Bradfield talked about seeing Echo & The Bunnymen, with Richey Edwards at the Bristol Beacon. A memory with clear significance. They dedicated the following song to Edwards. This was the intro to Bowie’s Rebel Rebel before diving into Motown Junk.
It has to be said, some of the audience behavior was wild, particularly people near me who chatted and laughed so loudly through the accoustic parts of the set that they almost entirely drowned out the music.
I’ve seen the Manics many times over the last 30 plus years and they’ve always been excellent. But you can’t beat the energy that comes with a Manics gig in Wales. Cardiff on the next tour would be hugely welcome thanks.
Bristol Set List
Decline & Fall
Enola/Alone
La Tristesse Durera
Australia
Critical Thinking
You Stole The Sun From My Heart
She Is Suffering
Peeled Apples
Motorcycle Emptiness
Hiding In Plain Sight
Autumnsong
A Design For Life
From Despair To Where – one verse and one chorus
Ready For Drowning
Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky
The Everlasting
Dear Stephen
Sleepflower
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
International Blue
People Ruin Paintings
Motown Junk
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
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