Manic Street Preachers at The Olympia May 16th 2011
Review: Vanessa Monaghan
Photos: Kieran Frost
The last time I saw the Manic Street Preachers live it was in a field in Co. Meath. A lot has changed since that August day in Slane thirteen years ago. This was a chance for them to show the still have what it takes.
The Joy Formidable have the honours of keeping the awaiting crowd entertained. Their album The Big Roar has been well received and the Welsh trio treat the Olympia crowd to some of the highlights.
They have a slightly different onstage setup. Drummer, Matt Thomas sits sideways, with his kit to the right of stage. Good choice on his part. On several occasions throughout the set, lead singer Ritzy Brayn and bass player Rhydian Dafydd come very close to giving each other a concussion with their passionate and animated guitar playing. The no nonsense, full on sound is heightened by the lighting onstage.
‘Austere’, ‘Buoy’ and the amazing ‘The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie’ all get an airing. Ritzy’s movement may be on reason at points through their set her vocals seems to get lost in the bands layers of sound. One sentence review: They played in a field of sonic landmines and managed to make them all explode for our aural pleasure.
I hate waiting, I hate the part of a gig between sets, I just want it to start, now. The anticipation around the venue at at tipping point as the Manics stepped onto a stage draped in lush red velvet and crushed disco ball statues.
It’s only when you hear the Manics play live that you realize what an impact they’ve had on music over the past twenty years. ‘Stay Beautiful’ opens the set, with the loyal crowd singing every word. They don’t stop for the rest of the evening. The Manics give them lots to sing about, with two extra musicians onstage, the sound and depth of their music is immense.
There’s no waning in the set, with the James Dean Bradfield recognizes the audience participation and thanks them for making ‘Monday feel like Saturday’. ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’ paves the way for ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’. Tracks from ‘Journal for Plague Lovers’ sit comfortably with the extensive back catalogue the Manic possess.
Nicky Wire struts around the stage in silence, its about half way through the show before he speaks. when he does he tells of how the band including Richey Edwards walked around the streets of Dublin dreaming of domination. He later dedicates a song to the ‘Sunday dinner we had in Bloom’s hotel in 1991’.
Sometimes there are things about bands you take for granted. Live, the Manics are tight, Sean Moore’s drumming is spot on but its James Dean Bradfield’s guitar and vocal skills that are the spotlight tonight. An acoustic ‘Everything Must Go’ lets him shine. He’s sounding as good as on any of the recordings from the 90’s and on occasion cleverly lets the crowd sing the main vocal line while he subtly slips into harmony mode.
The atmosphere in The Olympia was electric with a sense of unity in the crowd. New and old fans alike, held fists aloft, singing every word as if there lives depended on it. As the play the last few beats of ‘Design For Life’, the crowd try to egg Sean Moore on, for just another little bit.
There may have been a lot of nostalgia here tonight but going on this performance there will be a lot of very happy punters at festivals this summer.