Review: Manic Street Preachers, Genting Arena, Birmingham

As I got older and started high school in Wales I really started to get into the Manics, and since then they have gone on to become one of my favourite bands.

While I have seen the Manics on numerous occasions before I was delighted when they announced they were taking the iconic EMG on tour to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The album was played in full at the Birmingham Genting Arena on Saturday night.

After the crowd was suitably warmed up by a superb support act in the Editors, I was tingling with excitement when the first chords of Elvis Impersonator rung out.

The opening track lulls you into a serene slow paced sway before the Les Paul of front man James Dean Bradfield blasts out the chorus and the crowd goes wild.

From there EMG feels like hit after hit.

A Design For Life, usually the bands closing track, sends the Genting Arena crazy.

And there is no let up as Kevin Carter and Enola/Alone following.

The set slows down for Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky before picking up again for the later stages of the album with Australia and No Surface All Feeling.

This show had all the trademarks of a Manics show, as Bradfield did his trademark spins and Bassist Nicky Wire clearly revelled in playing EMG in full, star jumping and strutting across the stage.

The Manics aren't usually one for encores, but for this special anniversary show, similar to the Holy Bible tour last year, there was no way the Manics weren't then going to play a second set which included tracks from their recent albums and of course some of their greatest hits including Motorcycle Emptiness, You Stole The Sun From My Heart, You Love Us and If You Tolerate this then Your Children Will Be Next.

The band seem to get better with age, and are able to keep reinventing themselves - and based on this performance I don't see them giving up touring any time soon.

By Nathan Rowden