09 July 2016 (gig)
18 July 2016
The Manic Street Preachers don't come to town very often. In fact last time they were in Cornwall was almost ten years ago when they played the Hall for Cornwall on the Send Away The Tigers Tour. So naturally there are a lot of excited people here tonight, in fact it's surprising a band used to filling much bigger venues didn't sell out the 6000 capacity Eden Project, but the remote location does unfortunately put people off, one of the few drawbacks of this great and unique venue.
The Manics are on the back end of a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Everything Must Go by playing their ground breaking fourth album ( first post Richey ) in full and in order, so when the massive Everything Must Go backdrop appears on stage, most of us are expecting Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier. The guys walk on stage to huge applause and introduce Motorcycle Emptiness, guess that leg of the tour is over! It matters not, this band have a back catalogue to be envied, full of hit's and forgotten gems and that's what we are about to receive.
Everything Must Go gets the whole crowd singing along, as does Walk Me To The Bridge, showing the band still has the ability to write a quality tune and Your Love Alone Is Not Enough sounds awesome, even with James, and the crowd singing all of Nina Persson's parts!
Nicky mumbles something about a number one single before the play The Masses Against The Classes, not so many of the crowd here tonight seem to be familiar with this one. It was a standalone single released after the somewhat polished This Is my Truth album as a back to basics reminder that they could still belt out 3 minutes of anger. It's main impetus for reaching the coveted number 1 position was the fact it was deleted on the day of release, this is classic Manics.
One of the highlights of tonight's performance was when The Anchoress ( who did a great job of warming the crowd up earlier this evening ) joined the band for a stunning duet of Little Baby Nothing. Evidently not many here tonight own Generation Terrorists as the song gets little reaction. That doesn't detract from a thoroughly moving and beautifully sung vocal from the Welsh girl on this powerful ballad and classic from the band's first album.
After If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next it's time for a little break for Sean and Nicky. James, accompanied by a guy on trumpet, plays a few acoustic numbers. A beautiful Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, as the rain does just that is a proper singalong. Ocean Spray is touchingly poignant and The Everlasting finishes off a trio of stripped down performances that only serve to exemplify the strength and versatility in James' voice.
The pace is picked right back up now with a storming rendition of Australia. The sound tonight is impressive and the performances faultless. Sean is a constant powerhouse behind the drums, Nicky still an imposing gangly Wire of energy scissor kicking his way through the show, and James surely must have been born with an electric guitar around his neck he plays with such effortlessness.
There is a rhythm guitarist onstage but he's set back from the rest of the band. Stage right always was and still is reserved for Richey. It's been over 20 years since the disappearance of the band's Talisman but Nicky tells us he's always there on stage with them and dedicates the next song to Edwards. You Love Us is truly awesome. Still the band's defining anthem for me and it seems a few of the crowd tonight agree if the singing along is anything to gauge by.
Show Me The Wonder closes the set and there's time for one encore. A Design For Life, the perfect triumphant finale to the evening, the final chorus enveloped in billowing smoke and ticker tape.
Motorcycle Emptiness
Everything Must Go
Walk Me to the Bridge
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
The Masses Against the Classes
You Stole the Sun From My Heart
Kevin Carter
Found That Soul
Little Baby Nothing
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head[James Dean Bradfield Solo Acoustic]
Ocean Spray [James Dean Bradfield Solo Acoustic]
The Everlasting [James Dean Bradfield Solo Acoustic]
Australia
La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
(It's Not War) Just the End of Love
No Surface All Feeling
You Love Us
Show Me the Wonder
A Design for Life
