Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band formed in 1986 consisting of James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar), Nicky Wire (bass, lyrics), and Sean Moore (drums, percussion). The band is part of the Cardiff music scene and were at their most prominent during the 1990s. They are colloquially known as "The Manics" or simply "Manics".
Manic Street Preachers were originally formed as a quartet but primary lyricist and rhythm guitarist, Richey Edwards, vanished on 1 February 1995. In November 2008, thirteen years after his disappearance, he was officially declared presumed deceased.
In 1992, the Manics released their debut album, Generation Terrorists. Their combination of androgynous glam punk imagery and critical social lyrics about "culture, alienation, boredom, and despair" soon gained them a loyal following and cult status. The band's later albums retained a leftist politicisation and intellectual lyrical style while adopting a broader alternative rock sound.
The group's enigmatic lyricist, Richey Edwards, gained early notoriety by cutting the words "4REAL" into his arm with a razor blade (narrowly missing an artery and requiring seventeen stitches) in response to the suggestion that the band was less than authentic. The dark nature of 1994's album, The Holy Bible, reflected the culmination of Edwards' instability.
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