your comments
Ellie, Plymouth
Got into the Manics a bit later than everyone else, at the This is My Truth stage but soon caught up, devouring the back catalogue, brilliant band, great live and long may they rule the world!!
Jayne Taylor from Stoke
My love affair with the Manics began when I was working in a record shop in 1991. The rep came in armed with loads of Manics stuff, I asked if they lived up to the hype, to which he replied "Nah....they think they're the Welsh version of the Pistols....don't bother listening to that single...you'll never hear from them again". I begged to differ, and i'm so glad he was proved wrong. They've filled my heart and mind with some of the most amazing, thought provoking and inspirational music ever. Iconic and engaging, they never disappoint, and I hold them in such high esteem as one of the best bands ever. Nothing will ever come close.
Tracey Bousfield from Shropshire
I absolutely love the Manic Street Preachers and have been a fan for just over 10 years now. James Dean Bradfield is my music hero and my favourite singer ever. He has an absolutely beauiful, powerful voice. I love every single one of their records and they are just an incredible live experience. Best band ever without a doubt. Thank you so much guys!
Rhona Ley - Scotland
The Manics are one of the most important bands in the UK, they are musical pioneers! Richey, James, Nicky, Sean.. they are amazing! (: canna wait for the new album (:
Nick Pike from Abercarn
I'm not suprised with Paul Tucker of Pontypool's caustic comments on MSP. Pontypool folk have always been jealous of talent from other valley areas. What is their contribution to Welsh music and culture? Hell, even Danny Abse left for pastures new!
Bethan, age 10 from Blackwood
When I was in school, we were doing History on Blackwood and Cardiff Bay. The Manic Street Preachers are what made us proud.
Daniel Breen from London
Manics are the best band in the world who have produced great music and still are, and I hope they still carry on making brilliant music.
Dan Rooney, Ontario, Canada
True music with a real sound. Not copied. An amazing band still producing amazing music. A very strong following here in Canada. They should be proud of everything they have put together.
Gez, Blackwood
MSP are a bit hit and miss. Too be honest I get fed up of them droning on about they come from a worklng class poor neighbourhood - and try and support the claim with outdated video and photographic footage. Early stuff was boring, the later stuff is naff, the bit in the middle is good. Some of the lyrics are pretentious twaddle - but they are good musicians. And that's about it.
Mea, Wotton-under-Edge
Manics are safe! I disagree - I think This Is My Truth is a great album, but then again I like all the eras! Safe!
Marc Neal from South Yorkshire
I've been a MSP fan for around 13 years now. I've seen them three times, most recently at Leeds University on 9 May 2007. A truly amazing band - love them.
Lisa, South Yorkshire
Manics - best band ever!!! James is god.
Karen Angel from Oakdale
Yes I remember James and Nick Jones as they were in my year in Oakdale Comp. Nick was in the higher groups but me and James were in most of the same classes. Miss Hall for English!! Frightening. Going to see them in Manchester. Just wish I could contact them to ask if I could meet them backstage. They appear to have gone through the years unaffected by fame which is a credit to artists these days. All the best lads.
Gareth Clarke from Aberdare
Masses Against the Classes..... south Wales in a song.
Barbara
Holy Bible - best album ever. Loved James solo album. Waiting for their next album and tour dates before I book my holiday.
Scott Drury from Pontllanfraith
The Manic Street Preachers used to go to my school!!!
Dan
Every one knows the Manics got their name when James and Nick were busking in Cardiff as youngsters and a tramp said here comes the Manic Street Preacher. Anyways, however the name came about the Manics are undoubtedly the best band in the world!!
Bega, Malaysia
Loved them ever since I heard The Holy Bible. Digged their stuff. Watch them on the Everything Must Go tour when I was in Newport. They were just awesome. I led lots of Malaysian to listening to them. Manics Rock!!!
Cindy in Hamburg, Germany
When I lived in Pontllanfraith, James used to deliver our newspaper. He was always so shy - who would have thought he'd one day be world famous! PS He used to have the most gorgeous brown legs in his shorts in summer!!!
Matthew Hamilton, Pontllanfraith
I have known James and his father all my life. James is sincere, genuine, modest and is basically a lovely bloke. I wish James and the band every success. It's so refreshing for someone to be famous but also keep his feet on the ground and remember his roots.
Em Jones, The Cardiff Afterlife
Mr Tucker from Pontypool - re Stereophonics being an embarassment, I agree - and I'm an Aberdare girl!
However, I genuinely love MSP (NEVER 'The Manics!) and think thay are fantastic live. Far from being a good thing, I found the whole late 90s "Cool Cymru" era mortifying, but would still count myself a fan of Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals and Catatonia.
Barbie from Blackwood
They are brill, not always fussed on the early releases but still great and a beautiful group of people.
Ashley Shinn, Texas, USA
The manics are by far the most important band of this generation. Intelligent, beautiful, never sliding into being mediocre or boring, and by far they are REAL.
Katie from Blackwood
Wicked band. Makes you proud to be Welsh! Where are they at the mo though?
(Editor's Note: James and Nicky have their solo albums - not sure what Sean's up to!)
Werner from Wesel, Germany
I love the Manics for 15 years. James' fascinating voice and powerful guitar, and Nicky´s intelligent and creative lyrics enriched my life in the last few years. The band is intruguing me to get to know the land and people of Wales. At best with train listening James' new great album "The Great Western"!!
Fifi Stevens, Pentyrch
Saw your last gig in Cardiff and you were great so hurry up and come back again. Get Zenyth from Cardiff to play also they are great and much like you when you started out. Love you all.
Graeme From Dumfries
What a great band...their story is like no other. A group of underdogs coming through against all odds. Your music although to many is rather bleak, to me it's glamourous and full of hope. You make me proud to be working class, and in the last 8 years have made me the person I am today, and I don't regret one bit of it. They made politics sexy.
Paul tucker from Pontypool
The Manics are an embarrassment. Almost as embarrassing as the Stereophonics.
Tim Green, Bermuda
The Manics have expressed in music what the valleys of Wales is all about ... worked in Blackwood for 17 years, although from Cardiff and last 5 years in Bermuda, appreciate heart, soul and truths in life ... This Is My Truth never bores me, along with Just Enough Education by the Stereos.
Generation Terrorist
I would just like to say a big thank you to the Manics for their music. Especially Richey. He has changed the world and brung self harm out into the open allowing more people to receive help and allowing people to talk more freely about it. I have suffered from self harming myself and when I discovered Richey it showed me that more people do it than you would think. It gave me the courage to talk to people about it so I could stop it. Thank you so much Richey, I would be six foot under if it wasn't for you.
Emma, Cornwall
No matter what other bands I might get into, the Manics will always be my favourite band. Their attitude, their music, their lyrics, their looks, everything about them puts them head and shoulders above any other British band. I'll always have a soft spot for the boys who changed my outlook on life and my taste in music forever. Love you, guys! xxx
Antony
It's just The Clash and The Manics.
Everyone else is urination in the wind.
rachel bloggs from newport
nicky wire is le sex!!!!! u make my knees shake!!!!
Malcolm Powder from Hengoed
They're alright. They remind me of that Scottish rock outfit - Geneva.
Richards Campbell
I need to contact a member of the Manics to get them to team up with the new Blackwood sound.
The No Sleep Police and the Manics need to collaborate.
NSP+MSP= Something nice.
Chris from Athens,Greece
i love MSP since 1995. I used to study in University of Glamorgan, where i met the welsh culture and this helped myself to understand the meanings behind MSP'S songs. I hope to see ya live in Greece lads. Long live Wales
esther luque spain
my favourite band, i love the Manics, i love WalesĦĦĦĦĦ
Charlie, Swansea
The Manics have been my favourite band for years, they are amazing.
alex from blackwood
you guys rock, richey will never be forgotten, and nicky, dont ever stop doing what you do.
zara blackwood
what a great bunch of boys!
in the mountains
what is there to say/
top welsh band excellent live/
would fill all stadiums from
cardiff to bombay./
must be most underated band
in uk.
paul
designforlife
James Dean Bradfield is an absolute genius. He is quite brilliant sounding not unlike Thom Yorke. I write songs all the time and have won prises for guitar. I would love a chance to write a song with him. Nicky Wire is a deep lyricist a bit like Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran. Their performance of Kevin Carter and Everything mjust go at T in the Park 1996 was spellbinding I need a copy.
Ryan Waide from Ireland
Great band with beautiful songs.They dont get the credit they deserve.
Ste from Runcorn
Political, simple, yet clever words and ideas and opinions and thoughts. Cutting edge is true. Political comment is also in there, yet up lifting as well. Very loud anti-establishment. God bless these welsh boys. Thank you from an English man. Our country needs you to speak up more. When's the next material coming out? I for one cannot wait. Old manics songs still take some beating though, but new stuff I look forward to with relish. Thank you dearly Manics.
Sian, Pontllanfraith
The Manics attended Oakdale Comprehensive School and now the bloody council are on about closing it down. HELP US STOP THIS, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
Scott Jones from Ebbw Vale
what a band awsome. can't be without listening to them.
Az from Blackwood
How proud I am to be from the same little cruddy town as the MSP. They are a huge influence on my life and continue to produce quality thought-provoking music. Not only are they, in the few times I have been lucky enough to bump into them, very nice people, but they also give people hope that with passion, talent and hard work, even a group of lads from Blackwood can make it big time without selling out and losing they're principles. Fantastic live too!
a true bardic band
like the ancient bardic musicians, they will not conform to establishment yoke.
freedom of word and song sends messages of hope to many who need it.
una from algún lugar
i think the holy bible is the best album in all rock history... musically is pure strengt, but especially lyrically. richey is one of the best poets ever.. and hes not dead!
name means nothing
manic street preachers are beaitiful in every way given. richey edwards is wonderful. i would give anything to see him alive and well. Its not quite known if he is dead or alive. I hope he is alive. Richey Edwards and Marilyn Manson and my two favorite musicians ever.
Jan Walker Co Durham
I discovered the Manics just before TIMTTMY...loved that album listened to it constantly! Bought the back catalogue, and thats when i could truly call myself a manics fan!! Having seen them four times now the last one being two weeks ago in newcastle i can honestly say with my hand on heart that James, Nicky,Richey and Sean have changed my life long may they reign!
Joanne from Manchester
I am a huge Manics fan, so anything that I say will be biased anyway, but the fact remains that the Manic Street Preachers remain one of the most influential, charismatic, and intellegent bands of our time. There music and lyrics are just sheer poetry!! If anyone deserves a momument/fitting tribute it's them.
The Manics have had a big influence on my life, and given me literary insights, that no state school ever did, and for that guys I truly thank you..Libraries really did give us power!!
Manic Street Preachers... Unarguably the best band ever!!!!
Kevin from Caldicot
They are the biggest band to influence my musical choice. However, change might be good for some but I haven't stuck to the Manics since the release of TIMTTMY. I know they won't go back to their punk-ish roots but it's still a dream.
Bella, Sweden
I heard the
anics for the first time when I was 13 years old. No musicians have given me so much as the Manics have in so many ways. Without them I'd never have as good grades in school as have now, and many people are amazed about how much I know even though I'm "only" 15. There's no way I would have known who Sylvia Plath is without the Manics.
Their style has affected me a lot too. Earlier I felt like I didn't fit in anywhere and I just couldn't put my feelings into words. I still don't fit in anywhere around where I live but instead I'm pround of it and people who get to know me also realize that I'm not as freaky as people think :-
Their lyrics have helped me to express myself better and their style and personalities have helped me to be proud of who and what I am, no matter what. And I think everyone should be. And, no one else can put it in a better way; to Nick, Richey, James, Sean and everyone out there:
Stay beautiful!
Chris Boulton from Blackwood
It's good 2 see the local boys doing so well. You can bump into James when he goes up the Villagers resturant when he is home in Oakdale. I think the best song they done was Suicide is Painless. What a tune!
Dan Sullivan from Clitheroe, Lancashire
Best band of the 1990s, no questions asked. Legends, pure and simple
Dave Sutton, Horsham, West Sussex
Best Band ever, my first album I ever bought was "This is my truth". Theres something special about their music, its got so much depth to it rather than the tracks just merely being great. Their earlier albums do happen to be quite different to their latest but I like both styles.
Lifeblood CD is amazing, my favourite tracks are 1985, Empty Souls, Emily, Glasnost and Cardiff Afterlife.
Rosa from Seville (Spain)
I've never listened to such a music before!! Their lyrics are amazing. I truly understood their meaning after my stay in Cardiff - your city and people are great. This band is my inspiration. Thank you very much!! I'll never forget you!!
Julie Harlech from North Wales
Having recently heard new tracks from Lifeblood it's an amazing album to come that has an amazing big sound. Nicky Wire's lyrics are more personal then ever - that in 'Cardiff Afterlife' you feel guilty about intruding on his most cherished and inner-most thoughts of Richey and how his disappearance has affected him. It's a song of beauty as well as painful, and I admit to shedding a tear on first hearing it. The Manics are by far the most comprehensive and intelligent band in the world. The new album should be a number one entry for them. If not, then there's no justice. I can't wait to have it released in November as I love totally the seven songs I've heard so far. THE MANICS ARE BACK!
s&#
The Manics compose beautiful melodies and the lyrics hit my heart. They give me truth.
A Design for Life, Tsunami, If you tolerate this your children will be next - these are my best three.
Muttley from Gilfach
manics=quality+individuality/4Xgenius
-1tragic loss. rip rj return is forever delayed.
Clargt from Befnovaville, Bulgaria
I heard a good song by the Manics. James sings very well and Nicky likes to dress strangely!
Len from Bargoed
The political undertones that the Manics have woven in to their music make them not only musicians, but teachers of the next generation.
Zoe Nash from Lincoln
Even though im only 13 the Manics have made me think about all the important factors in life that most bands are afraid to show. I have read 1984 by Orwell and Nausea by Sartre, but only really because the Manics have, and now i can understand more of life! This stage in my life is already full of change but i feel they have revoloutionised the way i live! THANKS MANICS!!
Julie Hughes from Bedford
I don't why I love the Manics - it's a combination of a lot of things. Their music has inspired me, led me and influenced my thinking in a lot of ways. People dismissed their 'Know Your Enemy' record, and although it isn't a briliant album, you only have to read Nicky's lyrics to Freedom of Speech...to see that he was way ahead of anyone jumping on the anti-Bush bandwagon.
They are the greatest band...ever. No doubt about that. James' guitar playing is often under-rated, and shouldn't be - he's way up there with Slash and the like!!!
Julie Cruise from Harlech
An iconic band who speak the truth, tell the truth and the most honest band in the world. In Nicky Wire they have a brilliant lyricist who I think is most under-rated. They deserve far more recognition then they are getting at the moment given the fact the Manics have written some of the best thought-provoking songs of our time. They never disappoint when playing live - still the most exciting and electrifying band ever to capture live. They have helped me survive my bleakest moments in life through their lyrics - 'A Design For Life' being my all time favourite. It lifts me each time on hearing.A momument to honour them in Blackwood would be wonderful - nothing short of what they deserve, but would the Manics welcome it? They would probably rather St David's Woodland in Blackwood to have been saved! The Manics rock my world and inspire me in many ways..Nicky Wire is such a beautiful person. His presence makes this unsafe world brighter. They deserve to be honoured for putting wales firmly on the musical map. Thanks to them I re-discovered my own Welshness.
Scott from Airdrie, Scotland
I love the Manics - their music is great. No doubt about it!
Kate Collins from South Wales - living in Derby
Manic Street Preachers are a hugely influential and wonderful band. I've seen them many many times live, and they're brilliant every time. As I'm sure is the case with a number of people who come from the Blackwood area, I have many stories of personal 'connections' with the band but far too many to list here!
Missy from Blyth
They've had such a big influence on my life...What some people don't realise, is by writing about what they did, they have encouraged myself and proboably many others to become interested in subjects we wouldn't normally give a flying one about. Politics has never been made so interesting!
Rae Robinson in New Zealand
It needn't be a literal replica of the group members, it could be something abstract and arty and cutting edge. That'd be ace.
Lauren
They've filled my life with wonderful lyrics and music. Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards, James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore are the most amazing people ever.
Mark Hagues from York
They are great. So sad about Richey - he's forever in our minds. We miss you. Keep up the great work Manics.
Dawn Evans from Holyhead
It's been a rollercoaster ride, with many twists and turns - but a thrilling one at that. I wouldn't say they're any better or worse now - just different. After all, not many bands can boast thirteen years in the music industry with so many difficulties facing them. It'd be a shame not to have a monument for the Manics in Blackwood - they put the town on the map, and paved the way for many other bands in South Wales. Best Welsh band ever - no question.
Gareth Cole from Pontypool
I don't think This Is My Truth was a disappointment. It's still full of political views and of course great riffs and melodies. As for Blackwood erecting a monument to the Manics, of course they should. Make it 100ft high and may it be something that the Manics themselves design. After all, they are the inspiration and of course it will be A Design For Life.
Political art-rockers turned pop-rock heroes
