Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Friday July 5, 2013 :
What a bizarre and fun gig this was. Welsh glam/punk rockers, the Manic Street Preachers had made it clear that they were touring Australia primarily to follow the British and Irish Lions Rugby Union campaign against the Wallabies; however, it was only as I arrived and made my way through a sea of football-jersey wearing poms that I realised they had been in no way kidding. As I queued for a beer behind a bunch of Irishmen slagging off Australian drink prices, I glanced at the merch table, which was selling stubby holders and Union jerseys and wondered what I was getting myself into.
The Manics took the stage at 9:15pm and the raucous crowd went wild. Flamboyant bass player Nicky Wire looked suitably fabulous; tall and lanky, and wearing a pleasing amount of body glitter in war paint-like stripes under his mirrored aviators. Wire’s obvious delight at being there confirmed the buoyant vibe in the room, and it was hard to take your eyes off him throughout the set.
Lead singer, James Dean Bradfield had no trouble getting the crowd onside, opening with a shout-out to Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland while the Australians in the audience did their best to look inconspicuous. When the band finally began to play, they launched into a greatest hits set to which the crowd delightedly sang along. Bradfield was in fine voice, energetically belting out goth-pop tunes, supported by two extra members playing keys and rhythm guitar with the 3-piece. The sound was big, and with minimal set dressing, the performances were more than enough to keep us entertained.
The energy and buzz continued even into more serious songs, and one of the odd moments of the night (and there were many) was an entire crowd of hooligans singing along to the Manics’ famous cover of MASH theme song ‘Suicide is Painless’ as though it were a team victory chant. Another highlight was the joyous performance of anti-establishment tune, ‘A Design for Life’, with Nicky Wire performing “can-can” high kicks while Bradfield sang “We don’t talk about love/ We just want to get drunk”. It was impossible not to get in on the good time, and by the time they had stopped playing their own songs to perform sport theme songs, including every Welshman’s anthem, ‘Delilah’, I was singing along and hoping the Lions would win the next night. The Manic Street Preachers brainwashed me, and it was more fun than you could imagine.
Reviewer: Frances Bulley
Photographer: Clare Hawley
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