Manic Street Preachers - Cardiff 2005

After the initial postponement and then the huge disappointment of hearing that Razorlight were'nt supporting (yeah(!), but 'The Departure' (who), the gig turned out to be really good. Plenty of early stuff, only occasionally ruined by something like the life of Richard Nixon. Renditions of La Tristessa and You Love us and Faster got the crowd going, and even managed to start a punch up between a couple of townies. Thats the one problem with the Manics - townies. Even Gary liked Motorcycle Emptiness this time around!

The only thing which annoyed me was their persistance in playing A Design for sodding life, the worst song they have ever written (if you discount the last three albums).

Nicky was on form and had Cath and Ramalla drooling again. James has massive bitch tits and Shaun has returned to wearing drumming gloves. Apparantly, so Cath says, Nicky was wearing leopard print knickers. Nonce.

No encore though. Lets face it, they're not Metallica and never will be.

Stay tuned for Velvet Revolver and the Datsuns (tomorrow)

Setlist:

1. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
2. Faster
3. 1985
4. No Surface All Feeling
5. Empty Souls
6. You Love Us
7. Yes
8. The Love Of Richard Nixon
9. Kevin Carter
10. La Tristesse Durera
11. Australia
12. Die In The Summertime
13. Solitude Sometimes Is
14. The Masses Against The Classes
15. Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky
16. You Stole The Sun From My Heart
17. This Is Yesterday
18. Cardiff Afterlife
19. Motown Junk (Sweet Child O'Mine intro)
20. I Live To Fall Asleep
21. Motorcycle Emptiness
22. A Design For Life