“We go and look in the garage – it was there. It hadn’t been looked at for 20 years and was sad and falling apart. It was like, ‘Help me!’” James Dean Bradfield on unearthing his rare “birthright” guitar, gear epiphanies and why Robert Smith is underrated

James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers pictured in the studio where he showed guitarist his Eastman and Gordon Smith guitars. He wears a dark blue shirt, studio hardware occupies the background.

It’s a characteristic of the best bands that they are loved by millions but also completely unique. It’s a trick that Manic Street Preachers have pulled off for years, from the angular, agit-rock of The Holy Bible to the beauty and tragedy of their breakthrough 1996 album, Everything Must Go, recorded in the wake of lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards’ disappearance, their sound is instantly recognisable and wholly their own.

Today, with the release of their 15th album, Critical Thinking, that vital spark of originality and vivid honesty is undimmed – even if the band do the shopping on the way home from sessions these days, following the establishment of a permanent studio near their homes in South Wales.