Thursday news quiz: Feral paws, language laws and a public Ariana pause Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare? The Guardian - UK · Aug 6
“The first time I walked in, I cried as I was so overwhelmed”: We speak to The Anchoress about the creation of her new album and harnessing Pete Townshend’s synth collection Catherine Anne Davies, aka The Anchoress, shares how she immersed herself in Pete Townshend’s vintage synth collection to make her latest album, As We Once Were MusicRadar · Jul 21
Manic Street Preachers cover The Cure at London gig The Welsh rockers were playing the Royal Albert Hall in London. Evening Standard · Mar 26
"Frequently melancholy and austere, this is music that rewards active listening rather than offering up easily consumed hooks or sing-alongs":Steven Wilson seeks the sweet spot between pop precision and progressive wizardry on Hand. Cannot. Erase. Inspired by a tragic modern story, Steven Wilson's Hand. Cannot. Erase. is often hailed as his masterpiece. But is it? Louder · Jan 5
"A universe in which Karl Marx and Kylie Minogue happily co-exist, that accords Rush and The Clash equal favour, and where Morrissey and Marr meet Torvill and Dean." Manic Street Preachers announce "definitive history", 168 Songs Of Hatred And Failure Music journalist Keith Cameron has written what Manic Street Preachers say is their definitive history Louder · Apr 23, 2025
“What angle have we missed on this? Ah yeah, getting some other ****er to sing it!”: the 10 best Manics songs featuring a guest singer (and the odd bassist and guitarist) From Cate Le Bon to Duff McKagan and Lucy Rose to Kevin Shields, the Welsh legends have often welcomed other artists into their songs. Here’s ten of their finest. Louder · Apr 18, 2025
“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 Manic Street Preachers' new album, Critical Thinking, had Bradfield reconnecting with guitars new and old, Nicky Wire unleashing on the title track, and it is a typically unique work from the Welsh rock institution Guitar World · Apr 7, 2025
“We’ve done a lot of our growing up in public, made our mistakes too. We’ve suffered at times with that. Our extremes are extreme”: How the Manic Street Preachers shook things up to make new album Critical Thinking Even after all this time, the Manic Street Preachers still bow to no one Louder · Mar 12, 2025
“It’s a slam-dunk lost classic”: How Rush and Pink Floyd led James Dean Bradfield to Man – a band he’d previously dismissed Manic Street Preachers frontman wasn’t convinced by his fellow Welsh musicians, until he discovered the Steely Dan and Little Feat elements of their 11th album Louder · Feb 21, 2025
No 'moral judgement' on new Manic Street Preachers' Morrissey song Nicky Wire says the Manic Street Preachers' new song about Morrissey is not a "moral judgement" and it is more about himself than his former idol. BANG Premier · Feb 15, 2025
Why we all need sisu – the Finnish concept of action and creativity in hard times This is something more profound than resilience. It is the part of us that comes alive when we feel we have nothing left The Guardian - UK · Feb 10, 2025
Manic Street Preachers’ Nicky Wire says he’s still ‘emotionally floored’ by Richey Edwards disappearance Welsh guitarist disappeared almost 30 years ago on 1 February 1995 The Independent UK · Jan 27, 2025
Manic Street Preachers share new single People Ruin Paintings Manic Street Preachers ponder the "narcissism of adventurers and explorers" and "the hypocrisy of the carbon footprint" on new song. BANG Premier · Jan 10, 2025
“It feels like our last punk single, this mad little blip on the radar”: the story behind the Manics’ 2000 hit The Masses Against The Classes The tale of how the Welsh trio's last Number One single, which was released 25 years ago next week, came together. Louder · Jan 5, 2025
Louder · Dec 31, 2024 “It was me being a complete and utter dunderhead”: Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield on the guitar solo where he went full method There was more to Bradfield’s searing guitar part on this classic Manics cut than flashy playing, the singer and guitarist explains
Louder · Oct 27, 2024 “I felt I was cut adrift from a massive part of the band and I didn’t know what to do without it”: James Dean Bradfield on how Manic Street Preachers had to reinvent themselves after 2011’s National Treasures celebrations The band capped off one glorious era with a Best Of and huge arena show in 2011 but it left their singer and guitarist feeling like they’d lost their way
Louder · Oct 25, 2024 “This is a record of opposites colliding”: Manic Street Preachers announce details of new album The Welsh rockers will release Critical Thinking, their 15th record, in January and a tour will follow in the spring
Louder · Oct 9, 2024 “Layne Staley really was one of the most doom-laden, foreboding metal presences you could ever wish to see.“ Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield on the “pure molten lava“ of Alice In Chains' 1992 masterpiece Dirt “It finds complexity in simplicity, and power in loss“: James Dean Bradfield on Dirt
Louder · Aug 29, 2024 "Bleak and hopeless, beautiful and poignant, desperately uncomfortable to listen to, yet impossible to ignore." Revisiting Manic Street Preachers' dark masterpiece The Holy Bible at 30 Released on August 30, 1994, the Manic Street Preachers' third album The Holy Bible remains one of the most unique, singular albums in history.
Louder · Jul 14, 2024 “I couldn’t be arsed and James said, ‘Why don’t we ask Duff McKagan?’”: Nicky Wire on the time the Guns N' Roses legend played bass on a Manics song Duff appeared on the band's 2010 track A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun
The Guardian - UK · Jun 29, 2024 Manic Street Preachers / Suede review – co-headliners bring out the best in each other More than merely a mutual love-in, this tour finds the two bands – and longterm friends – spurring each other on to be provocative and potent
Louder · Jun 12, 2024 "Do you mind if I wear this as a laugh?" The true story of the night that 25,000 thick British TV viewers thought Manic Street Preachers had started supporting Irish terrorists Manic Street Preachers' June 1994 performance on Top Of The Pops was one of the more memorable moments in the show's history
The Guardian - UK · Mar 20, 2024 ‘Don’t say: what if we did this reggae style?’ The huge yet humble lives of unofficial band members From Manic Street Preachers to Simple Minds, few bands are complete without their full-time touring players. They discuss the peaks and practicalities of life on the sidelines
Louder · Feb 21, 2024 “Man never quite hit the heights; I suppose they were almost too versatile… they locked into something nimble, nuanced and gorgeous”: James Dean Bradfield’s prog heroes The Manic Street Preachers vocalist discovered the genre via Rush, Floyd and Russian Circles – but fellow Welshmen’s 1976 album became his top choice on first listen
Louder · Feb 11, 2024 “It was us trying to be a different version of ourselves”: James Dean Bradfield on the making of Manic Street Preachers' 2004 album Lifeblood The band recently announced a 20th anniversary reissue of their seventh album