The Manic Street Preachers have come *this* close to succeeding in America. After three UK hit albums, the American release of The Holy Bible promised an opportunity for the band to break though. But with the disappearance (and presumed suicide) of their controversial guitarist and co-lyricist Richey Manic (nee James) and a scrapping of the American release of their third album, things looked bleak for the Manics future. Lead singer James Bradfield once told Consumable that the Manics would never continue as less than the sum of the four members: individually, they were weak, but as a band, they could conquer anything.
Things change over time. The three remaining members vowed to struggle on, and continue their musical battle. So, in between gigs opening shows for Oasis and Screaming Trees, the Manics were playing the periodic club while the Gallaghers were sleeping, or spitting on an MTV audience.
Maxwell's is a small club that can fit 200 people if fire codes aren't strictly adhered to. In such a setting, it seemed as if the Manics were making a sincere effort to capture the American audience - in their native country, with more than a dozen top 40 hits, mid-size venues are a more appropriate setting. But there was a crowd of devoted fans, pushing forward, yearning for the chance to get a glimpse out of one of this era's most overlooked intellectual rock bands.
The twelve song set primarily featured material from their fourth album (and third in the States), Everything Must Go. Throughout the course of the evening, songs such as the title track, "Kevin Carter", and the first single "A Design For Life" were transformed from their album appearances - with percussion and string arrangements - into pure electrifying rock and roll - two guitars, drums, and keyboards which were barely audible through the barrage of guitars.
Fans who screamed for the Bradfield-Traci Lords duet "Little Baby Nothing" (a song impossible to duet with all male vocalists) were disappointed by the lack of material from their classic debut, Generation Terrorists, but pleasantly surprised when Bradfield introduced the non-LP cut (and early Manics single), "Motown Junk", with "This is for all you Anglophiles out there."
The first two albums were nearly ignored, with the epic "Motorcycle Emptiness" and "You Love Us", which closed off the set, the only inclusions from the debut. Gold Against The Soul was duly represented by "La Tristessa Durera" and "From Despair To Where". This was clearly a band that wanted to emphasize their most recent release, to an audience with a decided British flavour.
For those unfamiliar with the Manic Street Preachers, probably the best way to describe their music is a Guns N Roses sound meeting the Clash, with a healthy dose of Sting's early intellectual prowess tossed in for good measure. Their political stances aren't necessarily popular, but they are firm believers in speaking up through their words for the underdog against the rich and oppressive.
The Manic Street Preachers, on their first tour as a trio, have set about to conquer America from the ground up. The only disappointment of this show? The lack of emphasis on their older, more successful material, and the limited length of the concert - just under 1 hour. But even with those downfalls, the Manic Street Preachers sure know how to rock.
