It was the Manics’ gig @ Brixton Academy last night. Nicky Wire’s seeming lack of interest was more than compensated by James Dean Bradfield’s vigour and excellence. Opening with an old and brilliant tune penned by JDB, Motorcycle Emptiness, the line-up thereafter was: Repeat, You Stole the Sun From My Heart, the Masses against the Classes, There By the Grace of God, Australia, Slash n’ Burn, Kevin Carter, Tsunami, PCP, Suicide is Painless (theme from Mash), F*** Off (one for Richie), Little Baby Nothing (minus Kylie ha ha! or even Tracy Lords…), Faster, From Despair to Where, Roses in the Hospital, the Everlasting, Everything Must Go, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will be Next, Forever Delayed, You Love Us and finally: A Design for Life.
“Encores are pretentious” – Translation: Bugger off home – we can’t be bothered.
Well that’s my memory cells tested for the evening anyway.