Manic Street Preachers

Welsh rock band. Their songs combine emotional intensity with intelligent lyrics, often touching on political and philosophical issues. The band consisted of singer and guitarist James Dean Bradfield, guitarist and lyricist Richey James Edwards, bassist Nicky Wire (real name Nicky Jones), and drummer Sean Moore. Their 1996 album Everything Must Go was received with great critical acclaim, winning the band two Brit awards. Its success was marred, however, by the fact that it was recorded without Richey James, who disappeared mysteriously in 1995. Their fifth album, This is My Truth Tell Me Yours, was released in 1998.

The band formed in Blackwood, Wales, in 1986, under the name Betty Blue, originally with Miles Woodward (or Flicker) on guitar. By 1998 Richey James Edwards had replaced Flicker and the band had been renamed the Manic Street Preachers. They released their first single (‘Suicide Alley’) in the following year, and quickly gained a reputation for confrontation and controversy both on stage and in their dealings with the music press. They went on the release the punk-influenced albums Generation Terrorists (1992), Gold Against the Soul (1993), and The Holy Bible (1994).