 Well we finally got to the IOW. I had travelled up to London the night before to stay with my brother, then had an early start the next morning to the IOW. We spent ages looking for the hotel. I forgot to get instructions how to get to it. Even though it was a 2 minute walk from the train station, it took us an hour. We went to the reception to book in. The lady behind the desk knew we were going to the festival. �It's going to be a bit loud tonight� she said. �We have a band staying here who are playing at the festival. I haven't heard of them, they are called The Manic Street Preachers�. I asked her if she was sure, perhaps it's just the crew. �No it's the band, management as well�. I couldn't sign the form I was filling in, I was shaking so much. My brother started laughing. �Are you a fan� said the receptionist. �Yes, I've been a fan for a few years now� I replied. �It's your lucky day then, and they have asked for the bar to be opened until 4�. We went to our room and I rang everyone back home. My brother told me to calm down but I couldn't. I had a cup of coffee, had a shower, then got changed ready to go to the festival. We were waiting in the reception for our taxi when I saw Nicky Wire come out of the bar and go upstairs. I just stared at him. The Manics were brilliant, but I was fed up with everyone around me who decided to chat throughout the Manics set. We left as soon as they had finished. I wanted to go back to the hotel (I wonder why) I got changed, then at about 11.30 we went to the bar. Dave Eringa and Martin Hall were sat having a drink, but no sign of the Manics. Perhaps they didn't want to come down. We got a drink and sat outside as it was a nice night (a bit cold) I saw James go to the bar, then he walked up to the doors (which were open) He stood there for a few minutes just looking around. I just froze. I couldn't say anything. After a while we went inside and sat in the bar. I was talking to my brother but trying to watch James at the same time. I just couldn't go and speak to him. I didn't want to bother him as he was with his girlfriend and friends. Finally at about midnight I saw Sean and Nicky come in. Nicky didn't stay for very long, but I was more interested in Sean. He looked very nice in a black shirt and trousers. He stayed for a while then I saw him get up, shake hands with some of the group then leave with Steve the bodyguard. I had to go and speak to him. I drank my wine and went after him. I called his name and he turned around. I said �I'm not a mad stalker, I didn't know you were staying here�. He looked a bit shocked. I asked about the album and he said it would be out in October. He then said they will be touring in December. He said they will be in Plymouth (I hope he didn't notice my Devon accent) Cardiff and a few other places. I told him I would go to Plymouth and Cardiff as they are near to me. I then asked if I could have my photo taken with him and he said ok. I had to go back to the bar to get my camera off my brother, then Steve took the picture, I couldn't get over that Sean was the same height as me. I said thankyou and he went upstairs. I was so nervous. I was bright red and shaking and I kept saying sorry for bothering him. He was so nice. James was still in the bar but I couldn't speak to him. I didn't sleep all night. We had our breakfast (the only time I will have breakfast with the Manics sitting near us) then went to our room to pack. I thanked the staff, and said sorry for going on, but they were glad I had a good time. We went to go when I spotted James reading a paper. I went up to him and told him I was a fan. He held out his hand for me to shake. I told him I enjoyed the concert, the new songs were great. He said the album would be out the end of the year. Then it was time to go. I said bye to James, then left. It was the best weekend ever. One I will never forget. Sean and James were lovely guys. I don't know why I was so nervous as they didn't mind me bothering them. I was so glad I got to speak to Sean. He is my favourite Manic and such a nice man.  Talking to NME.COM Roger Daltrey spoke about whether any of the bands on this year's bill would rise to the legendary status of the groups playing in the Sixties. He said: "There are some great bands on. Who knows - it's in the quality of music in the end. I think the Manics will..." JDB: Supporting The Who is going to be a funny thing because some of those records are the records that I learned to play guitar to. If you kind of stop and think about it, it's kind of a wee bit strange and it could phase you but to be honest, I'm a bit too old to be phased by anything so I'm just looking forward to it. Loaded.co.uk It's that time of year again and already Loaded have been larging it down at the Nokia Isle of Wight festival. The weekend just gone brought together the likes of The Who, David Bowie, Jet and the Stereophonics for a weekend of pure bliss for any older rock fan! Naturally Loaded couldn't resist going down to hang out in Virgin Radio's VIP area over looking the stage as Bowie twanged his strings. We even bumped into model-turned-singer Leah Wood and the Manic Street Preachers back stage.    iowfestival.com Then, on they came, The Manic Street Preachers with a hit filled set, out came the Welsh flags again to the sounds of �Motorcyle Emptiness� � the sun had burned tans on skin and as everyone cooled down from the heat of the day, they warmed up to an evening of pure rock � a fine mixture of album tracks and old favourites, �Australia�, �If you Tolerate This�, and �You Stole the Sun�� playing not only to their fans but to all, a bit of something for everyone! efestivals.co.uk Should have guessed we�d be caught like this, should have noticed the descending hoards with their multitude of Welsh flags, snuffing out the crosses of St George. But we didn�t until there was a huge crowd too huge to escape from easily. With one stage they�d managed to round up an audience of 40,000 odd and hold us captive... There�s hardly a cloud in the sky as the sun sets in the west, to the right of the audience, so no chance of rain stopping them play or breaking up the crowd. Huge tunes receive rapturous applause I even nod to Motorcycle Emptiness as some bloke hollers it at me... They close with Design For Life and it�s a polished performance if you like the Manics it�s probably one of their best sets ever. 
guardian.co.uk The Manic Street Preachers, however, won't rest on their laurels. "If it sounds shit, it's because it's new," James Dean Bradfield says by way of introducing Empty Souls. A gorgeous gothic stomp, it sits easily among gems like Little Baby Nothing and From Despair to Where.bbc southampton As The Manic Street Preachers hit the stage, Seaclose Park was nothing more than a mass of bodies. People squashed themselves into every conceivable space available to watch the Welshmen do their stuff. Working through a back catalogue of hits like You Stole The Sun From My Heart, Motorcycle Emptiness, You Love Us and From Despair to Where, the trio created an anarchic frenzy amongst the fans and finished with the massive anthem Design For Life, leaving us on a high, ready to face The Who. 
telegraph.co.uk MSP did everything you might expect from a moodily intense Welsh pop act.virtualfestivals.com The theme of this year's festival seemed to be whether the present crop of rockers on show could ever reach the status of the Bowies or Daltreys of this world and if this was even possible these days when the music business has changed so much. The Stereophonics and The Manic Street Preachers are in contention for such longevity and both played strong sets. On Saturday the Manics gave fans a taster of the new album due in October with two new tracks 'Empty Souls' and 'Solitude Sometimes Is'. Bradfield warned "If it sounds shit, its because it's new". Luckily, it didn't. 
launch.yahoo.com The Manic Street Preachers aired new tracks at the Isle of Wight festival. The Welsh trio supported The Who, along with Jet and British Sea Power, playing to around 30,000 fans on Saturday night during the three-day festival. The Manics played two new songs written during the sessions for their imminent seventh studio album: "Empty Souls", a piano-led stomp that recalls ABC, and "Solitude Sometimes Is". Frontman James Dean Bradfield told the audience: "If it sounds shit, it's because [they're] new". They have recently recorded four tracks in New York with Tony Visconti, best known for his production work with David Bowie, T.Rex, Adam and the Ants and, most recently, The Seahorses. The remainder of the album, expected to be released in October on Sony, is being finished in the UK and Ireland.independent.co.uk Manic Street Preachers were the first to acknowledge the sea of different national flags that were such a picture feature of this crowd's identity. They played two good new songs, "Empty Souls" and "Solitude", but were not at their best. Isle Of Wight Today has a different opinion: The Manic Street Preachers were among those producing excellent sets. icWales agrees: COOL Cymru was alive and kicking again this weekend as our finest supergroups rocked the Nokia Isle of Wight Festival. It was a reunion of old friends as headliners the Stereophonics and Super Furry Animals were joined by slick acts Groove Armada, The Duke Spirit and 22-20s on Friday night. And die-hard festival fans were treated to storming sets from the Manics and Electric Soft Parade last night.  NME.com MSP premiered two new songs last night. JDB told the capacity crowd before debuting the first of the new tracks, Empty Souls: "If it sounds shit, it's because it's new". The second of the new tracks was 'Solitude Sometimes Is', which was rapturously received by the audience. |
