168 Songs of Hatred and Failure

Raging out of the stricken mining communities of south Wales in the late 80s, Manic Street Preachers were bonded by friendships, family ties and a self-styled ‘geometry of contempt’, whereby James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore would orchestrate the daring intellectual broadsides written by Richey Edwards and Nicky Wire. Seemingly condemned to mere cult status by a cruel juncture of artistic triumph, commercial failure and personal despair, the story took an agonising twist when the tragedy of Edwards’ 1995 disappearance was followed by a remarkable rebirth built upon ‘A Design For Life’s hymn to the band’s working-class roots, and then the award-winning, multi-million-selling album Everything Must Go, a majestic soundtrack to history and loss. Through the prism of their music, Keith Cameron tells the definitive history of Manic Street Preachers, taking a deep dive into 168 songs.