Looking like they constantly get asked for ID at bottle shops, local lads Hungry Kids Of Hungary were a great choice for a support act for headliners Manic Street Preachers. With a really charming line in alternative pop to them, along with some gorgeous Beach Boys-inspired vocal harmonies, the Brisbane quintet have developed a strong following across the land since forming in 2007.
Tonight, they put in a fun set for the arriving crowd, playing some great tracks from their catalogue such as “Let You Down Easy” and “Yesterday’s Gone”.
Formed in 1986 in Wales, The Manic Street Preachers, or ‘Manics’ as they’re affectionately known by many die-hard fans, are one of those bands that have always had something to say about the state of the world, whether it be on a political or personal level. What is so appealing about this band is that they never hit the listener over the head with their point of view, as so many have done before.
Playing as a five-piece band tonight, with added guitar and keyboards, the band arrived on stage to the sounds of “Be My Wife” by David Bowie, off his 1977 classic Low. After guitarist/lead singer James Dean Bradfield said hello to the crowd, the band ripped into a soaring “Motorcycle Emptiness”. For the next hour and a half, this band simply did not let up with the intensity they put forward in their performance and stagecraft.
With their last album, Postcards From A Young Man, released in 2010, this was a band that was relaxed yet compelling on stage. The set was a true gift for both long-time fans and more recent converts. Speaking of which, the fans at this show were amongst some of the most vocal, passionate and dedicated a band could ever ask for, with their numbers bolstered by what seemed like half of Wales in the crowd, with many international visitors in town to see the British and Irish Lions playing rugby in our fair city.
Bradfield has an incredibly flexible and affecting voice, one than go from a plaintive whisper to a traffic-stopping wail in the space of a heartbeat. He is also a fine guitarist, one that is much underrated. In a way that was neither forced nor fake, he had this crowd in the palm of his hand, while the band played one great song from their back catalogue after another. “Ocean Spray”, “It’s Not War” and “Tsunami” were real standouts. “A Design For Life” was a pretty special moment, where Bradfield called out for the crowd to sing the second verse, which they did perfectly, with a level of enthusiasm which was nothing short of inspiring. A brilliant track to begin with, this really went to a higher level.
An obscure track, the infectious “Revol”, was played in dedication to founding member Ritchey Edwards, who disappeared in 1995 and never returned, having been presumed deceased in 2008. It was a really nice moment where the band acknowledged one of their fallen comrades, but was not obsessive about it.
There was also a nice spot where Bradfield performed a few tracks solo with an acoustic guitar, including a version of the 60s gem “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, where again the crowd were in full voice. While singing about things that affect us all, it showed that the band have a sense of joy to them and refuse to be morose or depressing.
Capping off the night with the sensational track “If You Tolerate This, Then Your Children Will Be Next”, about the Spanish Civil War, this was a compelling and highly satisfying night. With the promise of two albums over the next year, it is gratifying to see the band move into the next phase of their career.
