First up, in October, was a rather jammy opportunity to see them in the smallest and most legendary venue I could imagine, Night & Day Cafe. It was a radio thing and for once in my life, I was in the right place at the right time and managed to bag a couple of VIP guestlist places. The gig itself was short and atmosphere a bit strange, as these type of things tend to be, full of competition winners and media types. But watching Sean play a box was hilarious and we got a spine-tingling rendition of She Is Suffering.
The biggest thrill was running round to the back of the venue like a teenager and gushing, blushing and finally, after a decade of waiting, getting my Everything Live video cover signed. James mock-applauded me 'sticking it to the man', after I explained that security had refused me getting it signed at the HMV Cardiff 'Truth' album launch in 1998!
Not content with one meeting in a month, I also went along to the HMV signing of the big pink polaroid book (I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know what it is). There was lots of waiting...
... as well as quite a bit of squealing when my queue-mate discovered a whole paragraph about her in the book's intro text! But it was definitely worth it, for my one and only fan-girl Manics pic (thanks Franny!) :D
So by the time we reached December, I had completed my regression to 17-year-old teenybopper extremes of giddiness. Much of the nervous anticipation for the big O2 extravaganza was channeled into customising my gig-dress. I was aiming for the DIY aesthetic but with crowd/beer/pogo-proof durability. I think I managed it, although sitting down proved a risky business.
The gig was everything I hoped for and more.
Nicky had a few skirt issues...
Sean was a drum master. Of course he was.
Man and dog...
The screens were so hypnotic I sometimes forgot to look at the band on stage.
It all ended in a flurry of confetti and tears.
Welcome back Manic Street Preachers! We missed ya x
P.S. You can click through the pics to get to the full albums on flickr!
