Manic Street Preachers
Shepherds Bush Empire

THE last 15 years have seen the rise of the “album gig,” with bands playing a classic album in full and they’ve either been admonished for cashing in on nostalgia or praised for giving their fans what they want.

Twenty years on from the release of This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, the Manics are on a short tour of intimate venues showcasing that album in full. The tour is sold out but does that mean the band has too? Not on this evidence.

The night opens with The Everlasting which, combining anguished lyrics, sadness and elation, is a nod to a halcyon past, all underwritten by a pounding beat and shimmering guitar.

Lead guitarist and singer James Dean Bradfield, bass player and chief lyricist Nicky Wire and drummer Sean Moore are incredibly tight and they draw the audience into their circle from the get-go.

You Stole the Sun From my Heart sees the crowd not just rocking out but singing along as one, while Ready for Drowning takes the pace down a notch but bears the guitar-driven rock formula, mixing music with heartfelt lyrics, that are as relevant today as 20 years ago.

Highlights, as the set progresses through the album, are the vulnerability of Wire’s lyrics on Born a Girl and Black Dog on My Shoulder, charting the challenge of depression, before the first half fittingly concludes with If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next.

After the interval, tried and tested Manics’ tracks include a ferocious rendition of Your Love Alone Is Not Enough before they bring the house down with Motorcycle Emptiness.

It’s almost worth being there for that one track but as the hits roll, the pleasure is ever more present and Bradfield energises the room as he belts out La Tristesse Durera, while Wire introduces a tribute to the spirit and energy of long-lost band member Richey Edwards as they play You Love Us.

For a band who have been together for 33 years, sold 10 million albums but always kept their conscience and politics clear, the set is a tour de force, culminating in A Design For Life.

Delivering a message of sadness tinged with hope and what may be, it’s an apt ending to a gig that charts not just a standout album but also a musical legacy that on the strength of tonight will continue to echo across generations.