Your first Manics live experience

[PaulTMA]

Carlisle Sands Centre 1996, with Catatonia and Laxton's Superb, who both went on to do great things.

[Jayseph]

Birmingham NEC, December 2002. I was not a gig-goer at all those days, and when I was offered a standing ticket for my seat + spare by a tout, I turned him down.

I can't remember much about the gig itself, other than Ian Brown being appalling. Much as I do like his music, he was just wrong.

However, I was watching that Guitarist video of James the other night, and it reminded me that he screwed up the opening riff to Slash 'N' Burn, then apologised, saying "this has never happened to me before."

[gracie]

Mine will actually be Edinburgh. I will update unless I am trampled and subsequently die.

[markreed]

Leicester 30th January 1992.

It was to be Birmingham the night after the "4REAL" incident but the gig was cancelled. And then it was meant to be Birmingham 05 December 1991, but Nicky had some kind of throat infection so it was cancelled.

[Scarecrow]

Due to that cancelled Birmingham gig, the first actual gig they played after the 4 Real incident was at the Hull Adelphi, which is an absolute dive. When they'd asked Steve Brown to produce Generation Terrorists, he flew from Florida to London, then drove up to see them there. What a contrast that must have been!

[Bambi]

Cardiff International Arena, August 2001 (Reading warm-up)

I'd seen U2 (supported by JJ72!) in London the day before with my brother but decided to ditch him for this and go early on my own. I thought if I got there about 4pm I'd surely be right near the front of the queue.... rookie mistake there, kiddo! The queue already snaked round to the back, and I remember a group of 4 beered-up very young lads, one with no shirt on, slighty ahead in the queue being loud and stupid and play-fighting each other. Directly in front of me, a chap with a beard was quietly reading a book. Diverse crowd, I mused, feeling self-conscious.

My brother having caught up with me inside, we watched Gorky's, who he didn't get at all, and saw the Manics from about two-thirds of the way back. We were next to a middle-aged woman with her handbag and her square-shaped husband, his arms folded, pint in hand. I wondered why they were even there, and what I was doing so far back next to them. I remember very little of the gig except the 'Karl Marx' video intro, and that they played Motorcycle Emptiness, Miss Europa (with 'hamster wheel' video projection) and Archives of Pain. I didn't know all the songs at this point, but my knowledge and love of the band (and music in general) was outstripping that of my staid, safe older brother, and it was the last time we saw a band together. My fandom would accelerate over the next year or so, getting the early albums, getting into the tail-end of the zine culture and seeing them 16 months later at the same venue on the FD tour.

[Mrs Bradfield]

Originally Posted by sculptureofabloke

I know a few people who went to that and every one of them roughed it on a bench, how many benches were there?!

Benches are gone now. RIP.

[Takk]

Originally Posted by Bambi

Cardiff International Arena, August 2001 (Reading warm-up)

I'd seen U2 (supported by JJ72!) in London the day before with my brother but decided to ditch him for this and go early on my own. I thought if I got there about 4pm I'd surely be right near the front of the queue.... rookie mistake there, kiddo! The queue already snaked round to the back, and I remember a group of 4 beered-up very young lads, one with no shirt on, slighty ahead in the queue being loud and stupid and play-fighting each other. Directly in front of me, a chap with a beard was quietly reading a book. Diverse crowd, I mused, feeling self-conscious.

My brother having caught up with me inside, we watched Gorky's, who he didn't get at all, and saw the Manics from about two-thirds of the way back. We were next to a middle-aged woman with her handbag and her square-shaped husband, his arms folded, pint in hand. I wondered why they were even there, and what I was doing so far back next to them. I remember very little of the gig except the 'Karl Marx' video intro, and that they played Motorcycle Emptiness, Miss Europa (with 'hamster wheel' video projection) and Archives of Pain. I didn't know all the songs at this point, but my knowledge and love of the band (and music in general) was outstripping that of my staid, safe older brother, and it was the last time we saw a band together. My fandom would accelerate over the next year or so, getting the early albums, getting into the tail-end of the zine culture and seeing them 16 months later at the same venue on the FD tour.

ahhh the karl marx quote .

[oldfan]

twas at T in the Park 1994. I had wanted to see the Manics for a while so was really looking forward to the live impact. They played in King Tuts tent.
I remember being quite amazed that all the line-up were actually there as it was the first ever T in the Park and we were all very proud and excited for the big new Scottish music festival!
First thing I noticed was that i would be standing further back than I hoped, clearly there had been Manics fans there for some time securing their vantage points! I just remember thinking - find a spot where you can actually see them - so stood further back then I ever would at a Manics gig again!
They played as a 3 piece and they were magnetic to me. I was just fascinated by the urgency and the impact of the music...the songs sounded massive to me, really hit me, lyrically and musically. I remember people next to me talking about Richey and how he was doing and the concern for him and the band. I remember walking out of the tent thinking that no other band would come close to beating that and i couldnt wait to see them again