As it was recorded by the BBC I thought it looked great even with issues and during ADFL, where James drew more light to. It looked like he was performing how he wanted to for a crowd in the rain, changing the words and skipping around but sincere like in La Tristesse when he elongates the sadness and in his vocal in Motorcycle Emptinesss also how he turns around in the riffs. His playing looks easy for him. Sean is always amazing on drums and I think Nicky isn't showing much emotion though maybe if he could shout into the crowd. I think the recording for film of BPBVB from the concerts though not pretentious seem more set in representating THB and also bits that were edited.

Decline & Fall was 130th on iTunes pre Sundays gig and now up to 39th.

Decline & Rise

Wow, so that'll be not just three weeks on the chart. But three weeks and rising!
A Manic Street Preachers single rising in the charts. Their albums have gone up and down on charts. But the singles usually charted then down the next week in a spiral.
Tell me I'm taking out my arse but we've never had a Manics single go upwards instead of the other way.
It's extraordinary! We should be celebrating this. I seriously thought I'd never see the day.
But we have a habit of dancing at the midweeks, then get the cold truth on Friday.
But 39th! Something's happening.

Keep getting excited, 36th now! I’m not sure how many sales that equates to

Forever Delayed has also reappeared on the iTunes album chart, currently 64

Yes, it looks like the Preston gig and the Radio 2 single of the week stuff has got this single reaching the right people. Top 40 isn't bad is it? Let's hope the momentum continues.

As I've commented elsewhere, Oasis are currently at numbers 8, 9 and 11 in the singles charts... it's all a little silly and I have no idea what getting into the top forty actually means in terms of how many people have listened to it.

So that's just Itunes then? How's that equate to the official charts then? Spotify it's still no.4 on the Manics top 10 main page, with 266k plays - I'm about 40 of them haha!

Ive no idea how it would affect the official charts but it obviously counts in some small way. From past singles you’d see them on the iTunes chart for like 2 days and then disappear, this one has been in and around the top 50 for nearly 2 weeks.

Still 39th on ITunes

You can never please everyone.

If Motorcyle Emptiness was released today people would still moan.

100% correct....only wish someone would tell the Manics that so that they'd quit with this 'mass communication' guff. Don't know who they're trying to communicate with anymore but it's not working based on their declining album sales...also wonder what they're trying to communicate.

There is no excuse for the mediocre pastiche pop they've been consistently releasing in the last few years.

Can't agree with that. Motorcycle Emptiness is one of the songs that resonated with people and drew them to the manics so that sound would be accepted like slipping on your favourite comfy shoes.

The last I knew about mass communication was 2010 so not sure how it’s relevant to the new music.

Motorcycle is probably my favourite song they’ve done, the same old people would moan if that came out fresh today.

It just sounds like a knock off of International Blue! Why can't they do anything new!!!

:lol: