Review: NME Big Gig

Manics triumph, but many don't stay to see it.

29 Feb 08 - The NME Big Gig was billed as something of a 'best-of' the NME Awards; you might imagine Britain's greatest new bands in a celebratory mood, brandishing statuettes as they proved live exactly why they were award-wining, and, of course, with the night culminating in universal adoration for the Godlike Genius winners: Manic Street Preachers.

But it didn't quite work out like that. Despite the incredibly impressive support for the Manics: The Cribs with Johnny Marr, Klaxons, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs, between them they'd only taken home one NME Award. And it seems the young audience didn't respect the hyperbole of the 'Godlike Genius' tag, with many leaving after the Kaiser Chiefs played the closing chords of Oh My God.

In fact, rather than one Big Gig, it was more like two Pretty Decent Sized Gigs; one headlined by a slightly jaded Kaiser Chiefs, the second a less well-attended, but still triumphant, Manic Street Preachers gig.

New Kaisers tracks

The Kaiser Chiefs certainly drew the biggest crowd of the night, and they weren't short of stadium antics; with Ricky Wilson fighting through half of the crowd to the sound-desk at one stage, before crowd surfing back.

In fact, despite the endearingly grumpy cynicism the frontman has shown in recent interviews, he was back to his scissor-jumping cheeky-chappy best, with just the slightest hint of a jaded ennui - he'd even shaved off his beard for this show.

The band played two new tracks, the Beatles-esqe hook-ridded Never Miss A Beat and the less impressive You Want Some History.

Before them Bloc Party proved they had the sound and musicianship to fill an arena, although frontman Kele seemed slightly overwhelmed by the venue's size - asking for the lights to be turned on the crowd so he could see them, and telling the audience about seeing Prince there.

They also embraced the arena clichés setting off 3 sets of pyrotechnics and shooting glitter into the crowd.

Best Album winners Klaxons seemed to fit a career's worth of hooks into a tight half hour set, proving how far their live show has come on since their chaotic stint headlining the NME Nu-Rave tour last year, and The Cribs tried to forget loosing out in the Best Live Band and Best British Band categories with a blistering 7-song set with their new guitarist Johnny Marr.

But the highlight of the night was the clearly delighted Manic Street Preachers, despite half the crowd leaving following the Kaiser Chiefs.

Manics: triumphant and defiant

The Manics knew they weren't playing to their usual crowd; the view of a front row of violently moshing teenagers must have made a change from the usual die-hards in leopard print and feathers. They thanked the crowd for staying, and respected the young audience's lack of intimacy with the back-catalogue by peppering the set with crowd pleasers.

Nicky Wire told 6 Music earlier that they intended to play a "Queen at Live Aid" set, and they certainly threw enough into the gig to give the uninitiated plenty to latch onto.

The stage lights went up to reveal a dozens-strong bagpipe chorus, and they later introduced Tom from The Enemy to play guitar on You Love Us and Cerys Matthews to sing Nina Person's part on Your Love Alone is Not Enough.

"Very f*cking happy chaps today"
James Dean Bradfield, Manic Street Preachers

There was also their magnificent take on Rihanna's Umbrella - which they somehow made to sound as though it had always been a Manics song - and a brief version of The Cult's She Sells Sanctuary which morphed into Motown Junk, and was dedicated to the "completely unequalled" Richey James Edwards.

There was a poignant moment in the set for the dedicated fans in the crowd, as You Love Us was backed by video footage from the time the song was released; complete with Richey, eyeliner and clips of what looked like incredibly fluid and energetic live shows.

It served as a reminder of why the band picked up that Godlike Genius award, and how far they've come. Choosing to open the set with The Masses Against The Classes showed how much the band value their success being attained without compromise, and despite the dwindling crowd, James pointed out that the Manics were still "very f**king happy chaps today."

Full Manic Street Preachers setlist:

The Masses Against The Classes
Motorcycle Emptiness
Autumnsong
You Love Us (featuring Tom from The Enemy on guitar)
Faster
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
Everything Must Go
Umbrella
Send Away The Tigers
She Sells Sanctuary into Motown Junk
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (featuring Cerys Matthews)
You Stole The Sun From My Heart
A Design For Life

Click here to see photos of who 6 Music News spoke to at the actual NME Awards.

Lucy O'Doherty