Manic Street Preachers premiered a brand new song at a tiny homecoming show last night (November 18), NME.COM can reveal.
At a gig at the Cardiff St David’s Hall, the first show since the release of their Greatest Hits compilation, the Welsh trio debuted a new track, ‘Forever Delayed’, which does not feature on the compilation of the same name.
The first seven-song segment of the show was performed semi-acoustic with the band seated at augmented by a string section. Singer James Dean Bradfield said: “Because we used to busk outside when we were young we thought it would be appropriate to start with this.”
The acoustic version included a slowed-down version of ‘Faster’ and before ‘Little Baby Nothing’, James described Traci Lords vocal on the original as like “a female Ramones.
Elsewhere in the set, Bradfield paid a tribute to missing guitarist Richey Edwards. After introducing the band to the 800 fans who had got tickets, he added: “For absent friends, someone who is still a part of us, Mr Richard Edwards.”
‘Forever Delayed’ was played three songs from the end, after the group had plugged in their electric guitars. Introducing the song, Bradfield said: “This is a new song that we haven’t recorded yet, so I’m sorry if we fuck it up.”
They managed to perform the song without hitch, with one fan at the show telling NME.COM: “The track resembles an epic ‘There By The Grace Of God’ with Bruce Springsteen power chords.”
They played: ‘Enola Alone’ (acoustic)
‘Faster’ (acoustic)
‘Little Baby Nothing’ (acoustic)
‘Door to the River'(acoustic)
‘My Little Empire’ (acoustic)
‘Ocean Spray’ (acoustic)
‘You Stole The Sun From My Heart’ (acoustic)
‘You Love Us’
‘Motorcycle Emptiness’
‘There By the Grace of God’
‘From Despair to Where’
‘Slash and Burn’
‘Kevin Carter’
‘Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)’
‘Roses in the Hospital’
‘Forever Delayed’
‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’
‘A Design for Life’
The band tours the UK later this year. For tickets, [url=]click here or call the NME Ticketline on 0870 1 663 663.