Cameron, Keith - 168 Songs Of Hatred And Failure: A History Of Manic Street Preachers

Capturing the intense musical thrust and dauntingly well-read lyricism of the Blackwood crew’s back catalogue was bound to be a herculean task but like a conductor drawing out exceptional performances from their orchestra, Mojo mag’s Keith Cameron expertly corrals James Dean and Nicky Wire into divulging the back stories, inspirations, and remarkably ego-free, intra-personal details behind these carefully selected entries. 

Taking in prime cuts stretching from ‘88s ‘Suicide Alley’ to this year’s ‘Johatsu’, the curation may surprise but as “the fabulous disaster” unravels over the course of 500+ pages, it all begins to make a beautiful, manic, sense. In their world there’s no difference between
namechecking Sonic Youth, the SCUM Manifesto, The Clash, Gramsci, and Public Enemy alongside the likes of Jackie Collins, Abba, Brian May, Mary Poppins, and Simple Minds. It’s all part of the same rich milieu.

We relished digesting this so much that we had them recreate it in person at the beautifully refurbished Corn Exchange, where their eagerness to share these tales with their fans caused them to massively overrun the curfew.

These may be songs of ‘Hatred and Failure’ but this work revels in the love and success that has bloomed from their roots.