Manic Street Preachers / Suede review – co-headliners bring out the best in each other
More than merely a mutual love-in, this tour finds the two bands – and longterm friends – spurring each other on to be provocative and potent
March 2024
‘Don’t say: what if we did this reggae style?’ The huge yet humble lives of unofficial band members
From Manic Street Preachers to Simple Minds, few bands are complete without their full-time touring players. They discuss the peaks and practicalities of life on the sidelines
January 2024
The Guardian view on the future of libraries: an old question of human dignity in a new form
Editorial: A cyber-attack on the British Library has shown how vulnerable digital archives are. It has reinforced the value of physical books and librarians
October 2022
Ranked
The 100 greatest BBC music performances – ranked!
As the Beeb celebrates its centenary, we take a look at its most memorable pop moments, from the birth of grime to the first sightings of Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, plus TOTP goes Madchester and countless classic Peel sessions
June 2022
‘The Queen’s gone round the bend!’ – HM in pop, from Slowthai to the Smiths to Blur
She’s been called a fascist, a parasite and a pretty nice girl who doesn’t have a lot to say. So are all pop songs about the monarch treasonous? And are they really directed at her?
May 2022
‘Invention, grace and bloodlust ballet’: post-punk guitarist John McGeoch
McGeoch sent a jolt through the scene with Magazine, Siouxsie Sioux and more. Johnny Marr, James Dean Bradfield and others salute an overlooked musician
March 2022
‘It feels like Live Aid’: all-star Concert for Ukraine joins war relief effort
Brittle With Relics by Richard King review – a portrait of Wales in flux
February 2022
Ranked
Manic Street Preachers’ 30 greatest songs – ranked!
Marking 30 years of their debut album, Generation Terrorists, a look back at the Welsh rockers’ best bits: from the song about the Spanish civil war that kept Steps off No 1 to their glorious duets
October 2021
The month's best album reviews
Lil Nas X, Lindsey Buckingham and Low: October’s best album reviews
Discover all our four- and five-star album reviews from the last month, from pop to jazz and classical
September 2021
Manic Street Preachers review – engaged veterans still energised by the present
Honouring NHS workers, the Welsh trio’s show is anchored by current chart-topper The Ultra Vivid Lament but features hits and curveballs aplenty
Manic Street Preachers score first No 1 album in 23 years
In a dramatic revival of a 90s chart rivalry, the Welsh trio prevail over Steps with their album The Ultra Vivid Lament
Manic Street Preachers: The Ultra Vivid Lament review – magic, melancholy and a debt to Abba
The Manics channel Benny and Björn in an album of mostly sparkling songcraft
January 2021
Steve Brown, pop producer for Wham!, Manic Street Preachers and more, dies aged 65
Producer behind Wham!’s Club Tropicana and the Cult’s She Sells Sanctuary had suffered a short illness following a fall in December
August 2020
James Dean Bradfield: Even in Exile review – a passionate tribute to Víctor Jara
Original observer photography
July 2020
James Dean Bradfield: 'I'm not sure musicians telling people who to vote for helps'
The Manic Street Preacher on protest music, Wales’s response to Covid-19 and why you party with ballet dancers at your peril
April 2020
Liam Gallagher leads wave of free concerts for NHS staff
Manic Street Preachers announce free arena show for NHS workers
March 2020
Glastonbury defies coronavirus threat to announce lineup with Kendrick Lamar
Over 90 more names including Pet Shop Boys, Dua Lipa and Noel Gallagher have been announced for 50th-anniversary edition of the festival