There is something inherently special about seeing the Manic Street Preachers inside the gilded, Victorian grandeur of Dublin’s 3Olympia. Rather than an arena tour with sprawling production, this standalone headline double-header gives fans an intimate, blistering reminder of why the Blackwood trio remain one of the most vital rock acts of their generation.
Without a support act to soften the mood, the pre-show music sets the tone early: tracks compiled from the late Richey Edwards’ legendary cassette mixtapes (“Rock n Roll Is Here To Stay”) blare over the PA as the room fills to capacity.
Taking the stage right at 8:45 PM, the trio, James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, and Sean Moore, waste zero time getting down to business. Opening with the classic juggernaut “Motorcycle Emptiness”, the venue immediately erupts into a massive unified singalong. Bradfield’s vocal range remains absurdly crisp, his guitar solos cutting through the Olympia’s pristine acoustics with razor sharpness. The sound on the night was phenomenal and the band sounded beyond album quality, somehow managing to sound like there were a lot more people on stage and elevating the recorded versions of the songs.
They follow up quickly with “Ocean Spray” and the relentless, mechanical bite of “Faster”, demonstrating their effortless movement between sheer punk hostility and soaring, melancholic pop hooks. New material like “Decline & Fall” fits seamlessly alongside heavy hitters like “Everything Must Go” and “You Stole the Sun from My Heart”.
Midway through the set, the band treats the Dublin crowd to a string of poignant tributes and unexpected gems. Introducing “No Surface All Feeling”, Bradfield interpolates a quick snippet of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” in dedicated memory to the late icon.
The pace shifts as the rest of the band briefly step back, leaving James alone with his acoustic guitar for stripped-back renditions of “From Despair to Where” and The Holy Bible’s brutal opener “Yes”. Hearing the room drop to a hushed murmur for these raw acoustic takes is a spine-tingling moment before the band re-emerges to launch into a full-band arrangement of “The Everlasting”, accompanied by moody visuals of the Welsh coastline.
Later in the night, they pay tribute to Blondie drummer Clem Burke with a raucous, surprising cover of “Union City Blue” injecting a dose of post-punk glitter into the evening.
The most haunting beat of the night arrives with The Holy Bible cut “Die in the Summertime”. Bathed in menacing red and black stage lighting, Wire introduces the track with a quiet gravity: “We’re going to play this with just the three of us, but in reality, it’s four.” The track’s jagged, industrial edge sounds as terrifyingly urgent tonight as it did three decades ago.
Closing out the main set with “You Love Us” and the towering anthem “If You Tolerate this, then your Children will be Next” complete with a explosion of glitter and confetti over the pit, the Manics prove once again why they don’t bother with predictable encore breaks. They leave it all on stage, walk off to deafening cheers, and let the music speak entirely for itself.
They are completing their sold out two night run in the 3Olympia tonight, so if you have a ticket, you’re in for a fantastic experience, and a sprawling set that will remind you (in case you’ve forgotten) how many classic songs they have over their long and interesting career.
Manic Street Preachers photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Motorcycle Emptiness
Ocean Spray
Faster
Decline & Fall
You Stole the Sun From My Heart
Everything Must Go
Walk Me to the Bridge
No Surface All Feeling (With snippet of Total Eclipse Of The Heart. Dedicated to Bonnie Tyler)
Autumnsong
Hiding in Plain Sight
A Design for Life
From Despair to Where
Yes
The Everlasting
Slash ‘n’ Burn
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
Union City Blue (Blondie cover)
La tristesse durera-Scream to a Sigh
Die in the Summertime
You Love Us
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
Photos & Words – David McEneaney @experimentzero