Join us for our festive special as we host our own (sort of) Christmas party! We answer listener questions and present the Spods 2021 - an award ceremony that comprises of just two awards. Plus, the B-side this episode is No-One Knows What It's Like To Be Me and there's an interview with Ian, the Statto of the Manics fandom, about his work on finding the ultimate Manics Top 50.

THE SETLIST: Happy Bored Alone (Venue Cymru, Llandudno, 1st Dec) / She Sells Sanctuary ( Wembley Arena, 3rd Dec) / Ghost Of Christmas / The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York / No-One Knows What It's Like To Be Me / Sound Of The Sirens - Next Year

Youtube credits: Oliver James and Deepshite

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We chat to Marc Burrows all about his fantastic new Manics biography. He talks of the inspiration behind it and the methods in producing such an in-depth publication. To purchase the book go to https://www.marcburrows.co.uk/s/shop The B-side up for debate this episode is the hectic Buildings For Dead People!

THE SETLIST:

Buildings For Dead People / Forever Delayed

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In this mammoth episode Michael and Emma relive the tour with Daniel Mawer from the brilliant Low Hummer and fan interviews! From Halifax to Kingston we celebrate the Manics being back on the road.

THE SETLIST:

Orwellian (Bath Forum) / Low Hummer - Sometimes I Wish (I Was A Different Person) / Motorcycle Emptiness (Bath Forum) / La Tristesse Durera (Bath Forum) / Low Hummer - I Choose Live News / Low Hummer - The Real Thing / Everything Must Go (Halifax Peace Hall) / Don't Let The Night Divide Us (Halifax Peace Hall) / Stay Beautiful (Stoke, Victoria Hall) / Sweet Child Of Mine (Stoke, Victoria Hall) / Afterending (Manchester Apollo) / Into The Valley (Glasgow Barrowlands) / Sleepflower (Kingston, Pryzm) / Die In The Summertime (Kingston, Pryzm)

Audio credits: IIona78, emily Hyatt, Rockinrollinraptor, ditta1988, Torchwood1970, Graeme Thomson

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The long wait is over! The Manics have finally unleashed The Ultra Vivid Lament onto our suspecting ears. Michael and Emma give their track by track first impressions of the band's fourteenth and most melodic album to date. It was so much fun discussing new material. We also hear the thoughts of the Spods.

THE SETLIST:

Still Snowing In Sapporo / Quest For Ancient Colour / Complicated Illusions / Blank Diary Entry / Afterending

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Stop the press! This is an emergency podcast to celebrate all the exciting Manics news of the last few days. We discuss the new album, tour and Orwellian. Plus we chat to journalist and fan Jimi Arundell who shares his thoughts.

THE SETLIST:

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix)  / Orwellian / The Vortices

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Our special guest this week is writer Stephen Lee Naish as we discuss his two books on the Manics, Riffs And Meaning plus his new career biography for Modern Music Masters. Michael and Emma also discuss the exciting news that a new album is imminent and the B-side is the Nicky Wire led antisocialmanifesto.

THE SETLIST:

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes - The Time Of My Life / All Alone Here / antisocialmanifesto / The Vortices

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We chat to musician and writer John Robb. His passion for music shines through as we discuss the Manics, his collaboration with Patrick Jones, The James Dean Bradfield remix of a Membranes song and the state of the music industry. The B-side this time around is the classic Prologue to History and listener George takes on the Crucifix Quiz. You can contact us on Twitter at @msp_pod or email us at msppod1@gmail.com

THE SETLIST:

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / The Anchoress feat. JDB -The Exchange / Prologue To History / Goldblade - Jukebox Generation / Nirvana - Aneurysm / - The Membranes - The Universe Exploses Into A Billion Photons Of Pure White Light (JDB Remix) / Patrick Jones & John Robb - To Be Or Not / The Membranes - What Nature Gives... Nature Takes Away / The Vortices

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We celebrate the height of the band's commercial success and take a look at their epic Millennium Stadium gig in Cardiff, the most beautiful place in the world. That night at least. We also rant and rave about The Masses Against The Classes and Democracy Coma. Plus there's the latest news AND our new competition - The Crucifix Quiz! Find is on Twitter at @msp_pod and email us at msppod1@gmail.com

THE SOUNDTRACK:

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / Democracy Come / You Stole The Sun From My Heart, A Design For Life, Of Walking Abortion, No Surface All Feeling, Ready For Drowning, Stay Beautiful and Australia (Millennium Stadium) / The Masses Against The Classes / The Vortices

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Michael and Emma get rocking around the Christmas tree as they take a look at the band's festive songs and discuss their favourite yuletide tracks of all time. You'll be glad to know this is a Michael Buble free zone. On top of that we have the latest Manics news as well as this episode's B-side - The Sound Of Detachment. We finish this surreal year with the Manic Street Speakers Awards (The Spods 2020) and a ceremony so all over the place it makes the Brits of 1989 look like an act ot professionalism.

The Setlist

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / Last Christmas (TFI Friday) / Gjost Of Christmas / Fairytale Of New York with KT Tunstall (Radio 2) / Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Tree / The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping / Wizard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday / Helen Love - Glitter Star / The Kinks - Father Christmas / Kate Nash - Faith / Spectators Of Suicide - featuring Gwenno / The Anchoress - Show Your Face / JDB - Last Christmas (Nordoff Robbins Christmas Carrol) / The Sound Of Detachment / The Vorticists

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Journalist and Broadcaster Dorian Lynskey joins us for an in-deph chat about the politics behind Manic Street Preachers. From the Miners' strike through to Cuba and beyond. He also picks his favourite political songs from the band. Locust Valley is the B-side up for scrutiny this week. In other news, Michael is potentially suffering from an illness that is quite popular at the moment and Emma might be an asshole. Links: James Dean Bradfield ) Absolute Radio session) - https://youtu.be/iB5mdhttGF0 / NPO RADIO 2 - Simone's Songlines interview with James - https://youtu.be/iB5mdhttGF0 / Death In The Afternoon Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-in-the-afternoon/id1438028898 / Ask A Mortician - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5iiEyLwSLvlqnMi02u5gQ?pbjreload=101 / Dream Nails Bandcamp - https://dreamnails.bandcamp.com/album/dream-nails

THE SETLIST:

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / JDB - From Despair To Where (Absolute Radio Session) / JDB - Verses Echo, With Tear Flow / Locust Valley / Europa Geht Durch Mich / Found That Soul / Dream Nails - Payback / The Vorticists

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The much-anticipated second solo album by James Dean Bradfield is finally OUT! Michael and Emma discuss their initial reactions to the concept album about Victor Jara. Plus, we take a look at the B-side Bored Out Of My Mind. Warning: This episode contains sexy acoustic plucking.

THE SETLIST:

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix)  / Victor Jara - Manifesto / JDB - Recuerda / Thirty Thousand Milk Bottles / Without Knowing The End (Joan's Song) / The Last Song / Santiago Sunrise / Manics - Bored Out Of My Mind / The Vortices

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The new James Dean Bradfield album hype continues apace as we take a look into his new single The Boy From The Plantation. We also share your Past, Present, Future tour memories and Dead Passive is the B-side we gaze lovingly at in a shallow way. Our new feature Culture Sluts is a celebration of the arts / entertainment world because it really needs some support right now. Contact us at our new email address msppod1@gmail.com or on Twitter @msp_pod

THE SETLIST: /

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / You Love Us / Dead Passive / James Dean Bradfield - The Boy From The Plantation / Boney M - Plantation Boy / Culture Beat - Mr. Vain / Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Let's Generalize About Men / Bugeye - On And On / The Blinders - Something Wicked This Way Comes / The Vortices

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It's a busy one! There's our chat with music journalist Jimi Arundell about the Gold Against The Soul reissue. We also take a look at the Kieran Evans film Pieces Of Sleep, give our first impressions of the two new James Dean Bradfield songs AND this episode's B-side is Red Rubber. Contains rock n' roll that your kids probably won't love. / Many music music venues face closure in these tough times, if you feel you can help in any way please go to the Music Venue Trust to see what can be done. Thank you. http://musicvenuetrust.com/

THE SETLIST: /

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / The Crystal Maze theme / Gold Against The Soul (House In The Woods Demo) / Roses In The Hospital (Impact Demo) / Sorrow 16 / Sleepflower / Life Becoming a Landslide (Live, Pieces Of Sleep) / Narration Excerpt (Pieces Of Sleep) / Red Rubber / James Dean Bradfield - There'll Come A War / James Dean Bradfield - Seeking The Room With The Three Windows / Idles - Exeter / The Vortices

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Mikey and Emma take a deep, track by track dive into the band's much maligned tenth studio album, Postcards From A Young Man. There's also more of your fan origin stories and a look at anti-royalist rant First Republic. This episode features high profile celebrities. Kind of. To contact us please send written and audio messages to manicspeaker@gmail.com. We are also on Twitter @msp_pod

The Setlist

Motorcycle Emptiness (Sonic Stealth Orchestra Mix) / Olafur Arnalds - So Close) / First Republic / You Love Us / The Who - Postcard / It's Not War (Just The End Of Love) / Steps - Stomp / Postcards From A Young Man / Some Kind Of Nothingness / The Descent / Hazleton Avenue / Lenny Kravitz - It 'Ain't Over 'Til It's Over / Auto -Intoxication / Golden Platitudes / I Think I Found It / A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun / All We Make Is Entertainment / The Future Has Been Here 4 Ever / Don't Be Evil / Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On / The Vortices

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Mikey and Emma reveal the listeners' origin stories and delve into Boxes And Lists. We also interview James at the Oasis Podcast and talk about the importance of arrogance and confidence in the early careers of both bands. Find us on Twitter @msp_pod and email us at manicspeaker@gmail.com

The soundtrack:

Motorcycle Emptiness ( Stealth Sonic Orchestra Remix)

You Love Us

No Surface All Feeling

Mansun - Shotgun

Oasis - Lord Don't Slow Me Down

Nicky and Richey (Vivid TV)

Noel Gallagher (Brit Awards)

Builder Of Routines

Nicky (MuchMusic interview)

Nicky at Glastonbury 1994

Liam Gallagher (The O-Zone)

Little Baby Nothing

Boxes And Lists

The Vorticists

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