They may be entering their 40s, but Welsh firebrand rockers Manic Street Preachers show absolutely no signs reducing the political anger within their music. So, with their 10th album, 'Postcards From a Young Man,' hitting the shelves, how do Manic Street Preachers keep that energy maintained?
"I think it's just a natural state of being," explains bassist Nicky Wire, talking exclusively to Spinner in Dublin prior to taking the stage to celebrate the birthday of brewery founder Arthur Guinness..
Evoking the spirit of PiL's 1986 single, 'Rise,' Wire continues, "We don't even have to try, it's that old John Lydon thing of 'Anger is an energy' and it's always been with us and we control it in a more positive way. I mean, this our third album in four years and we're getting on a bit and going through a very productive phase in our career."
The righteous anger that sits at the heart of the new album and, in particular, the anthemic howl of anguish that is 'Golden Platitudes', one of the band's more explicit political statements. Is the track, Spinner wonders, a sequel of sorts to 1996's 'A Design for Life'?
"There's definitely an element of that." confirms Wire. "But 'Golden Platitudes' is about disappointment whereas 'A Design for Life ' was more of a critique . 'Golden Platitudes' is more about disillusionment with the New Labour project. But there's definitely a correlation between the two songs."
Yet despite railing against social, political and moral injustice for over 20 years, Wire can't hide his disappointment at the subsequent generations of bands that have nothing to say about the current state of the world. Surely the current economic climate should lead to a new wave of protest music?
"They only thing they get angry about is if they can't get wi-fi," he says only half-joking.
"I'm completely speechless about it and I just can't understand it," he continues. "There's so much negative energy in the world to write about - in a good way - and bands just aren't interested in it.
"It's pure decadence, I think.
"I think that 10 years of economic boom has contributed to it and people are still pretending that it's still happening and they don't want to face up to reality."
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