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The Manic Street Preachers entered the Millennium Stadium yesterday and poured cold water on rumours that they're about to split up.
The Blackwood trio were in Cardiff to promote their Millennium New Year's Eve concert at the most appropriate venue in Britain.
It's being billed as the biggest band in the world at the best stadium - the marriage of Cool Cymru and Henry's Heroes.
Lead singer James Dean Bradfield eased the worries of fans when he said the band members were not going their separate ways.
"We're not going to split. It will be the last gig we do for a long time but we will start on a new record next year. We are going to take some time off and record our next album."
The rumour mill has been grinding non-stop for the last few months with speculation the band were about to call it a day. Lyricist Nicky Wire admitted that the rumours had even reached the band's families.
He said wryly, "My mam rang me this morning and asked me if we were splitting up. And I told her she'd be the first to know. There were rumours we'd split up in Belgium [while on tour] but there's no way we'd split up in Belgium."
Fifty-thousand people have the chance of witnessing the biggest gig of the year as the Millennium Stadium hosts its first-ever concert and under the retractable roof. The concert has been described for some time as "Wales's worst kept secret".
The gig was launched in one of the stadium's plush new suites with chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union
Glanmor Griffiths and former Wales international Jonathan Davies sitting along side Bradfield, Wire and the typically reticent Sean Moore.
Bradfield said the gig would be like a "gigantic pub" with five other, as yet unconfirmed bands and
celebrity guest spots and other activities.
Nicky Wire said. "It's the only gig we'll do for the next 12 months."
"We never rest on our laurels which is why we made such an effort on the ticket price. We won't make
any money on this, we'll break even."
Prices have been put at £30 making it one of the cheapest New Year's Eve events in the country.
The band have been touring non-stop since the release of the award-winning, multi-million selling album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.
The Manics will leave a permanent mark on the Millennium Stadium, as they were among the first to sign up to the Welsh Rugby Union's "adopt-a-paver" scheme. Ordinary fans can leave a permanent message etched in a paving stone outside the stadium.
"We are adopting a stone for Richey as well, which is a nice touch. Whether he likes it, I don't know." said Wire.
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