Lørdag 23 August 2025
Hundreds had walked Langgate in Tønsberg to see Manic Street Preachers’ performance at the Føynhagen Sessions, which was to be the last on their current tour. Although the beer garden has an intimate feel when empty, it was nothing of the sort for the 1700 visitors to the show, mostly Norwegians, but some Welsh and English folk who had followed them on their recent tour and even a couple who had driven from Germany just for the concert. The Foynhagen series of summer concerts, well organised and well executed, showcases both local and international artists. It is an excellent antidote to the festival scene and a good way to keep the music flowing into the early Autumn.
The last traces of Norwegian blue had faded from the sky above the front rows of the audience by the time the band came on. It had the feeling of a club night, hot, dense, energetic and positive. The nineteen-song set was an unashamed hit parade of some of the band’s more accessible output from across their discography. The crowd returned the favour by singing along throughout. They joined in from the opening number, “Motorcycle Emptiness”, as if they had been at home singing along to the records beforehand. “You Stole the Sun From My Heart” got similar treatment, as they clapped along with the sequenced drums before the vocals had even started. Even the two singles from the new record “Critical Thinking” got backing vocals from the heart of the crowd.
James Dean Bradfield’s vocals were on excellent form throughout, supported by first-rate sound. The delivery was strong, clear, in key, and utterly compelling. He had the audience on a string. In “Design For Life”, all he had to do was lean forwards, or tip the headstock of the guitar, and the audience took over the vocals for a few phrases. This wasn’t playing for time, for breath – it was rapport. His guitar playing was also at its best. Each riff was perfectly articulated, his fills slick and lively, the solos delivered with near bravado. The music was, as usual, left to do the talking. For all the confidence of his delivery, Bradfield has always struck the undersigned as a rather understated frontman, avoiding making speeches, keen to get onto the next song and not hold the spotlight for his own sake. Tonight, he must have felt supremely comfortable. Pausing to take a drink from the drum riser, someone shouted out from the crowd “We love you James”, and he half turned and smiled and gave them a thumbs-up. This was before his solo rendition of “Tsunami”. He said a few words about how rarely they had come to Norway and how it was often the capital cities that get the touring stops, and how long it had been since their last visit. “Thank you for waiting for us.” The crowd joined him for the whole number. He smiled and said “I’ll show you an old showbiz trick…. You want to see it? So, last night in Stockholm” and he paused for the laughter he knew was coming “they were really loud. Can you beat them?” and the audience belted out the refrain. “The official score is….. Sweden 1, Norway…. 2”.
Nicky Wire also took a few moments later on to speak to the crowd, before he, Bradfield and drummer Sean Moore had the stage to themselves for “She Is Suffering”. Once they had been four, and “there’s just the three of us these days” and he reminisced for a moment about how Norway had been one of their first foreign tours for the four of them and how they had “fond memories of Rockefeller in Oslo” which got a big cheer. No doubt quite a few had made the short drive down the E18 or had driven the other way for that concert all those years ago. Wire dedicated the song to their lost friend Richey Edwards, calling him “you literate, poetic, wonderful genius”.
These were moments of intimacy and personal communication in what was otherwise something like a party, with a lot of singing, a lot of bouncing up and down (on the stage and off it), arms raised, and some animated excited chatter between and around the numbers. “This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours” had the largest pick, but there were notable absences, like “Everything Must Go” and “International Blue”. With that many strong songs behind you, something is going to get left out. To have “Design For Life” as a mid-set number gives an indication of how things fit together. If there was a stumble, it was about half-way through with the Blondie cover “Union City Blue” (which was very well performed, with even the vocals sounding like Debbie Harry) and the gentle pop sensibilities of “Ocean Spray”, which somehow did not fit with the flow of the rest of the set. Here was Moore’s only moment of drift in what was otherwise a nailed-on drum performance – forceful, precise, and with enough of a push to hold the atmosphere. Wire’s bass playing was also excellent. He is not a showy player but there was no mistaking the quality of the finger work, for example in the middle eight in “Australia” or later on in “From Despair To Where”.
The set closed with a bang, with the punk-fuelled anthem “You Love Us”, which the crowd sang from start to finish as if to underline the message, and then “If You Tolerate This….”. The cloth behind the band had shown supporting imagery throughout, like a montage of Welsh miners for “Design For Life”. For this final number, a series of semi-stills of children’s faces played out. Some of them were clearly not European. Manics have always been a political band, their lyrics infused with their views on serious concerns, a striking juxtaposition with the accessibility of their music. However, if there was to be a message, this was probably the moment for it. So, here in a song inspired by the brutality and idealism of the Spanish Civil War, we had a crowd chanting the main motif and singing along like it’s beach party. We had finished on a high, and the band’s performance had got us there. Not many people left at the end, after the music had stopped. They wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as they could. “Thank you for letting us into your beautiful country” said Bradfield. The message was clear – the band are always welcome in Norway. Come back soon. 5.5/6.
