Though Manic Street Preachers are often grouped together with the likes of Oasis, Stereophonics and Pulp as custodians of British rock in the 1990s, the Manics’ role in the Britpop story was completely accidental and the result of two paths crossing at just the right moment.

Manic Street Preachers formed in the Welsh town of Blackwood in 1986, though the lineup was not completed until 1988. James Dean Bradfield (vocals), his cousin Sean Moore (drums), Nicholas Jones (bass) and Richey Edwards (guitar) grew up playing football together and, as they grew older, bonded over their love of literature, politics and music. Beginning life as a punk band in the vein of The Clash, the early Manics material aimed to pull together the best of the punk era and the members’ glam rock influences. Jones, who is now better known as ‘Nicky Wire’, has made no secret of his love for Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, while Public Enemy were also a major influence in the early days.

Debut album Generation Terrorists hit shelves in 1992 and despite the band being the whipping boys of the British music press, the album sold well both at home and overseas. The follow-up, Gold Against the Soul, was released the following year, and with a more heavily produced sound, was allegedly Columbia Records’ attempt to break the Manics in America. The album failed to sell as well as the label had hoped and the band soon headed back to the drawing board to work on the next album.

The Holy Bible, the third of the Manics’ long players, is regarded by most as their finest moment. On the record, the role of Edwards as chief songwriter is clear and, with his take on self-harm, religion and sex, The Holy Bible is a coarse and graphic look into the guitarist’s world. The band dynamic at the time, which involved Bradfield and Moore as instrumentalists and Edwards and Jones coming up with the lyrics, was seen to be the key to the band’s successes. It was no secret that Edwards was the least gifted of the band and the contribution of his bandmates allowed his relentless and sporadic supply of lyrics to develop into an album that received positive reviews across the board.

But the insecurities that fuelled Edwards’ efforts for The Holy Bible proved to be a curse as well as a blessing. With increasingly erratic behaviour, the band were forced to perform without him at times and as they prepared to tour the album around North America, he disappeared without a trace. Every Manics fan has a theory. Some say he committed suicide. Some say he staged his own death and relocated to New York. Some say he’s currently living in Morocco. All we know is that he was last seen at the Embassy Hotel in London. His car was later found near the Severn Bridge, a known hot spot for jumpers. The tour was cancelled and doubts rose as to whether the band would continue.

When the remaining members went into the studio to record album number four, they started with a collection of half-finished lyrics from Edwards’ scribblings. When Everything Must Go was released in 1996, the Britpop movement was in full swing and the band’s more refined and matured sound seemed to fit with what the music-buying public wanted. All of a sudden, Manic Street Preachers were one of the biggest bands in Britain. With a string of radio hits including Australia, A Design for Life and Kevin Carter, the album went on to go double platinum and made countless ‘Best Albums of 1996’ lists. Their 1998 effort, This is My Truth Tell Me Yours cemented their status at the top of British rock, staying at number one for three weeks, and bringing hit singles If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, Tsunami and You Stole the Sun From My Heart.

As the Britpop wave ended, the Manics avoided the lull that hit many of their contemporaries. 2000 single The Masses Against the Classes went number one and their new year’s eve show at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium was broadcast around the world by the BBC. When Know Your Enemy, their sixth album, came out, their touring schedule eventually took them to Cuba, where they played a legendary concert in front of Fidel Castro, which was filmed for a concert and documentary DVD, Louder Than War.

Lifeblood followed in 2004, an album that garnered mixed reviews and failed to sell well. Coupled with their 2002 Greatest Hits compilation, Forever Delayed and 2003 rarities album Lipstick Traces, many predicted the end for the band. After a relative hiatus though, they returned with Send Away the Tigers, which has been hailed almost universally as their best record of the past decade. As well as current single Autumn Song, the album features Your Love Alone is Not Enough, on which The Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson lends her vocal talents.