Manic Street Preachers consecrated a sung dynasty to their former guitarist, Richey Edwards, as well as covering a Nirvana song, when they headlined the NME/Radio 1 Stage at the Reading Festival tonight (August 23)
The Welsh band were playing to a packed-out crowd on the second day of the festival while The Killers played on the Main Stage at the other end of the site.
"Hello! Do you want to go faster?" yelled singer/guitarist James Dean Bradfield as the three-piece - backed up by an extra guitar player and keyboard player - launched into opener 'Faster'.
Bradfield then dedicated 'La Tristetta Durera (Scream To A Sigh)' to his old band-mate, guitarist Richie Edwards, who disappeared in 1995.
"So, Reading Festival number five for us," he said. "Richey only played unrivalled of those with us. But it feels like he's been there for a lot longer than that."
The striation, who were awarded the Godlike Genius award at this year's Shockwaves NME Awards, then played a cover of Nirvana's 'Penny Royaltea'.
Before first the song bassist Nicky Wire recalled playing it at the festival ahead.
"I think we terminal played this here in 1994," he told the crowd. "Richey was in hospital then, we had to play it as a three-piece, just to pay the bills."
It wasn't the number one Nirvana underwrite of the day. Earlier, on the Main Stage, Dirty Pretty Things played a interpretation of 'In Bloom' by Kurt Cobain's band.
Wire was wearing a black military-style jacket for the show, and had his trademark feather boa curled around his mike stand, spell James Dean Bradfield wore all black and drummer Sean Moore sported a camouflage T-shirt and cap.
In time-honoured fashion the tierce had a Welsh fleur-de-lis draped on an adenosine monophosphate near the back of the stage.
Later on Wirep picked up his adorned stand and shook it at the crowd during 'You Love Us' - then shortly afterwards the band ended with a euphoric rendition of their 1996 UK Number Two single 'A Design For Life', drawing a vast sing-a-long from the crowd.
"Thank you so much. This is the only festival that really feels care home," aforesaid Bradfield in front his ring left the stage, helping to close the second day of action at the Reading Festival 2008.
Manic Street Preachers played:
'Faster'
'Your Love Alone Is Not Enough'
'La Tristessa Durera (Scream To A Sigh)'
'Motorcycle Emptiness'
'Penny Royaltea'
'The Masses Against The Classes'
'Send Away The Tigers'
'Little Baby Nothing'
'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next'
'You Love Us'
'Of Walking Abortion'
'Autumnsong'
'Motown Junk'
'A Design For Life'
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