Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers are unloved upstart contenders with a major credibility deficit and going nowhere until Richey Edwards uses a razor blade to carve out shock horror tabloid viability, and an almost... read more immediate deal with a major label.

A fan sent some miniature ceremonial swords backstage before the gig with a note attached, asking Richey Edwards to slash himself onstage. He thought that was tacky. Towards the end of the show, James... read more sang Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head - solo - and I went backstage to get some pictures of the rest of the band looking exhausted. I saw Richey looking at himself in the bathroom mirror - chest slashed. I was shocked. I asked him why he did it and he said, "He asked me to. I didn’t want to let him down."