Manic Street Preachers bass player Nicky Wire has criticised new bands for ‘not saying anything’ in their music, and spoke of his belief of the power of music to project important messages.
Speaking to The Quietus, Wire explained the difficulty in writing lyrics with true meaning, and highlighted the Sex Pistols as a shining example of what can be achieved when the aim is met successfully. “I’m a true believer that it does and I spend my life dedicating myself to doing it, because a lot of the time it’s really hard to do and you make a mess of it and they’re awful songs,” he said.
“I think when you get it right it’s the most perfect moment you can get. The marriage of politics and pop, when it hits the mark, something like ‘God Save The Queen‘ by the Sex Pistols in Jubilee year, it’s just a glorious moment.”
Later, Wire bemoaned what he believes is a lack of profound lyricists in today’s music scene, despite the current political make-up of the UK. “The one thing I am disappointed at in modern music is that young bands just are not saying anything,” he commented. “Surely there must be someone out there that wants to write a song about Nick Clegg and his desperate grab for power?”
Manic Street Preachers’ tenth studio album ‘Postcards From a Young Man‘ is due for release on September 20th.
