Editing Manic Street Preachers (section)

=== Formation and early years (1986–1991) ===
Manic Street Preachers formed in 1986 at [[Oakdale Comprehensive School]], [[Blackwood, Caerphilly|Blackwood]], [[South Wales]], which all the band members attended.<ref name="Monikers">{{cite news |date=11 April 2008 |title=What's in a Band Name? Here Are the Stories Behind the Monikers – Features – Music – The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/whats-in-a-band-name-here-are-the-stories-behind-the-monikers-807597.html |access-date=25 December 2014 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> Bradfield and the slightly older Moore are cousins and shared bunk beds in the Bradfield family home after Moore's parents divorced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/manic-street-preachers/pages/james.shtml |title=BBC Wales – Music – Manic Street Preachers – James Dean Bradfield |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=3 December 2008 |access-date=29 February 2012}}</ref>

During the band's early years, Bradfield, alongside the classically trained Moore, primarily wrote the music while Wire focused on the lyrics. Some of their earliest performances were held at the [[Blackwood Miners Welfare Institute]] in the town.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c97dzegyzg8o|first1=Eirian|last1=Jones|first2=Nicholas|last2=Thomas|title=Fight launched to save rock stars' home town venue|work=[[BBC News]]|date=1 August 2024|access-date=1 August 2024}}</ref> The band's name came from Bradfield's busking when he was 15:

{{Block quote|text="I left [comprehensive school], and you've got that summer off to think about what you're gonna do in the future. And that's when I picked up a guitar and I started to go busking everyday. [...] And I had a spot in [[Cardiff]], right next to a tramp, and I made friends with him. I'd come along everyday and I'd wake him up, and he'd say "Oh my God, it's the Manic Street Preacher again". And I just kept the name [...] I thought that's pretty cool, that's better than anything I can come up with."|title=James Dean Bradfield, US Interview, February 1995|source=<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 1995 |title=James Dean Bradfield US Interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIuTV8xesjg&list=PLIsiqsmN5_xcIHAo3mj2lnvS9-UlZ1llS&index=4&t=1162s |at=19:22}}</ref>}}

Original bassist Flicker (Miles Woodward) left the band in early 1988, reportedly because he believed that the band were moving away from their punk roots.<ref name="Price">{{harvnb|Price|1999|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}}</ref> The band continued as a three-piece, with Wire switching from guitar to bass,<ref name="Price"/> and in 1988 they released their first single, "[[Suicide Alley]]". Despite its recording quality, this single provides an early insight into both Bradfield's guitar work and Moore's live drumming.<ref name=Discography>{{cite web|last=Johnson |first=Andy |url=https://manicsdiscog.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/a1-suicide-alley/ |title=[A1&#93; 'Suicide Alley' &#124; Manic Street Preachers: A Critical Discography |website=Manicsdiscog.wordpress.com |date=10 January 2013 |access-date=29 April 2017}}</ref> The Manics intended to restore revolution to [[rock and roll]] at a time when Britain was dominated by [[shoegaze]] and [[acid house]].{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} The ''[[New Musical Express|NME]]'' gave "Suicide Alley" an enthusiastic review, citing a press release by Richey Edwards: "We are as far away from anything in the '80s as possible."<ref name="AllMusic2"/>

After the release of "Suicide Alley," Edwards joined the band on rhythm guitar and contributed to lyrics alongside Wire. Edwards also designed record sleeves and artwork and drove the band to and from gigs.<ref name="Price"/>

In 1990 the Manic Street Preachers signed a deal with label [[Damaged Goods Records]] for one [[Extended play|EP]]. The four-track ''[[New Art Riot E.P.]]'' attracted as much media interest for its attacks on fellow musicians as for the actual music.<ref name="Price"/> With the help of Hall or Nothing management, the Manics signed to [[Independent record label|indie]] label [[Heavenly Records]]. The band recorded their first single for the label, entitled "[[Motown Junk]]". Their next single, "[[You Love Us (Heavenly Version)|You Love Us]]", sampled [[Krzysztof Penderecki]]'s "[[Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima]]" as well as [[Iggy Pop]]. The video featured Nicky Wire in [[Cross dressing|drag]] as [[Marilyn Monroe]] and contained visual references to the film ''[[Betty Blue]]'' and to [[Aleister Crowley]].{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

On 15 May 1991, during an interview with then-''NME'' journalist [[Steve Lamacq]] following a gig at Norwich Arts Centre, Edwards carved the phrase "4REAL" into his arm with a razor blade in a bid to prove the sincerity of the band.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nme.com/photos/richey-edwards-remembered/121944/11/3 |title= Pictures of Richey Edwards Remembered – Photos – nme.com |website= [[NME]] |access-date= 14 April 2013}}</ref> He was taken to hospital and received seventeen stitches.<ref name="Price"/> ''NME'' subsequently ran a full-page story on the incident, including a phone interview with Richey on his motivations for doing it. A recording of the editorial meeting discussing whether or not they could publish the image was included as a b-side on the band's 1992 charity single [[Suicide Is Painless#Manic Street Preachers version|Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)]], featuring Lamacq, the then-editor of ''NME'' [[Danny Kelly (journalist)|Danny Kelly]] and [[James Brown (editor)|James Brown]] (who went on to edit [[Loaded (magazine)|Loaded]] and the British version of [[GQ]]).<ref name="Price" />

As a result of their controversial behaviour, the Manics quickly became favourites of the British music press, which helped them build a dedicated following.<ref name="allmusic.com">
{{cite web 
|url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/manic-street-preachers-mn0000954964/biography 
|title= Manic Street Preachers Biography
|last= Erlewine |first= Stephen Thomas |author-link= Stephen Thomas Erlewine 
|website= [[AllMusic]] |access-date= 25 December 2014
}}
</ref>
[[Columbia Records]] of [[Sony Music|Sony Music UK]] signed the band shortly afterwards and they began work on their debut album.<ref name="Price"/>