Ticket
International 1
18th July 1990

This gig is memorable for two reasons - including the Manic Street Preachers Mcr debut.

Flowered Up were swaggering London guttersnipes feted on the front of the NME before their first single “It’s On” was released on Heavenly records. “Mere Mondays/Madchester copyists? Or the London Front of an epoch defining working class youthquake?” Discuss.

The buzz-ometer was in overdrive, it was a baking hot night and singer Liam and Bez-alike, Gizza Job dancer, Barry Mooncult, (a shaven headed brickie and evident Pie Connoisseur, flowered up in a green lycra bodysuit and a giant heavy petal collar) ended up singing and dancing in the heaving throng – a gloriously messy celebration. The subsequent NME gig review turned the hype machine up to 11 but the band disappeared up their own noses within a couple of years after signing off spectacularly with their classic “Weekender” 12-inch and video.

Support on the night came from Heavenly Records label mates Manic Street Preachers in their first ever Manchester gig. Spectacularly out of step with the baggy zeitgeist, the original skinny, four man line up gave a full-on “Clash meets Guns n Roses” stadium performance to the bemusement of those present. Sorted for tight white jeans, slogan-sprayed shirts, and the remains of Bet Lynch’s yard sale, they taunted us with “Motown Junk” and “You Love Us” whilst putting Noam Chomsky and The Situationists to a beat even less fashionable than their keks. “Wot? No Lionels!”

You had to admire their spunk. But who’da thought they could come so far?