They love us!
Although headliners of the Main Stage, its fair to say that most of the focus on the Sunday was not falling on the Manic Street Preachers. With Daft Punk playing an ultra rare set in Scotland and the tent being dangerously crammed from mid-afternoon, it was as if the Welsh boys were an afterthought or a plan B for most people. Whether this played on the bands mind in choosing a setlist is open for debate but there was some concern if the band would play a greatest hits set or purely cater for their hardcore crowd.
Within seconds of opener 'You Love Us' blasting out, no one was really caring and were too busy hurling themself about in front of the stage as the vitriolic edge of James Dean Bradfields vocals spat out into the Inverness air and were volleyed back by the watching throng. In following straight on with 'Motorcycle Emptiness', there was a party feel and when recent single 'Your Love is Not Enough' rushed behind it, the realisation of the long term quality of the Manics was not in doubt.
Around a decade and a half must seperate they tracks and yet in terms of crowd reaction or indeed the look of enjoyment from the band, from Bradfields excited yelps to Nicky Wires prowling and smiling there was little to choose from old and new.
From 'Faster' and its maniacal screamings and polemic lyrics to the more personal 'Ocean Spray', the range of songs was extremely varied but again, there was no difference in the crowds reaction, everyone line lustilly belowed back to the band.
On a personal level it was great to hear 'Little Baby Nothing' but the biggest cheer came when The Skids 'Into The Valley' quickly morphed into 'Motown Junk', again a song that is probably as old as some of the kids in the crowd who were jumping along to it.
With the night sky still of the bright variety, the fireworks that crashed in the air during 'A Design For Life' may not have lit up the night sky as much as would have been hoped or that the Manics would have taken any of the spotlight away from Daft Punk but as a set, it was pretty phenomenal.
A tremendous reminder of just how good one of the major bands of modern times really are.