Painting with Music: The Manics Impact on My Creativity
I wanted to share a bit of the story behind my pop art-style portrait of James Dean Bradfield, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the Welsh band Manic Street Preachers. It felt too significant not to acknowledge the creative influence this band has had on me over the years.
If you look closely, you’ll notice the painting below is signed by James himself. I took it along to the band’s Send Away The Tigers album launch in 2007 at the old Virgin Megastore on Buchanan Street in Glasgow. I still remember Nicky Wire giggling and commenting that I’d made James look too flattering.
Pop art style painting of James Dean Bradfield (signed)
Growing up, I was a huge Manic Street Preachers fan. Listening to their lyrics and poring over their album sleeves was a kind of education in itself - arguably more enriching than what I was taught in the classroom!
Opinionated, intellectually sharp, and politically outspoken, the band have always examined the world around them and reflected it back in their own inimitable way. Their influences became mine - artists, poets, writers, philosophers, politicians, musicians… they opened up entire worlds to explore.
Manic Street Preachers, Edinburgh Castle (July 2024)
Discovering contemporary artist Jenny Saville was a major influence for me. A key figure in the Young British Artists, she created the covers for two Manic Street Preachers albums: The Holy Bible (1994) and Journal for Plague Lovers (2009).
Known for bold, visceral, large-scale figurative oil paintings, Jenny Saville challenges traditional ideas of beauty, femininity, and the body. Seeing her original artwork for the first time at the Saatchi Gallery is something that has also stayed with me. The way she captures vulnerability, empathy, and raw beauty simultaneously makes it impossible to look away.
In a move that sparked controversy, a number of UK supermarkets deemed the Journal for Plague Lovers album cover inappropriate, opting instead to sell the album in unmarked slipcases. It featured an image of a young figure with a bloodied face. A decision I personally would never make!
Manic Street Preachers - Usher Hall, Edinburgh (September 2021)
I don’t listen to the Manics as religiously as I did in my teens, but whenever one of their songs comes on the radio, there's still that instant connection and nostalgia. Whatever I’m doing pauses for the next three minutes or so.
I still make the effort to see them live when they tour - though my days of standing at the front barrier and enduring the physical toll are well behind me (a nod to my aging body!).
Pop art style painting of Richey Edwards (original band member)
The Manics have been a constant presence throughout my life from a young age. Even though we don’t know each other, it feels like we’ve been through a lot together - the highs, the lows, and everything in between!
To experience Jenny Saville’s work up close, visit The Anatomy of Painting exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, open until 7th September 2025. I hope to visit myself.
You can find more information here.
