SELF-BELIEF HAS ALWAYS BEEN A KEY ELEMENT IN THE BAND'S STYLE. AFTER ALL, AT THE
START OF THE DECADE, THE MANICS HAD ENRAGED THE MEDIA BY REVEALING THEIR FLAMBOYANT
PLANS. THEY WANTED TO SOUND AND TO LOOK MORE SPECTACULAR THAN ANY BAND BEFORE
THEM. THEY PREDICTED HUGE SALES AND DRAMATIC SCENES. THEY AIMED TO ENGAGE BOTH
THE HEART AND THE INTELLECT. MANY PREDICTED A SORRY END. BUT THE MANICS REALISED MOST OF THEIR GRAND IDEAS. SO, AT THE START OF 1999, THE BAND COULD LOOK BACK ON ANOTHER REMARKABLE YEAR. THEIR SINGLE, IF YOU TOLERATE THIS YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE NEXT TOPPED THE BRITISH CHARTS ON AUGUST 30 1998, THE FIRST WEEK OF RELEASE. THEIR FIRST NUMBER ONE SINGLE. LIKEWISE WITH THE ALBUM, THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS, A MONTH LATER. BOTH RECORDS FEATURED STRONGLY IN THE END-OF-YEAR MAGAZINE POLLS. NICKY WASN'T BRAGGING WHEN HE CALLED THE MANICS "THE PEOPLE'S BAND". THEY WERE THE READERS' CHOICE ACT IN THE NME AND MELODY MAKER HEADING THE POLL RESULTS IN MANY CATEGORIES, INCLUDING BEST BAND, SINGLE, ALBUM, VIDEO AND LIVE ACT. MEANWHILE AT Q MAGAZINE, THE READERS HAILED THEM AS "BEST ACT IN THE WORLD TODAY". |
