Here’s what Manic Street Preachers played as they kicked off their 2025 UK ‘Critical Thinking’ tour

Manic Street Preachers have kicked off their 2025 UK ‘Critical Thinking’ tour – check out everything they played below.

• READ MORE: Manic Street Preachers – ‘Critical Thinking’ review: former generation terrorists shoot hope through doubt

The first in their string of UK shows kicked off last night (April 11) at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom. They’ll play there again tonight (April 12) before heading to London, Wolverhampton, Bristol, Manchester and Swansea. You can find a full list of dates further below.

Before the show yesterday, the band announced that longtime touring keyboardist Nick Nasmyth wouldn’t be joining this tour due to “personal circumstances”, and their “great friend and producer” Dave Eringa will step in in his place.

Eringa’s involvement with the band goes back to their first single, 1993’s ‘Motown Junk’, where he contributed tea-making duties. He’s also produced and mixed a number of tracks for the band through the years, and performed keyboards live with them between 1993 and 1994.

We’d just like to let you know that unfortunately the brilliant Nick Nasmyth can’t be with us on this tour due to personal circumstances. Our great friend and producer Dave Eringa has stepped into the breach.

Love,
MSP pic.twitter.com/sMbKnB8MbD

— Manic Street Preachers (@Manics) April 11, 2025

They opened the tour with ‘Decline and Fall’, from their latest album ‘Critical Thinking’ before launching into ‘Enola/Alone’, ‘La tristesse durera (Scream to a Sigh)’ and ‘Brushstrokes of Reunion’ – the latter also from the new LP.

The gig also included a small acoustic set with ‘This Sullen Welsh Heart’ and ‘Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky’, before they eventually ended on fan-favourite hit ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’. Check out their full setlist and fan footage below.

Manic Street Preacher’s setlist was:

‘Decline & Fall’
‘Enola/Alone’
‘La tristesse durera (Scream to a Sigh)’
‘Brushstrokes of Reunion’
‘You Stole the Sun From My Heart’
‘She Is Suffering’
‘Peeled Apples’
‘Motorcycle Emptiness’
‘Walk Me to the Bridge’
‘Hiding in Plain Sight’
‘Autumnsong’
‘A Design for Life’
‘This Sullen Welsh Heart’
‘Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky’
‘The Everlasting’
‘Dear Stephen’
‘Sleepflower’
‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’
‘International Blue’
‘People Ruin Paintings’
‘Motown Junk’
‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’

Happy tears in my eyes when the @Manics walked on stage at @TheBarrowlands tonight.

That setlist was as close to perfection as it gets! Never has a band had more influence or inspiration on me

God Save The Manics! pic.twitter.com/9yohKSzzXb

— Dr Paul Hamilton (@_PaulHamilton) April 11, 2025

What a night! Manic Street Preachers in Glasgow Read More