An intriguingly motley crew of fans crowded into the Manics' sell-out concert.

From teenage boys with kohl eyes and feather boas to their balding, denim clad seniors and funky, alternative 20-somethings, the diehard Manics lovers were united only by a shared adoration of their Welsh heroes.

But there was support act Ian Brown's set to be got through first.

As someone who spent many a teenage evening banging her head to The Stone Roses, I had been looking forward to this almost as much as the headliners but was sadly disappointed.

I found the Mancunian bad boy lacked stage presence, wit and charisma.

His monkey dance was clumsy, his banter dull and his rendition of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean sounded like bad karaoke.

Which, of course, only served to make the entrance of the "real" guys all the more impressive.

With the bar emptied and opening chords of the classic Motorcycle Emptiness echoing, the venue came alive and a mass of frenzied jumping beans could be seen vibrating towards the stage.

Twelve years into their career, the Manics have just released their first greatest hits album and are touring to promote it.

It was no surprise then that the tracklist was a stampede through anthems familiar to even the few non-Manic fanatics in the audience.

Perhaps the previously politically upright Welsh boys are guilty of succumbing to the ever-alluring cash cow by producing such a money-spinning album and promoting it with a pre-Christmas stocking tour but being reminded how many classic numbers they have churned out over the years was a toe-tapping experience.

From the haunting You Stole The Sun From My Heart to the decade-old Motown Junk dedicated to missing guitarist Richie Edwards, to the upbeat cover of the MASH theme tune, Suicide Is Painless, to the politically charged A Design For Life, we were treated to hit after hit until those at the front line were hurling each other around in true crowd surfing style and even the more sedate amongst us were swaying away.

Banter from singer-guitarist James Dean Bradfield and the brilliantly camp bassist Nicky Wire completed the entertainment.