Manic Street Preachers & Suede at the OVO Hydro - 28/10/2026

A Double-Headliner Nostalgia Trip

Here is a double-headliner to make you feel proper nostalgic. Two of the absolute titans of the 90s alternative scene sharing one massive stage at the Hydro, and what a night it turned out to be.

The Manics were up first, and man, they are back and they are brilliant. Launching straight into early classics like "Motorcycle Emptiness" alongside the punky, faster edge of "Faster," they kicked things off in serious style. James Dean Bradfield split the gig perfectly mid-set by stripping things back for a couple of solo acoustic numbers, giving the room a breather before the full band returned and turned the arena into a proper, full-throttle rock concert.


Manic Street Preachers - photography by Stewart Fullerton

It’s always a joy when bands show love to our city, and JDB delivered a massive thank you to Glasgow music and the local groups that inspired them back in the 80s—with shoutouts to Simple Minds, The Associates, and Orange Juice. Obviously, we love to hear that! Meanwhile, Nicky Wire was strutting about showing off a sequined jacket like he’d just stepped out of Catherine’s of Partick, while the rest of the band looked like they were enjoying C&A’s finest collection.



Manic Street Preachers - photography by Stewart Fullerton

How James managed to hit those insane high notes on "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" after "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" was genuinely unreal. The screens flashed up with the phrase “I am a relic”—and looking around the room, I think a few of us felt a bit of that too!

By the time the Manics were winding down, I was thinking to myself that it felt like 11pm and time to head home, (it wasnt even 9!) wondering how on earth Suede were going to follow that. But Wire stepped up to the mic for a moment that stopped everyone in their tracks: "We may be three tonight, but we will always be four." A lovely, poignant tribute to Richey Edwards. From King Tuts to the Barrowlands and beyond, it’s special to remember that Richey walked these very streets with us. "We love you, you love us—this is for him," Wire said, as they launched into a soaring "You Love Us." Closing with "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next," the song’s message rang out like it’s needed right now just as much as back then. Absolute buzzing.



Manic Street Preachers - photography by Stewart Fullerton

Then Suede took over, walking out to a heavy techno intro with full lyrics displayed in the background—it felt almost like a glorious, high-octane rave karaoke. Brett Anderson was on absolute one tonight, jumping all over the stage, cuddling folk in the front row, climbing on every piece of gear in sight, and crawling about the floor. The energy was OFF the scale. He came out with the swagger and charisma of a man headlining Glastonbury, but here he was at the Glasgow Hydro delivering an absolute masterclass.


Suede - photography by Stewart Fullerton

Going straight from "Trash" into "Animal Nitrate" was high-octane perfection, and the whole room was instantly won over. Suede came to put on a show. By the time they hit "We Are the Pigs," Brett was back crawling across the stage floor. A fair few Manics fans had headed for the exits early, but those who stayed were treated to something special.


Suede - photography by Stewart Fullerton

The mass singalong at the end for "Beautiful Ones" is the kind of magic that only ever seems to work in Glasgow. It was a massive night for nostalgia—for a moment, I felt like it was the 90s again, back when I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed kid about to embark on one hell of an adult life. A great reminder of the innocence of youth, that raw punk energy, and the fact that we all just need to have fun in life.



Suede - photography by Stewart Fullerton

What a night!

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**Manic Street Preachers Setlist (28th October 2026):**

1. Motorcycle Emptiness
2. Ocean Spray
3. Faster
4. Decline & Fall
5. You Stole the Sun From My Heart
6. Everything Must Go
7. Walk Me to the Bridge
8. No Surface All Feeling
9. Autumnsong
10. A Design for Life
11. From Despair to Where (James Dean Bradfield solo acoustic)
12. The Everlasting
13. Slash n Burn
14. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
15. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
16. Die in the Summertime
17. You Love Us
18. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

**Suede Setlist (28th October 2026):**

1. Disintegrate / Dancing With the Europeans (Intro)
2. Trash
3. Animal Nitrate
4. We Are the Pigs
5. Personality Disorder
6. The 2 of Us
7. My City
8. Filmstar
9. Antidepressants
10. June Rain
11. She Still Leads Me On
12. Trance State
13. The Wild Ones (Acoustic)
14. So Young
15. Metal Mickey
16. Beautiful Ones

Review by Craig McGee, photography by Stewart Fullerton.

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