<P> With their debut album, Generation Terrorists, the Manic Street Preachers proclaimed it would be the "greatest rock album ever", as well as hoping to sell "sixteen million copies" around the world, after which they would split up . Despite the album's failure to meet this level of success, the band carried on with their career . The group became a trio when Richey Edwards disappeared in February 1995 . The band went on to gain critical and commercial success in spite of his absence . </P> <P> Throughout their career, the Manics have headlined several festivals including Glastonbury, T in the Park, V Festival and Reading, won eleven NME Awards, eight Q Awards and four BRIT Awards . They have been nominated for the Mercury Prize in 1996 and 1999, and have had one nomination for the MTV Europe Music Awards . The group has reached number 1 in the UK charts three times: in 1998, with the album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours and the single "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", and again in 2000 with the single "The Masses Against the Classes". They have sold more than ten million albums worldwide . </P> <P> Manic Street Preachers formed in 1986 at Oakdale Comprehensive School, Blackwood, South Wales . During this time, Bradfield, alongside the classically trained Sean Moore, primarily wrote the music while Wire focused on the lyrics . The origin of the band's name remains unclear, but the most often - told story relates that Bradfield, while busking one day in Cardiff, got into an altercation with someone (sometimes said to be a homeless man) who asked him "What are you, boyo, some kind of manic street preacher?" </P> <P> Original bassist Flicker (Miles Woodward) left the band in early 1988, reportedly because he believed that the band were moving away from their punk roots . The band continued as a three - piece, with Wire switching from guitar to bass, and in 1988 they released their first single, "Suicide Alley". Despite its recording quality, this punk ode to youthful escape provides an early insight into both Bradfield's guitar work and Moore's live drumming, the latter of which would be absent from the band's first LP . The Manics intended to restore revolution to rock and roll at a time when Britain was dominated by shoegaze and acid house . The NME magazine gave "Suicide Alley" an enthusiastic review, citing a press release by Richey Edwards: "We are as far away from anything in the' 80s as possible ." </P>

Where do the manic street preachers come from