It was during tours for The Holy Bible, 20 years ago, that the Manic Street Preachers first appeared as a three piece.

With the faltering mental and physical health of Richey Edwards - who would disappear and never be seen again within six months of its release - they were forced to take the album campaign on the road without him. These days the trio of James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore looks so normal, but back then it must have felt bewildering, traitorous, heartbreaking.

Hindsight, then, has added an uneasy prickle to the punch of these songs, many of which they haven't played since the original Holy Bible shows, and it's certainly palpable on the first of the band's two nights at the Albert Hall - the brutality and heavy metal fervour of the songs given an older and wiser but passionate delivery.

"In the Albert Hall - a stunning but genuinely modest venue for this long-time stadium rock band - the group's volume feels ready to blow out the stained glass windows."

The explosive venom of Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart, the sinister refrain in Of Walking Abortion, and the weighty ebb and fight of Archives Of Pain ooze the agony of Edwards' lyrics about private suffering and his outrage at politics.

Edwards is spoken of in affectionate tones this evening. We are here to celebrate "the esoteric genius that was Mr Richard Edwards," shouts bassist Nicky Wire. "We love you, everyone in this room loves you."

In the Albert Hall - a stunning but genuinely modest venue for this long-time stadium rock band - the group's volume feels ready to blow out the stained glass windows. And Perhaps they wouldn't mind that too much, either? Most of the period features of the old Wesleyan chapel are already strung in metres and metres of camouflage net, and the band's military regalia is an added reminder of their image back then as well as their punk credentials.

They had a cause to be one of the biggest bands on the planet as early as 1990, but they were always rebels.

With that in mind, it's peculiar to find the Manics doing this kind of show at all - especially considering that they've released two LPs in the last 14 months, the latest of which, Futurology, sees them in the rudest musical health they've been in for some years.

Of course, if they couldn't scissor kick and Chuck Berry like they were still kids, you'd resent them for cashing in on the back catalogue. But it's clear this is no lazy attempt to milk the cash cow; Revol, Mausoleum, Faster and PCP burn with a bright and fresh energy, while The Intense Humming Of Evil still sounds weird and new.

And, they're no novices at this crowd pleasing lark either. In addition to The Holy Bible's sacrosanct chronological treatment, there's a second set (this time as a five piece band) of hits and new slices.

Futurology's Walk Me To The Bridge and Divine Youth - even the MSP instrumental Dreaming A City (Hughesovka), an even stranger concept on a night when the Manics are at their wordy best - stand up well with epic singles Motorcycle Emptiness and If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next.

Nothing brings down a stained glass windowed house quite like Design For Life, though - the track they made their poignant return with post-The Holy Bible, cemented as a trio, back in 1996. Having ensured our ears are ringing wildly, they're determined to leave us weeping, too.