Epochal Manic Street Preachers album Everything Must Go turns 20 this year. Released at the height of Britpop, it was a record that soundtracked those heady days in the ’90s yet stood a step apart from it all as the band’s hook-laden rock with its euphoric orchestration and socially and politically-charged lyrical themes delivered more than just ‘cigarettes and alcohol’.

The album bagged the Manics awards, fans and record sales by the bucketload, and stood as a sad testament to their troubled missing fourth member, Richey Edwards, who had disappeared without word or warning in 1995 after helping write much of the record.

For drummer Sean Moore, the album’s huge success was a recognition of the previous 10 years’ graft, as the band matured from hyped indie iconoclasts to out-of-step glam rockers to critically acclaimed stadium rockers over four albums – and reinvigorated the band just as they’d been staring into a career abyss following the lukewarm reception given to their dark, third album the Holy Bible.

Their success assured by Everything Must Go, Sean, his cousin and guitarist/vocalist James Dean Bradfield and bassist Nicky Wire went on to cement their success with This Is Your Truth in 1998, and remain much-loved arena headliners after 12 albums.

When did the Manics first come together properly?

“For me it was all about when we recorded our first single, Suicide Alley, and then it seemed like we were a proper band. We spent five days and £1,000, which was a lot of money back in 1988. Then it felt like we were a band. It was five days in a proper studio, with mics and tape, and we spent sleepless nights trying to put it together, and then when we sent off the masters and got back the vinyl it was like we’d achieved something – though looking back on it we hadn’t really! All we’d done was spend a load of money and had a little bit of a taste.

"We had a play on John Peel, I don’t think he particularly liked it but he played it because we’d achieved making a vinyl record and sent it in."

“Then it was a matter of finding our way through the door. We sent our seven-inch vinyls off to radio stations and A&R departments and journalists that we thought might have some affinity with what we were trying to do. We had a play on John Peel, I don’t think he particularly liked it but he played it because we’d achieved making a vinyl record and sent it in, and it opened the door then, people pricked up their ears.”

What was your approach to drums on those early recordings?

“The early days really it was more – then again it’s followed me all the way through – just playing to the vocal line and not trying to trash the melody, then just try to be as tasteful as possible.I was always constantly learning anyway, back then my heroes were Charlie Watts and Ringo Starr, because I thought if they can do it anyone can, and it was a sort of very punk rock approach to it.”