Little Baby Nothings, Manic Street Preachers

"We thought these photos were lost but they are found, and I'm so grateful to Valerie for those intense 20 months when she saw all the energy and ragged glory of Manic Street Preachers, and more importantly captured our little bit of history seen here in these vivid, beautiful photographs." - Nicky Wire “When I was a baby photographer obsessed with records and seeing bands, I was asked by a London music magazine to get a train to a small town in Wales to take pictures of Manic Street Preachers. I had heard their song ‘Motown Junk’ and loved it. I hadn’t yet figured out how to take the kind of pictures I wanted to take. So I made it up. That day. With the beautiful Manics. We were both in our own starting-out all-consuming little worlds and now those worlds collided. For the better part of two years (1991-1992) I followed them around taking pictures - at James’ and Sean’s family home, on tours, at recording sessions, video shoots and in the weird, boring, fascinating random places we found ourselves along the way. These pictures were made in a daze of wide-eyed enthusiasm, wonder, magic and mayhem. They are the beginning of our stories.” - Valerie Phillips