They've been going for nearly 20 years and endured the loss of one of their key members more than a decade ago with the mysterious disappearance of Richey Edwards, but the Manic Street Preachers showed no sign of decline last night as they thrilled a screaming Kentish Town crowd.

They must have played their 1992 hit Motorcycle Emptiness hundreds of times, but you wouldn't know it, judging by the energy and optimism with which the group leaped around the stage. The song's singalong chorus cut through the sold-out auditorium spectacularly, note-perfect, and lent a meaty, hard-rock quality thanks to a couple of session musicians. Frontman James Dean Bradfield may be short in height, but his stage presence was large, and his voice was massive.

Pure, powerful and extraordinarily versatile, Bradfield's vocals on the group's anthemic new album track, I'm Just A Patsy, brought to mind the evocative wailings of Robert Plant during his days with Led Zeppelin. Varying the pace expertly, the Manics followed this up with the frenetic, chopping punk rock sound of Faster. As he delivered some gritty lead guitar work, Bradfield bounced back and forth on one leg in a manner which would have been comical had it not been executed with such total conviction.

Another heartfelt performance came in the form of 1993's From Despair To Where, an angry, tortured song written by an angry tortured soul - Richey Edwards, who was credited by bass player Nicky Wire as he introduced it. Bradfield led his group professionally in passionate renditions of Ocean Spray and the 1998 number one hit, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, to which the crowd sang along, word for word.

But it wasn't just the oldies that pleased the crowd. Most impressively, it was recent single Your Love Alone Is Not Enough that arguably provided the show's highpoint. Despite the absence of Nina Persson of the Cardigans, who duets with Bradfield on the record, the song's infectious melody and the Manics' tight performance effortlessly established the track as a true anthem.

Bradfield played Small Black Flowers alone, accompanying himself to great effect on acoustic guitar and proving that he doesn't need a multi-faceted, electric guitar-based assault to capture an audience's attention.

The unforgettable 1996 hit, A Design For Life, concluded a thorough, spirited run-through of a well-chosen cross-section of the hits these Welshmen have deservedly enjoyed, and a taste of those still to come.