THROUGHOUT their 20-year career, Manic Street Preachers have swung between the most extreme of extremes from dense post-punk records to sweeping melodic tracks and everything in between.

Postcards From A Young Man, their tenth album, is another change in direction: big, bold, grandly-arranged songs with almost gospel influences.

Touring in support of that hotly-received new record, the Welsh rockers have promised the best tracks from Postcards as well as all the old favourites from their glorious back catalogue when they play Southampton Guildhall on Tuesday.