Manic Street Preachers Bassist 'Gutted' by Chart Position

Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire has spoken of his disappointment at the relatively poor reception the band's 'Some Kind of Nothingness' single received.

The second track to be lifted from their 'Postcards From a Young Man' album and backed with a performance on the BBC's flagship show 'Strictly Come Dancing' in December, the single failed to break the UK Top 40 -- the first Manics single to do so since the trio signed with Sony in 1991.

Speaking at London's Hard Rock Cafe during the band's Wednesday night (Feb. 2) session for Absolute Radio (via Metro), the 42-year-old said, "My excitement always turns into a real dose of fear when I'm waiting for a chart position or to find out whether the radio's going to play our record. It's like waiting for that envelope to drop through the door and see you've got a D in geography."

He continued, "I was quite distraught that 'Some Kind of Nothingness', our single, missed the Top 40. I was gutted."

A keen listener to the airwaves, Wire explained his long-held fascination with the charts, "I get extremely excited by stuff like that, radio playlists, you know. I grew up with the 'Guinness Book of Hit Singles,' so it has never left me."

Watch the Manic Street Preachers Play 'Some Kind of Nothingness' on 'Strictly Come Dancing'