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The Manic Street Preachers bagged an Ivor Novello Award in London yesterday - for their inspirational work in the last 25 years.

It was the 60th annual awards for ceremony which honours the best songwriters in Britain and band member Nicky Wire collected the award from Tom Meighan and Serge Pizzorno from Kasabian.

On presenting the award Pizzorno said: "First and foremost, the Manics are the most beautiful people you'll ever meet and that's a rarity.

"For me their message was always clear: melody, integrity, honesty, to open our eyes and never be a bystander".

See who else turned out for the Ivor Novello Awards

Wire collected the award without fellow band members James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore, and gave a short speech in which he thanked missing band member Richey Edwards for his "beautiful and brilliant mind".

He joked: "I wish I was hammered so instead I'm just going to read the Communist Manifesto".

Instead he thanked the band's record company Columbia Records and amongst a lot of swearing those who have inspired the group including Dylan Thomas, Abba, Karl Marx, Kurt Cobain, Philip Larkin, Top of the Pops and Joe Calzaghe.

The award comes just two weeks ahead of the Manic's biggest home headliner gig since the Millennium Stadium bash on New Year's Eve 1999, on June 5 they will play Cardiff Castle as part of The Holy Bible anniversary tour.