This month sees two very different bands taking their shows to O2 venues in London. JLS brought boyband bombast to The O2 on 15 and 16 January while the Manic Street Preachers mix pop and politics at the O2 Brixton Academy on 21 January. Now we like the Manic Street Preachers and our nieces make us listen to JLS (alright, we liked that one song) but which one is better? There’s only one way to find out – stat clash!
Top 40 hits
JLS
In their short career, JLS have done rather well with six Top 40 hits of which four were number one singles, beginning with Beat Again. (4/5)
The Manics have the advantage here with years on JLS. They’ve managed to rack up 33 Top 40 hits but have had less number ones than JLS with only two to their name – If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next and The Masses Against The Classes. We’d love to see JLS cover those. (5/5)
Years active
Manic Street Preachers
Despite the disappearance of their friend and bandmate Richey Edwards in 1995, the Manics have managed to keep going. They’ve now racked up 25 years as a band since they formed in 1986. (4/5)
JLS
They had prior projects but the boys in JLS are the babies of this battle having racked up three years as Britain’s second favourite boy band (Take That still hold the crown). (2/5)
Solo careers
JLS
While a couple of JLS members had teenage acting experience and were in other boybands prior to JLS, there’s no sign of a Cheryl Cole-esque solo star emerging from the pack…yet. (1/5)
Manic Street Preachers
Both James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire have tried their hand at solo albums with Bradfield’s The Great Western coming off best with a number 22 chart placing in 2006. Meanwhile Wire’s album, I Killed The Zeitgeist, in the same year managed a rather less creditable number 130 in the UK charts.
Opinions on the X-Factor
Manic Street Preachers
“I have little sympathy or care about the X-Factor. If you’re a 16-year-old guitar band and you say you can’t make it because of the X-Factor it’s you that’s doing something wrong not society.” – Nicky Wire (5/5) Full marks for the man Wire who has always been best at conjuring up killer quotes.
JLS
“Our whole lives have been abnormal since the X-Factor!” – JB Gill (3/5) Low marks for the JLS man whose quote along with those of his bandmates tow the Simon Cowell-approved party line. No good comes of biting the hand that feeds you!
And the winner is…The Manic Street Preachers!
While JLS-mania is indisputable (they’re playing the O2 after all), the Manics just edged them out with 17 points to the boy band’s creditable 10 on our ever scientific O2 Stat-clash-o-meter. But perhaps we’re wrong. Hit the comments and let us know which you prefer: the boys of JLS or the men of the Manic Street Preachers.
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