Manic Street Preachers upset bridge where bandmate disappeared has new name

The Manic Street Preachers are upset that the bridge where their bandmate Richey Edwards disappeared is to be renamed after Prince Charles.
Richey vanished in February 1995 on the day he and frontman James Dean Bradfield were due to fly to the U.S. for a promotional tour, and his car was discovered parked near to the Severn Crossing bridge between England and Wales 13 days later.
Earlier this month (Apr18), U.K. government officials approved a plan to rename the Crossing as The Prince of Wales Bridge after the British royal – a decision that caused more than 35,000 people to sign a petition against the plan and also upset James and guitarist Nicky Wire.
The duo, who are outspoken republicans, tell the BBC that they agree with those objecting to the plan, saying there is “no need” to change the bridge’s name.
Although his disappearance remains officially unsolved, the Crossing’s status as a suicide hotspot and the rocker’s history of self-harm has led to speculation he may have ended his own life.
Richey’s family recently unearthed potential new evidence that may help solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance. They discovered that investigators may have misread the time on a 24-hour clock at the Crossing’s toll booth, which he was believed to have passed through on the day of his disappearance.
The band’s new album Resistance Is Futile was released on Friday (13Apr18) and led the U.K. chart in Monday’s Official Charts Company midweek update – 4,000 sales ahead of the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman.
Nicky told the BBC he’d be upset if they missed out on their first number one for 20 years, adding: “We’ve had four number two albums. I think we lost out to the Arctic Monkeys, George Michael and lots of good acts. So it would be pretty depressing to lose out to something about the circus.”