Manic Street Preachers rocker Nicky Wire has been cutting his own hair for over 30 years.

Nicky Wire

Nicky Wire

The 49-year-old bassist has always been famous for his extravagant androgynous stage outfits and tussled tresses and he has spilled that the secret to his unique hairstyle is that he never lets anyone else chop his own locks.

And Nicky also uses his own special mixture of water and a cola drink to keep his hairstyle in place rather than over-the-counter hairspray.

Speaking to Absolute Radio at the Isle of Wight festival, he shared: "I still use all the tips from back in the day - sugar and water, coke. Spray a bit of coke, soap I still use soap now. Back combing, crimping ... Never trust a hairdresser I haven't had my hair cut for 30 years I've done it myself. The one time I did have it the makeup artist made such a mess of it I thought never again, so it's been 32 years since anyone has touched my hair."

Nicky still loves playing the festival circuit with his bandmates, frontman James Dean Bradfield and drummer Sean Moore, but admits the gigs are more sedate now than they were back in the 80s and 90s.

The 'Motorcycle Emptiness' songwriter said: "In the early days with us everything was bottles and we played Singelton Park in Swansea in 1991. I mean, I was taken to hospital with concussion, because the bottles came down like rain. It was quite light, the drama of it until one of them smacked in the forehead. It was like that a lot in those days but it did add something I gotta say.

"I famously smashed my guitar up and tried to throw it in the audience but I wasn't strong enough and it hit a security guard on the shoulder and broke his collar bone. And I ran, I ran to Reading train station and went home to Wales that night in fear. In a pink glittered jacket."

Go to Absoluteradio.co.uk. to watch Nicky's full interview.