He is known for being the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers.

[2] He attended the local Oakdale Comprehensive School where he suffered years of cruelty and bullying (he claims he was "a Woody Allen-esque little nerd") for his name, lazy eye (nicknamed Crossfire), musical bent and small size.

In late April 2006, a track from Bradfield's debut solo single entitled "That's No Way to Tell a Lie" premiered on Janice Long's show on BBC Radio 2.

[4] In support of the album, Bradfield played a series of solo gigs in May 2006 in Manchester, Glasgow, Dundee, Nottingham, Birmingham, and London.

[5] That June, the album was confirmed to be inspired by the life and death of Chilean communist activist Víctor Jara, with lyrics written as unpublished poetry by Patrick Jones.

[6] The next week, the album was given a title and date alongside the launch of its first single, "The Boy From the Plantation", which debuted on Steve Lamacq's show on BBC Radio 6 Music.

[8] Despite having once said "I always get bored of the company of women really quickly",[9] he married the band's PR agent Mylène Halsall in a ceremony in Florence, Italy, on 11 July 2004.