Manic Street Preachers will still play live in 2012.

The ‘A Design for Life’ group had planned to go on an indefinite hiatus after a huge show at London’s the O2 last December – in which they performed their last 38 singles – but now admit they are planning to take to the stage in other parts of the world.

Bassist Nicky Wire said: “We’ll be doing small bits, obviously, in places you go less.

“You’ve still got to satisfy fans’ needs so there’ll be little gigs around the rest of the world.

“In terms of the UK we just need to slip into our own mind, into our studio, but we’re not really going to be taking a break from music.”

While the band won’t play any ‘proper’ shows in Britain, Nicky concedes he will make good on his promise to perform on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee this year so he doesn’t have to witness any celebrations.

He joked: “[It would be] just to avoid having to listen to Prince Philip for an hour.”

He added to NME magazine: “Even if we just busk on the streets in Blackwood [South Wales], we could do that. But as far as proper gigs in the UK, we said we’d go away and we will.”