Super Furry’s frontman Gruff Rhys takes to the stage at the Art School tonight to a crowd packed full of dedicated SFA fans. The Welsh singer looks perfectly at home a he perches on the front of the stage sporting a jumper and bobble hat behind an array instruments.
Downstairs at the Vic bar isn’t the best venue for a gig, with upstairs more suited to shows with larger audiences with its elevated stage, however everyone is in high spirits to see what for many is their personal musical icon.
Rhys announces casually that the set is going to “start miserable and get less miserable” and he isn’t exaggerating, the set is pretty much downbeat all the way through. Still despite the misery in the content there is no feeling of sadness detected in the crowd.
The singer lifts the majority of his material from his solo work with tracks from upcoming release Hotel Shampoo. Many Welsh language tracks, from 2005’s Yr Atal Genhedlaeth appear, which despite not being understood don’t fail to charm his adoring audience.
The main noticeable absence comes in the form of 2007 single ‘Candylion’, probably down to the lack of a female singer to accompany the track. Still we aren’t short of a duet as Rhys is joined on stage by support H. Hawkline for an encore.
Standout track of the night comes in the form of new album lead single ‘Shark Ridden Waters’ which ups the tempo for a short while towards the end of the set.
Still despite the majority of the set being downtempo the Welshman’s charm leaks through. His refreshing banter could win over any crowd, during the set he comments, “it’s a cold, cold night” but it’s a night that everyone would happily bare to see there him.
Photo: Stuart Westwood
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