Super Furry Animals, RFH, October 1, 2004
Crowd surfing in a seated venue! Trumpet playing monks! Howard Marks taking confession! Rhys Ifans attempting to walk in a straight line! Welcome to Lightning Fryday, a one-off festival to celebrate ten years of _ who else? - Super Furry Animals and the imminent release of their singles collection, ŒSongbook¹.
Of all the bands who broke through in the mid 90s only Super Furry Animals have displayed a consistently creative linear progression that combines supreme imagination with a willingness to experiment, comment and entertain._
Taking over the Royal Festival Hall is so typically SFA; with the stage flanked by Pete Fowler¹s art work, the downstairs ballroom witnesses a beautifully delicate acoustic set from Gorky¹s Zygotic Mynci¹s Richard James who blends considered finger-picking guitar playing with a voice charged with fragile emotion. Meanwhile, the electro room - hosting sets from Brave Captain and Mugison - is utterly rammed with no one getting in or out. So far so good but what to expect from the headliners?
Our hosts throw convention to the wind and elect to play two sets. The first is the more considered of the two, focussing on Super Furry Animals quieter moments. ŒDemons¹ is simply gorgeous and you can¹t help but sit up and take notice when Gruff Rhys sings, ³Because I know that apathy only ruined me.²_
It¹s a song that demands your positive and affirmative action. Of course, you¹d be forgiven for thinking that a set like this would groove with all the dexterity of a sloth in a bucket of glue, but think again. The barbed political commentary of ŒPresidential Suite¹, with its images of bomber planes ready to deliver their deadly payload is offset by its panoramically lush strings while the trumpet-blowing monks add a hint of melancholy to the Welsh-sung ŒY Gwyneb Iau¹.
The second set begins and ends with huge, great slabs of pumping, throbbing techno. In between, Super Furry Animals lay on a sumptuous banquet made up of the major musical food groups _ rock, folk, psychedelia and more dance music. Within seconds, people are out of their seats, clamouring for space at the front of the stage while the aisles are filled with the silhouettes of dancing figures. ŒSlow Life¹ gets things started but Œ(Drawing) Rings Around The World¹ and ŒDo Or Die¹ do their magic and the Royal Festival Hall erupts in a mass of crowd surfing and pandemonium. It¹s a set that rarely pauses for breath with ŒIce Hockey Hair¹ and ŒThe International Language Of Screaming¹ making welcome appearances among the embarrassment of riches that Super Furry Animals have to offer.
The release of a singles album often heralds the calling of time on a band¹s career. Not so with Super Furry Animals; with a new album in the can set for a spring 2005 release, this is a time _ as exemplified by tonight¹s triumphant extravaganza _ to reflect and give thanks for a decade of musical achievement. Cheers lads, and here¹s to the next ten years.
Crowd surfing in a seated venue! Trumpet playing monks! Howard Marks taking confession! Rhys Ifans attempting to walk in a straight line! Welcome to Lightning Fryday, a one-off festival to celebrate ten years of _ who else? - Super Furry Animals and the imminent release of their singles collection, ŒSongbook¹.
Of all the bands who broke through in the mid 90s only Super Furry Animals have displayed a consistently creative linear progression that combines supreme imagination with a willingness to experiment, comment and entertain._
Taking over the Royal Festival Hall is so typically SFA; with the stage flanked by Pete Fowler¹s art work, the downstairs ballroom witnesses a beautifully delicate acoustic set from Gorky¹s Zygotic Mynci¹s Richard James who blends considered finger-picking guitar playing with a voice charged with fragile emotion. Meanwhile, the electro room - hosting sets from Brave Captain and Mugison - is utterly rammed with no one getting in or out. So far so good but what to expect from the headliners?
Our hosts throw convention to the wind and elect to play two sets. The first is the more considered of the two, focussing on Super Furry Animals quieter moments. ŒDemons¹ is simply gorgeous and you can¹t help but sit up and take notice when Gruff Rhys sings, ³Because I know that apathy only ruined me.²_
It¹s a song that demands your positive and affirmative action. Of course, you¹d be forgiven for thinking that a set like this would groove with all the dexterity of a sloth in a bucket of glue, but think again. The barbed political commentary of ŒPresidential Suite¹, with its images of bomber planes ready to deliver their deadly payload is offset by its panoramically lush strings while the trumpet-blowing monks add a hint of melancholy to the Welsh-sung ŒY Gwyneb Iau¹.
The second set begins and ends with huge, great slabs of pumping, throbbing techno. In between, Super Furry Animals lay on a sumptuous banquet made up of the major musical food groups _ rock, folk, psychedelia and more dance music. Within seconds, people are out of their seats, clamouring for space at the front of the stage while the aisles are filled with the silhouettes of dancing figures. ŒSlow Life¹ gets things started but Œ(Drawing) Rings Around The World¹ and ŒDo Or Die¹ do their magic and the Royal Festival Hall erupts in a mass of crowd surfing and pandemonium. It¹s a set that rarely pauses for breath with ŒIce Hockey Hair¹ and ŒThe International Language Of Screaming¹ making welcome appearances among the embarrassment of riches that Super Furry Animals have to offer.
The release of a singles album often heralds the calling of time on a band¹s career. Not so with Super Furry Animals; with a new album in the can set for a spring 2005 release, this is a time _ as exemplified by tonight¹s triumphant extravaganza _ to reflect and give thanks for a decade of musical achievement. Cheers lads, and here¹s to the next ten years.
