[ originally published 09/05/2015 ]
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
Great Hall, Cardiff University - 3rd May 2015
Support: The Magic Numbers
Question: why do people pay £30+ quid to see a legendary band play a hometown gig - their first in years - only to spend most of the show relentlessly chatting, interspersed only with trips to the bar? And they're always in front of people who - dammit - want to actually see and listen to the band! I know I'm a right misanthrope at the best of times, but jeez these morons really annoy me.
Anyway, it was a bloody horrible Sunday evening outside with some seriously heavy rain making the journey into Cardiff a little treacherous. We arrived halfway through the Magic Numbers set. Remember them? About a decade or so ago, they were being touted as one of the bands most likely to be huge as part of the so-called nu-folk movement, like a 21st Century Mamas & Papas. They enjoyed a few hit singles but then seemed to fade into obscurity. Shame because they actually played a really good-sounding set. The highlights were a song from their most recent album entitled Roy Orbison, set-closer and brilliant early hit Love Me Like You, and a track sung by keyboard player Alison (not sure of the title) showcasing what an amazing voice she has.
The Furries played a mammoth 2¼ hour set which covered all bases - the hits, album tracks, obscurities, pop songs, psychedelic wig-outs, electronic wizardry, English, Welsh - you name it, it was in there. Oh, except anything from the last two albums, which is odd. However, what they did play was never anything less than interesting. Zoom! was absolutely phenomenal, as was Run! Christian! Run! and Fire In My Heart, as sung mainly by the audience.
Joined by a trumpet/sax duo from The Barry Horns, there was nothing missing from the melting pot of madness the Furries conspired to throw at their audience. The International Language Of Screaming was welcomed with some mass la-la-la-ing; Slow Life was riddled with techno jiggery pokery, and Ice Hockey Hair was one of the most warmly received songs of the night. The lights and visuals were spectacular too, adding to the psychedelic experience.
On the downside - the venue isn't the best. It's a soulless space typical of the larger university halls. That may have contributed to the average sound quality - for much of the set it sounded like only half the drum kit had been miked up. And then there's those idiots again, who only seemed to take any notice of the band at all when Hello Sunshine was aired, no doubt just because they love the "I'm a minger / You're a minger too" line.
The annoying twats in front of us had cleared off half hour before the end (like, wtf is that all about?) so they missed out on a storming climax which concluded, as always, with a lengthy The Man Don't Give A Fuck, replete with yetis, aliens and Cian's crazy electro-frenzy interlude. Overall, a fabulous display of everything we love about Super Furry Animals. Oh god, I wish they'd release some new stuff. Just a pity we had to tolerate all those people that we hate. They don't give a fuck about anybody else.
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