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Live Review
by SashaS
3-10-2001
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More on: Super Furry Animals
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| The Furries in technicolour |
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Live: Super Furry Animals
Brixton Academy, London
Tuesday, October 2, 2001
Super Furry Animals come from the Welsh valleys to enlighten our culturally darkening world in earnest
If you like your sonic entertainment to be a short course in music history, then you can’t choose better than Super Furry Animals. Eclectic seems such a small word for the repertoire the band presents on their current tour. It is music for every mood, every conceivable situation and every season. The array of it all, it is a sonic manna!
On a stage adorned with four huge screens and a dozen monitors suspended above and around the band, the Furries journey through musical heritage with such grace and confidence that should put many artists to shame, from Macca to Coldplay. Theirs is a dictionary that contains entries under Bacharach-esque, Kraut-rockism, pop, folk, cyber-noises, psychedelia… You name it and they’ve got it re-defined.
The visual side of the band is as important as their music that underlines, enhances and entertains without ever becoming preachy. At one point a message is flashed across urging you to visit a library and read a book (power of education, eh?) and “We are not here to tell you what to think.” (A dig at more militant messaging service from fellow Welshman and label-mates, Manic Street Preachers?)
Despite the excellent projections this show is about music. Music that goes from inaudible level to as loud as a Hear’Say audience (check Odditorium), drawing you in with magnetism of light to insects. A cross section of their catalogue is included, from ‘Something For The Weekend’ and ‘Hometown Unicorn’ via ‘International Language of Screaming’ and ‘Northern Lites’ to the huge selection of the current elpee, ‘Rings Around The World’.
Recent hit ‘Juxtaposed With U’, the new single, ‘(Drawing) Rings Around The World’ and ‘Receptacle For The Respectable’ are over-enthusiastically received with a general sing-along in progress. But, the pinnacle of the event was massive vocalising of ‘The Man Don’t Give A F**k’ that shook the foundations. They end with a jazz-like jam that sends emotions in the pulse-o-metre’s red zone!
Gruff Rhys is so cool and nonchalant; even if he were arrogant he could justifiably be because he leads the Furries into the land that creativity (and conglomerates) has been bypassing for far too long. Artists usually claim a plethora of influences but appear to emulate but one whereas SFA truly have more ideas than people have snacks!
For the duration it felt like ours was a perfect world. Definitely a Top 3 gig of the year although I can’t think of the other two, for a moment.
SashaS
3-10-2001
Super Furry Animals' 'Rings Around The World' is out now on Epic/Sony
SFA’s single ‘(Drawing) Rings Around The World’ is released 08 October 2001 by Epic/Sony
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