Super Furry Animals made a stirring return to the stage at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom, their second gig after a decade-long hiatus. Frontman Gruff Rhys, clad in black and holding a large inflatable phone, opened with the self-referential 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)', effectively reintroducing the band to a sold-out crowd largely composed of fans from their 1990s heyday.
Signed to Creation Records during the Britpop era, the Welsh band's eccentricity set them apart from the movement's orthodoxy. However, their madcap reputation often overshadowed their formidable songwriting prowess, which was on full display during the two-hour set. Highlights included the country-rock of 'Run! Christian, Run!' and the soulful 'Juxtapozed with U', both demonstrating the band's immense skill and range.
Rhys's rich, mournful voice lent a transcendent quality to the performance, transforming melancholy melodies into uplifting pop moments. While the band members are not natural showmen, they let the songs speak for themselves, with occasional bursts of energy such as the guitar-neck-clashing climax of 'Receptacle for the Respectable'.
The set built towards epic numbers like 'Mountain People' and 'Slow Life', culminating in a 12-minute rendition of traditional closer 'The Man Don't Give A Fuck'. This singalong protest anthem, adaptable to any contemporary grievance, retained its cathartic anger and vulgar cheer, providing a fitting end to a night that confirmed Super Furry Animals as a formidable songwriting force.
