Gruff Rhys, the Welsh musician and frontman of Super Furry Animals, has revealed that the band sold their iconic tank to Don Henley of the Eagles. The tank was originally used to house their sound system after the Criminal Justice Bill made it illegal to confiscate equipment. ‘Tanks are illegal on highways, so we had to park it in fields,’ Rhys explained. ‘When we took it to Reading Festival in 1996, it was louder than the second stage. We sold it to Don Henley, who collects military vehicles. He had no interest in the band and repainted the SFA logo in military colours.’
In a Q&A with readers, Rhys also shared memories of touring with Oasis in the 1990s. ‘Oasis took us on tour and were really warm and generous. At the Etihad Stadium, they gave us the Manchester City home dressing room. One of our guitar techs, who supports a rival team, left sarcastic messages all over the lockers and showers for the City players.’
On the possibility of a 10th Super Furry Animals album, Rhys was non-committal. ‘We’ve only made nine, which fits well on a Rubik’s Cube. I’d never say never, but there are no plans. If you let it get out of hand, you end up reliving the past in real time.’ The band last reunited in 2015 for a tour supporting the reissue of their Welsh-language album Mwng.
Rhys also discussed his song ‘I Love EU’, written eight years ago about Brexit. ‘The outcomes we’re seeing were all predicted. Travelling around Europe was a nightmare before Maastricht, and we’re back to that. I like Noam Chomsky’s take that both in and out are bad, but you go for the lesser evil.’
His new album, Sadness Sets Me Free, includes the track ‘Bad Friend’, inspired by a rainy caravan holiday in Wales. ‘Every holiday I’ve had, more or less. The song is about not being able to be everywhere for everyone. I wrote it in 2022 but only learned the word “capacity” in 2023.’
Rhys praised fellow Welsh musician Euros Childs, calling him ‘one of the greats’. He recalled a 30-minute jam session with Childs and the band Adwaith on Welsh TV, which was never recorded. ‘It’s probably still echoing in space,’ he joked.
