Gruff Rhys
Corn Exchange, Brighton | 16 May
Gruff Rhys – as solo artist, frontman of Welsh indie legends Super Furry Animals and one half of Neon Neon – has had a long and winding journey of a musical career. Known for an effortlessly eclectic approach, each album or new project represents a new and challenging step forward, though ever retaining the charm and the ear for a seductive melody; the conceptual complexities packaged in the simplest forms.
In balance with this gradual evolution are live shows which have gained a solid reputation for being a little bit out of the ordinary, from the decadent dress-up of the SFA bonanza through to last year’s Neon Neon promenade theatre performance masquerading as a gig. And for this series of shows, Gruff once again shifts away from the traditional live format.
Dubbed the American Interior tour and coinciding with the release of an album, a documentary DVD, an app and book which all carry the same name, this multimedia project has seen him take a stripped back approach into a series of seated venues. Armed with an acoustic guitar, several electronic devices and a felt figurine of his relative John Evans, he tells the story of the 18th century explorer who mapped the Missouri river, the subject of Gruff’s latest musical odyssey.
What follows is nigh on two hours that is part-gig and part-endearingly wit-fuelled and informative history lesson, holding the attention like an episode of long-lost kids programme Jackanory. The set returns to a more familiar format once the story has reached its climax, where fan favourites such as Candy Lion are played and Gruff lifts placards that encourage the seated audience to cheer.
This tour might be part of a process to reawaken interest in one of Wales’s long forgotten heroes, but it also helps remind us that Gruff Rhys is something of a national treasure himself.
– – – – – – – – – – –
Words: Nathan Westley
Photography: Mike Burnell
CONNECT TO CRACK
