Somerset House and Ben & Jerry's

I'm a bit late in posting about these, but, y'know... I needed time to recover.

Somerset House
Somerset House last Saturday was absolutely ELECTRIC. The best live performance I've seen of the Furries. They played a nice mix of old and new songs;

1. Slow Life
2. (Drawing) Rings Around The World
3. Juxtapozed With U
4. Golden Retriever
5. Hello Sunshine
6. Mt.
7. Moped Eyes
8. Demons
9. Inaugural Trams
10. The Very Best Of Neil Diamond
11. White Socks/Flip Flops
12. Pric
13. Earth
14. Blerwytirhwng?
15. The International Language Of Screaming
16. If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You
17. Neo-Consumer
18. God! Show Me Magic
19. Crazy Naked Girls
20. The Man Don't Give A Fuck
21. Keep The Cosmic Trigger Happy

An almost perfect set-list! Just written down it looks bloody fantastic, doesn't it? If they'd played Ice Hockey Hair and Gwreiddiau Dwfn/Mawrth Oer Ar y Blaned Neifion I think my life would have been complete. But they didn't. So I live another day.

Strangely, one of the highlights of this set for me is a song that just seems to pass me by on the album; Crazy Naked Girls. It is really amazing live when they throw their whole behind it. Bunf, in particular, really rocks this song. It's turning into a great part of their set, I wonder if it might even start to threaten the mighty The Man Don't Give a Fuck in the classic live track stakes? And Blerwytirhwng? was a nice surprise! I wish they'd play some of their more obscure tracks more often. I don't think I've ever heard them play that song before... Thinking about it, there's probably a lot of their songs I've never heard live - but this one I think my life is actually better now I've heard it. Hmm, yeah...

Couldn't make it to the warehouse party in the end, which I was really disappointed about as it sounded groovy. Ah well. The gig was fantastic, anyways.

Ben & Jerry's Sundae on the Common
Shorter set list for this one as it was kind of a mini-festival;

1. Slow Life
2. Rings Around the World
3. Juxtapozed with U
4. Golden Retriever
5. Hello Sunshine
6. Mt.
7. Demons
8. If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You
9. Inaugural Trams
10. God! Show Me Magic
11. Crazy Naked Girls
12. The Man Don't Give a Fuck
13. Keep the Cosmic Trigger Happy

Again, Crazy Naked Girls was phenomenal. I am missing some of the new tracks, though. Where's Moped Eyes? The Very Best of Neil Diamond? (there was no saz!) Cardiff in the Sun? I think Cardiff in the Sun would have been fantastic as the weather was so great.

King Creosote was on earlier in the day, and he was really good. I'm not really all that acquainted with his stuff but he really won me over. Another band that were terrific; I Am Kloot. I know their songs better than I know King Creosote's but I've never heard them live before. Will definitely make a point of seeing them again. To You was transcendental...

I have photos! You can see them all at Flickr but here's my favourites;

SFA and Flaming Lips at ATP

I've just seen on the ATP website that the Super Furries have now been added to Sunday's line-up. So, it's confirmed then. Plus, it promises that they will perform an exclusive, special, one-in-a-million, bespoke, fantabulous set.

Man, Flaming Lips and the Furries on the same day? I really wish I was going. But, y'know, I'm a few thousand miles away.

You can buy tickets on ATP's website. If you want to make me jealous.

Ho-hum.

BBC 6 Music

Thanks again are due to the list, I don't know where I'd be without it;

SFA might be playing live on Cerys Matthews' lunchtime show on BBC 6 Music, Thursday 16th July, 1-4pm (I think they're playing sometime between 1 and 4pm. Not for 3 hours. Although that would be ace.)

Then, Radiator is being discussed on Liz Kershaw's show on Saturday 18th July, 12-2pm

BBC 6 Music is a great radio station, the only one I regularly listen to. Adam and Joe are a staple of my Saturday morning (Unfortunately, though, they're currently off on a far-too-long holiday...)

Just make sure you don't listen to that other DJ on 6 Music. You know the one.

You snoozed, you... er, losed?

All the cheaper tickets for the Corsica Studios warehouse party have now gone. And, yes, I did buy a pair while they were still cheap! But, you can now buy the £3 more expensive ones online.

I promise I won't spend my £6 frivolously. I'll put it towards something Furry related...

SFA head to the USA

It was posted up on the list and the board last night that the Furries are doing a few gigs in New York, of all places (now that really is miles from my home), in September. Including, ATP, apparently. I'm insanely jealous, but here's the dates anyway;

Fri 11.09.09 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
Concert starts @ 9PM
Doors open @ 7 PM
Tickets $22.00 in advance
$25.00 day of show
On sale on Friday, July 10th at noon

Sat 12.09.09 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
9.30pm
On sale on Friday, July 10th at noon

Sun 13.09.09 Monticello, NY ATP-NY
They're not on the line-up on the ATP website yet, so I don't know if it's a definite. Here's the link, anyway; All Tomorrow's Parties

I've never bought from any of these sites before so no idea if they're any good or how safe they are to buy from...

I'm sure anyone who goes will have a great time. Wish I had the money to go to ATP on the Sunday, it sounds great! Do you think maybe the Flaming Lips (curating ATP) convinced the Furries when they were at Rockness to perform?

More videos? More videos!

Some more Dutch interviews for your delectation. Look, I embedded a video! It's not from YouTube so I don't mind embedding it. This first video with Gruff is nice and easy-going.

Actually... Well... he does start talking about politics and war. So I suppose it's not really easy-going at all is it...? But Gruff himself seems very easy-going. I think if the world was going to end in the next 5 minutes, I'd want Gruff to break the news to me. There's something relaxing about him. Better relaxation than abject terror, hmm?



This interview is from 2005, but there's also a 6-part interview with Gruff around the time Hey Venus! was released. I prefer this one from 2005, though, as he seems a bit more coherent and relaxed. And the cameraman isn't quite so damn close as in the 2007 interview - that video makes me feel claustrophobic! There's also two live performances. Which are great. As usual.

Ohio Heat
Runaway

I like the fact that within 5 seconds of Gruff announcing they're going to play Runaway, he has to ask Bunf 'What shall I do?'. Bunf replies 'Runaway?' and Gruff responds, 'Yeah?'. That's a good suggestion, Bunf... There's also a sweet moment at the end when they both look overhead when they hear a bird. I love it when Gruff is interviewed, he's really sweet and funny. And judging by the smile on Bunf's face, I think Gruff cracks him up, too.

Enjoy.

SFA in innovative video shocker!

Well, OK. The Mt video has been unleashed upon the world. And as promised, you can view it here;

Super Furry Animals - Mt.

And yes, it does just look like footage from their gigcast way back in March. Hardly heart-stopping stuff.

I really would like to see the Furries find a director who really gets them and their music. Their songs are just crying out for an ace video. If SFA produced the perfect video to go with their perfect songs I think I'd die and go to audio-visual heaven. I mean, there's been a few flirts with excellent videos; Golden Retriever was fun and a lot of stuff from RATW was good, but I'm still waiting for an SFA video that makes me go 'Wow!'. Like their music does.

God, I sound sarky.

Oh well. I'll regret it in the morning.

After all that bitching this might sound insincere but it's not; Well done Skybaby, SFA's most rabid fan!

And Mt. is an excellent song.

Did that sound insincere? Have I redeemed myself?

If not, I'll just have to sacrifice something at the altar of SFA and plea for forgiveness from the Furry gods. Yeah.

Corsica à gogo

That after-show Warehouse Party that I mentioned earlier looks like it is definitely going ahead now. Well, they're selling tickets and Pete Fowler's done a fancy poster so I'm guessing it's pretty much set in stone. It is being held at Corsica studios (Corsica, France, à gogo? See what I did there? Hmm...? Ah, to hell with ya...) from 10pm - 6am after the Somerset House gig. Gruff will be anti-DJing along with Guto and Acid Casuals will be doing their thing. Dunno what Bunf and Daf will do... get drunk?

I'm um-ing and ah-ing about whether or not to go. It does sound groovy but... hmm. Well, I better make my mind up pretty soon or all the early bird tickets will be gone. And I'll have to pay an extra £3. Which, y'know, could bankrupt me.

Half of the cheap tickets are sold already. Ak! Can I let a bargain slip away before my very eyes?? If I get around to it, I'll buy them from here. And you could too. Or not. Whatever. I'm easy.