GIG NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO
Who
It was advertised that doors would be opening at 7:30pm and we arrived at around that time to be ushered into the cramped bar next door. Given a choice I'd much rather we were allowed to form an orderly queue in the street, but I guess they wanted our money from the bar. The doors were a bit late in opening and my primary objection to the arrangements was that people could easily push in and that the queue would move slower due to the awkward system of giving your name to get in rather than simply distributing tickets by post. Our time in the bar wasn't entirely wasted though as we could see a bit of the soundcheck via a video screen, and from an analysis of the sweaters being worn I deduced afterwards that it was Y Niwl warming up. It was a bit annoying to watch the video monitor after doors opened and seeing everyone else taking the front seats but fortunately we got in relatively quickly without too much pushing and easily found a place in the middle on the third row. The view was quite decent and, as I hadn't been at the front for Neon Neon either, my record of always being at the front for SFA didn't particularly apply. Once again it was advertised that there'd be no entry from 8:15pm and I actually spotted the sign this time that no photos were allowed. This was also announced over the tannoy and I guess not having countless phones pointing at the stage does make for a pleasant change anyway. Clearly the seats were more tightly packed than they'd been last time as I felt pretty cramped and uncomfortable, although my massive coat which I had to lean against and the fact I stayed in my seat throughout to maintain my good position probably didn't help either. The stage was all set up with a tropical Hotel Shampoo backdrop and with Gruff's mic looking rather high! The DJ played The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks, plus two Jonny songs followed by Diamond Dew by Gorky's all in a row, making me wonder if it was Gruff controlling the playlist? I was looking forwards to seeing Y Niwl in support, who Gruff had described as living in the mountains therefore being the world's highest altitude post-surf band! Also I've learned that Y Niwl is Welsh for The Fog.
They started off with what seemed like a fairly typical 60s surf sound but quickly showed that they had a bit more variety yet they added no vocals whatsoever to the mix. There was very little crowd interaction as they seemed very focused on playing in time, especially for the introductions. Also the mics were literally turned off so all we could hear from stage were a couple of very quiet thank you's, which was quite amusing. The most intriguing element of their set was when they showed us their setlist to demonstrate that their song titles were in fact just numbers, leading of course to everyone shouting out requests for random numbers. No doubt that joke will be made at every show for the rest of their lives, which itself may prove a good reason for them to drop that idea? Also it makes me wonder at what stage a song would get assigned with a number, and how silly it would seem once they'd got well into their career and were using high numbers with "uncatchy" names! However, logistics aside, this was a pleasing support slot, and all an instrumental band need to do to impress is to be sufficiently compelling to not make you yearn for some vocals. They were also suitably dressed for the cold, with their attire including the thick sweatshirt I'd spotted on the video screen during the soundcheck and also a woolly hat. It was quite clear that these guys do not come from California! Y Niwl finished their set and had gone down rather well, which was fortunate as my research indicated that they'd also be Gruff's backing band tonight! Although the equipment was mostly set up already it took a while to soundcheck and there seemed to be issues with a couple of mics, which were not quite sorted out as I'd see later. Also a hotel reception bell was perched on the keyboards but I didn't see it being utilised, so perhaps it was simply to reinforce the Hotel Shampoo theme? Gruff arrived onstage to a heroes welcome wearing a fetching sweater which was either blue or green. It amazingly seemed to change colours according to the lighting being used and I never quite worked out what colour he was wearing. He'd also found the time to visit the barbers for a decent trim and was thus sporting a distinctly pre-Millennial hair cut!
The opener was the fantastic Gwn Mi Wn, which was also a positive indicator that tonight would be a "greatest hits" of solo Gruff Rhys! Gruff quickly broke out the air drumsticks to beat the air and make an awesome electronic sound. He'd done the same for Neon Neon at this very venue back in 2008 but had encountered a few technical issues so we hadn't experienced the full effect. Y Niwl were indeed the backing band and in fact supplied a few backing vocals, and the song took a delightful twist as it was slowed down and extended as the band broke out flutes for a big finale. It was a long and bold opener but had worked fantastically, before a very sweet version of Candylion proved a great way of keeping the momentum up. Gruff spent the majority of the show standing up playing a distinctly battered and patched up guitar but he strapped a mouth organ around his neck to play an exciting version of The Court Of King Arthur before surprising me with an awesome romp through In A House With No Mirrors (You'll Never Get Old) from The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness. Gruff explained that he was going to attempt the tune without Tony which felt wrong to which someone shouted out "fuck him!" and Gruff laughed briefly before dismissing that sentiment by saying "nah"! This strong start continued with Pwdin Ŵy parts 1 and 2, where Gruff decided that the song was about a guy called Keith Edgar and how part 1 is about the start of his relationship with Pwdin Ŵy whereas on part 2 they'd broken up and she'd found she'd contracted a disease from him and how that was hard to swallow! The song could never be as amusing as the explanation, but it kept the whole crowd onside. Gruff in fact even forgot that he was in Birmingham, but I think we'd had forgiven him just about anything anyway! The set was then slowed down considerably as Gruff announced they'd be playing half a dozen songs from Hotel Shampoo. In fact I counted five, so this count may just have been an excuse for him to describe these songs as a box of eggs. Sophie Softly was up first and seemed to get cut off prematurely amid confusion as Gruff smiled and announced that the other eggs should hopefully be a bit rounder!
Meanwhile If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme) is probably my favourite track from the album as it is drenched in loveliness, whereas the life was hammered out of Sensations In The Dark, which was probably a bit too loud which is a shame as the sound quality had been perfect the last time around. Gruff sat at the piano to serenade the stage-left side of the crowd during Honey All Over and overcame some issues with the mic to make the song work wonders. I can't quite remember when but I believe he used some kind of feramin too at some point in the set. Sadly as I'm writing this review a week later I may have forgotten some of the witticisms and contraptions which Gruff used! A particular highlight was a triumphant take on Ni Yw Y Byd, which was introduced as a motivational song played in Welsh gyms during the early mornings to get people going! Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru meanwhile was also a delight as Gruff explained that it was about a very long car journey, hence why the lyrics translate to "driving driving driving driving driving" etc! The main moment of crowd participation was when Gruff questioned if a Mexican wave was possible before getting us to do one, then explaining that it was to help cancel out the violence in the next track - Cycle Of Violence. The main set then finished nicely with a take on Shark Ridden Waters. Several times throughout the evening Gruff had utilised a record player to provide bird song and so forth and he played the recorded introduction of the track before taking the stylus off the record so the band could pick up the rest of the tune. I must confess I haven't really got into the song yet but fully expect I'll grow to appreciate it given a few more listens.
Gruff returned to the stage for the encore sporting his usual range of signs, including "applause", "danke", "the end" and, one we haven't seen before, "Rubble Rubble". The highlight of the encore was probably the one SFA track of the evening, namely Cryndod Yn Dy Lais, which Gruff played by himself. Quite a few people seemed to recognise it, despite it being just the b-side of a song that reached #27 in the charts, and it earns plaudits simply for the fact that its a-side was the astonishing Play It Cool. My research shows that Gruff had played Colonise The Moon on another night, but in fact I've seen SFA playing both of these songs live before anyway. The evening then took an unusual turn as Alun Evans of Y Niwl took to the stage by himself to perform a song which may have been called Gwestai. Despite being pleasant enough, this really wasn't what we wanted to hear during the encore! Maybe some Neon Neon hits would have been nice, although I guess the style is totally incompatible? People were getting annoyed at the repeated heckles for Skylon! and Gruff eventually announced that he was now going to play it for the insistent lady at the back! I'd been quite confident that he'd play it so I guess the heckles did grate a little, but on the other hand you shouldn't be afraid to let your feelings be known so maybe some gentle encouragement is for the best to help keep the band on track! Gruff donned a life jacket and, despite being conscious of the curfew, received a nod from the bouncers to play the song anyway. I guess they didn't realise how long it would be though! Gruff explained the lyrics of the song which I won't repeat here and utilised a voicebox to speak as the pilot before going into Half Man Half Biscuit mode at the end to musically explain how the rest of the story unfolded before reprising the song.
I don't feel I've ever given Skylon! as much credit as it deserves and definitely should hear it more as there aren't many tunes which are over fourteen minutes long but don't drag! It was a great end to the set although it was annoying to spot that it was now 11pm and all the easy ways of getting back home were no longer practical. After Gruff utilised his signs and we gave him a standing ovation we very slowly made our way through the crowds to the exit and frustratingly learned that there was a very long gap before the next train to Wolverhampton. We eventually needed to get a taxi home from Wolverhampton after passing the time in Brum with a customary McFlurry and a huge Coke but I had fully anticipated some issues in getting home and consider it a small price to pay to finally see Gruff Rhys playing live as a solo artist! Seeing Jonny finish so early had perhaps lured me into a false sense of security. It is interesting how he carries some of his gimmicks over between acts, most notably the signs which he has used for Neon Neon, SFA and now for his solo show. In my eyes it's hardly as great a stunt as the panda rave during The Man Don't Give A Fuck had been but I guess it's a nice way of getting the crowd going which Gruff has grown found of? In terms of the setlist I'd been very happy with it and had to look carefully through the solo albums to see that Epynt was the only remotely notable omission. I couldn't help but wonder when SFA will be getting back together to make that tenth album. Gruff has declared that the song For Now And Ever was basically a promise to the fans that they'd never split up and suggested that if they go away for a while hopefully they'll be appreciated a bit more and can play some arena shows, but I doubt the foolish people of the world would buy that many tickets anyway. Nevertheless, as long as Gruff continues to make great music such as Hotel Shampoo, it's pretty hard to complain too much about such matters anyway!
Mark: 8.5/10
Gruff Rhys
Support
Y Niwl
Where
Birmingham Glee Club
When
27th February 2011
Price
£13.50
Who with
Alex
Position
Seated, towards the front
Comments
I'd got tickets for this at the same time as Jonny, making for rather a nice double header, and heard Hotel Shampoo as many times as I could to prepare myself. Fortunately it was streamed online so I could get a bit of a head start until my Amazon copy arrived, although for some reason the Japanese deluxe version was advertised as being £50 on their website? I only found out afterwards that it was £8 everywhere else, but I guess as a superfan I probably should own both copies anyway! I also heard Yr Atal Genhedlaeth and Candylion a few times but never quite got round to hearing The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness. Despite the negative reviews I can't really judge it as I've only heard it once or twice. It's strange that it was recorded in 2007 yet not released until 2010 but, even if it is a stinker, after a career of such sublime heights I think Gruff can be forgiven! Annoyingly we were sold the wrong train ticket on the way there, making me glad I'd been proactively claiming compensation for so many years, and it was especially frustrating that this was a Sunday so we'd have to find our own way home. I'll never understand this, as Sunday must be the third busiest evening of the week so late night public transport should be a high priority? There was also light rain and it was still rather cold as we made our way to the Wetherspoons next to The Glee Club for some dinner. I resisted the cheap options and went with a sharer of nachos and a mixed grill but our order was forgotten about. In fact that's the first time that's happened to me in a Spoons and they proactively rectified it, even if they briefly claimed we'd already had the nachos! The food then came out very quickly and, although having both courses at the same time normally wouldn't be appreciated, it helped speed things up so we could make our way to the venue. One other pleasant surprise was that you could just about hear the soundcheck from the pub toilets, but only barely!
Setlist
Gwn Mi Wn
Candylion
The Court Of King Arthur
In A House With No Mirrors (You'll Never Get Old)
Pwdin Ŵy 1
Pwdin Ŵy 2
Sophie Softly
If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)
Sensations In The Dark
Vitamin K
Honey All Over
Lonesome Words
Ni Yw Y Byd
Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru
Cycle Of Violence
Shark Ridden Waters
Rubble Rubble
Cryndod Yn Dy Lais
Gwestai
Skylon!
n.b. This might be in the correct order. Maybe.
