Who
Gruff Rhys
Support
Bill Ryder-Jones
Where
Birmingham The Crossing
When
19th October 2019
Price
£20.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the back
Comments
So here I was seeing Gruff Rhys solo for my fourth time at a regular gig, and less than 12 months after the last occasion at The Glee Club. As mentioned in my last review I was very keen to keep on top of my notes, and for the most part I've achieved that, doing a comprehensive draft the next day and then writing up the review proper on the Monday night, less than 48 hours after the show had finished. Now this event was advertised as the Future Days Festival, but the headliners on the other night were the obscure The Comet is Coming and for me it was all about Gruff, and also adding into the equation that I arrived so late and only saw two bands I've decided it would be a bit silly to review this as I would a festival. It was just 24 hours after Hot Chip, and considering this made it my third concert of the year and it was October, I certainly wasn't spreading this stuff out evenly! I heard a bit of Gruff on my iPod but as I was busy and wanted to write up my Hot Chip review there was no chance I'd be hitting the festival anywhere near the doors opening time of 3pm. In fact I even decided that departing on the 6:30pm train was too early and waited an extra hour, luckily not being too frustrated when this train itself decided it was going to show up late too! Now I'd purchased the bargain £20 tickets on the very reasonable presumption that Gruff would play at a normal time and that the evening would then devolve into a bit of a club night, and so I wasn't impressed to finally get the running times and note that Gruff was advertised as playing from 10pm to late!

The ambiguity of "late" was even worse than the ludicrously delayed start time of 10pm, and I can't believe that no-one seemed to be complaining on the Facebook page of the organisers. I mean had everyone else psychically known to book a hotel, or had they given no thoughts as to getting home? The only clue was a flurry of people on the page trying to sell their tickets, and fortunately because I've already had the honour of seeing Gruff live before and I had a busy diary, I didn't want to invest in a hotel and figured I'd just see what I could, and make sure I took no risk whatsoever of missing the last train. After a constructive day doing my Hot Chip review, diary, swimming and much more I finally headed out, swapping trains at Wolves to break up my fare and save some cash. I didn't arrive in Brum until after 8pm, and even though I'd read that there were fancy food stores at the festival, I'd pre-eaten and figured I'd rather save the money. I'd spent the train journey listening to Gruff while also putting plans together for my Dad's birthday, it being difficult as he wanted to do a steam train ride in December and all the heritage railways were doing bloody Santa specials and nothing else! As I wasn't sure exactly where The Crossing was I initially walked past it, before sense checking a map and finding it was just past the Institute. It may well have been the same place called The Rainbow Venues that The Flaming Lips were supposed to play before changing to the shitty Academy, and I was interested to get the chance to visit a new venue in the liveliest and most interesting part of Birmingham.

I had no problems getting in whatsoever, and even though I'd read that there were no pass-outs except between 5 and 7pm, I was still given a very morbid black wristband to furnish my arm. I headed straight into the main room and was nicely in time for the start of Bill Ryder-Jones's set at 7:30, as he was nervously fumbling a bit and getting ready to start. The room felt semi-outdoors but with a tent-like cover, although as it was dark it is difficult to tell if this actually was the case. I purchased one fancy can of craft beer for £6 after noting that the other bar was out of everything except Red Stripe, but I wasn't tempted to go back for more as the can was unpleasantly tepid and had clearly not been in the fridge for long enough. It's a shame because it was a nice beer and it was pleasant to drink out of the can rather than a plastic cup, it's almost like they are required by law to fuck it up a bit because good drinks at a concert is such a far out idea! The large backing screen was pleasantly furnished with artwork advertising the festival, although I hoped that people were here out of a love for Gruff Rhys rather than a gullibility for smooth marketing! Although having said that it felt like a far larger crowd for a Gruff solo concert than I'd ever seen before, and it was advertised as being a near sell-out, so something must have been done right! I chose to hang near the back as I didn't want to risk becoming boxed in ahead of the last train, and a spot near the bar which was to the right was in line with my requirements for the evening.

Bill Ryder-Jones eventually got going and was playing to a very large crowd, but although he had a certain degree of shy charisma I'm afraid to say that I found his set rather boring. He'd actually left The Coral way back in 2008 - after most of their biggest hits - and it was evident from his talking voice and appearance that he was as Scouse as they come. I shot just one short video which demonstrated that he was melodic but dull, and perhaps the most interesting part of his show was the childlike fascination he took in the video screen, at one point admiring his own arse while slowly considering whether to do a flash to see it on the big screen! It was a relief that I'd had no problems whatsoever getting in the venue and in fact was a little bored, as if I'd arrived late and then felt I'd missed out on all the action it would have been a real shame. Bill also ribbed one member of his band throughout, and I had a pretty decent view near the back, and I did sympathise when he coolly made a point that he didn't care whether or not you were there to see him, but to be aware that the person next to you may be here for him, so to keep the chatter down. This seemed to work, although given that there were large indoor and outdoor side rooms it was a bit silly for people who wanted to chat to hang in the main hall! Bill further admired the static effect on the backing screen and the niftiness of the multiple - two? - cameras, and I took a good few photos, albeit less than last time as it didn't feel such a good thing to do when I'm standing, and also the heads in front meant I just couldn't get so good a shot.

After a few songs I further checked out the side room, noting a tiny second stage which was empty, visiting the loo and also resisting all the merchandise. I then popped to the outdoor area and was impressed by its size and ping pong tables, and also I now stumbled across the food van, and just couldn't resist partaking in some of the loaded chips for £5, figuring that I may as well enjoy myself. They were quite tasty but the taste stuck in my mouth a bit as I didn't want to pay £6 for another warn craft beer to wash it down, and after an extended break I headed back in the room, and to my surprise Bill Ryder-Jones was still playing! He's said before I'd left that he only had two songs to go and this clearly was untrue, and although I understand that there is a certain charm in encores and making a set last longer, it should be something special rather than the norm. After a couple more songs he finished up, and I was shocked and surprised by the mass exodus that occurred, as seemingly the whole audience left the room! And shockingly the room never got that full again, making me wonder if the late finish had fucked people over, or if there really had been that many people who'd come along to watch Bill Ryder-Jones and had no interest in watching the legendary Gruff Rhys? It was baffling, and perhaps a sign that the festival should have just let Gruff start and finish at a sensible time, so more fans would have been motivated to stick around. Much like the last time, the endless version of I Want You (She's So Heavy) was played before Gruff came on, and I absolutely love the relentless heaviness of the loop, which is a testament to the brilliance and versatility of The Beatles. It's simple but sounds so modern, and meant a little bit more on the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road. I still prefer the unfairly maligned Maxwell's Silver Hammer though!

She's So Heavy cut out when Gruff was ready to come on, and after a late arrival and excessive amount of time checking my phone, I was now ready to pay attention and enjoy as much of the show as I could! I was surprisingly relaxed by the fact that Gruff didn't appear until ten minutes or so after 10pm, making an obscenely late start even more so! I'm fortunate that my trains back are quite late, but it's not right that the late-night service back to Wolverhampton is so poor on Saturday night, as it's far and away the most important late night to provide trains for! The Pang! artwork was teased on screen before the band appeared, and I felt a little embarrassed that I'd practically forgotten about the existence of this album, as I'd yet to upload it to my iPod and as a result hadn't thought to listen to it! Gruff was smartly dressed and wearing a cap at first, making me wonder what has motivated him to smarten up his act. The hazy stage lighting meant we could barely see him, but his ever-changing appearance is a sign of a talented and creatively restless soul. Gruff appeared to a sign saying "generic audience reaction" or suchlike, before another one suggesting that a full run-through of the Pang! album was about to follow. Kliph, who'd been setting up beforehand, was wearing the same Yes Cymru t-shirt from last time, and the band seemed to have changed, with a bassist who looked rather like Guto taking centre stage, and the slightly miserable guy from last time having departed. There was a black guy who stood at the back and added some great stage presence, and Gruff launched into Pang!, which was a very pleasing tune, featuring some adorable footage of pre-recorded Gruff on the video screen clapping along.

It was good to see him singing in Welsh again, although it is far from his poppiest album and this made me feel slightly relieved that I hadn't dragged anyone else along tonight, as along with the late finish it wouldn't have been the best possible showcase of Gruff's music and talent. I shot a first video, shorter than the ones for Hot Chip as I was standing up, and unfortunately due to my ignorance of the album I can't really remember as many details as I'd like. For the second and third videos I didn't really know the songs, but the black guy was playing what sounded like a xylophone, and there was also a cool number where Gruff spent a while trying to get the soundman to reduce the bass on some bird noises before commencing a song featuring them, and he did similar with a mini turntable at one point too. By the time of my third video Gruff was alone onstage, with footage of a giant eye and green lights. I zoomed in on him out of necessity to try and cut out the freakishly large heads in front of me too! My photos show a range of moving backdrops were deployed, including sunshine, satellites, polar bears and massive teeth. One tune sounded much like Colonise The Moon/No Sympathy and another had a gloriously teasing ending, where Gruff came back in a few times as we all waited in anticipation to find out if the song had actually finished or not. The Pang! album was just nine tracks long and I really need to pay it some attention and hear it through a few times. Now Gruff not being a fan of phoney encores did not leave the stage, and I was delighted when The Hits segment of the show kicked off with Iolo. Now on the American Interior tour this had been accompanied by a beautiful backdrop, but the minimalist video imagery of this show wasn't to the same standard, and Gruff also had pared it down and was solo for this moment and almost performing it acoustically. I zoomed in on him again as I shot another video, and feel that anyone who hadn't enjoyed the first half as much would no doubt be won over by what was to follow.

Colonise The Moon as usual was the only SFA song offered, and one of the band reappeared towards the end for the inevitable sax solo! I shot another video capturing red lighting and some twats talking through it, and laughed as "Brexit is a bad sax solo" was flashed up on the screen. Very nice. Ever since that wonderful live moment where Gruff had broken out the air drumsticks I'd been a big fan of Gwn Mi Wn, and shot another video as the rest of the band crowded around Kliph to bang the drums, and to my surprise the song finished very suddenly after building up towards a crescendo. Candylion was a lovely singalong that most fans seemed to recognise, and was promptly followed by Lonesome Words. I'm much more interested in Sensations In The Dark though, but Gruff was definitely playing it a bit slower and had dumped the excellent mouth organ. I shot another video and, yes, it was still great and featured some brightly coloured backdrops, but the set wasn't quite as thrilling as it has been before. Kliph really beat the shit out of his drums for the intro of American Interior, but I'd been paying close attention to my watch, and once they commenced with Frontier Man, I shot an eighth and final video. It had been the one extra tune I'd most wanted and I love its subtle beauty, and the fans singing along to it were a joy to behold also. It was a pleasure to see Gruff playing solo in front of a larger crowd, and the simple layout of the room was yet another decent Birmingham venue to add to my list, as the Academy seems to grow less desirable by the day!

When Frontier Man finished it was 11:15pm and I absolutely dashed for the exit, as there was a little pause in the tunes and I couldn't take the risk of him playing something incredible that lured me into staying and then missing my ride home! A few people had left and I was really surprised that so many remained, but I walked full pelt for the train, which was populated almost exclusively by twats, including some silly drunk girl who managed to almost fall onto the platform rather than stepping up and through the door. If that idiot managed to injure herself it could have resulted in an essential train service being cancelled and hundreds of people being stranded in town, so I'm relieved that the train pulled out on time. I even got a seat, but as I was determined to write up this review quickly I didn't add to the few text message notes I'd been sending to myself throughout the evening. I caught up with the internet and checked out Gruff's previous setlists online, noting that, yes, there were five or six tunes to follow, but that there was nothing essential I'd be missing such as the much missed and majestic Skylon! By comparison the night before Gruff had delivered Take That Call and Set Fire To The Stars, but the setlist online suggests that Gruff had treated Birmingham to Negative Vibes, Y Gwybodusion and Epynt instead. It would have been good to hear but certainly didn't justify a rip-off taxi ride or a hotel to enable me to enjoy this finale. Gruff then finished up with Shark Ridden Waters, the ever-beloved Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru and the low-key If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme) and, yes, I'm sure it would have been nice, but I can live with missing out. Due to the stress of the late start and poor support, and the sad fact that it wasn't as exciting as previous shows, I can't bring myself to give this concert a rating as high as Hot Chip. However, Gruff had still been great as always, and I hope to have many more opportunities to enjoy watching the man play. Third Neon Neon album perhaps?
Setlist
Pang!
Bae Bae Bae
Digidigol
Ara Deg
Eli Haul
Niwl O Anwiredd
Taranau Mai
Ôl Bys/Nodau Clust
Annedd I'm Danedd
Iolo
Colonise The Moon
Gwn Mi Wn
Candylion
Lonesome Words
Sensations In The Dark
American Interior
Frontier Man
And the bits I missed...
Negative Vibes
Y Gwybodusion
Epynt
Shark Ridden Waters
Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru
If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)

Mark: 7.5/10