Who
Gruff Rhys
Who
Bitw
Where
Birmingham The Castle And Falcon
When
30th November 2023
Price
£15.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the front
Comments
It was fortunate that I resisted getting tickets for Gruff in Manchester due to its expensive hotels, as he later announced this fairly last minute show in Birmingham taking place three months beforehand! It was just £15 plus fees too, and only went on sale 22 days in advance of the date. It was my first time seeing Gruff since the post-Coronavirus show in Wrexham, and I snapped up my ticket without bothering to ask anyone to join me. It was supposed to be seven days after finally watching Black Grape supported by Tom Hingley doing an Inspiral Carpets hits set, but that show was postponed without explanation or apology, which was rather annoying. I didn't prepare much beyond listening to the two latest Gruff tracks - Celestial Candyfloss and Silver Lining (Lead Balloons) - on YouTube, as well as hearing Seeking New Gods and Pang! again. I correctly surmised that The Almond & The Seahorse soundtrack album wouldn't feature, and was ready to head into town on the Thursday night after work. The show was at The Castle And Falcon where I'd seen Wolfgang Flür way back in 2018 and as it was out of Birmingham centre I didn't fancy going by train. My decision was affirmed when I saw it would be a long wait for the train back, and that it would be much easier to drive there. Unfortunately the M6 was marred by appalling traffic after I passed the M5, before I eventually stopped at Taco Bell in Star City for some much-needed food. It was rushed but very pleasant, and the onward drive was less horrific, although the painfully bad road layouts and bizarre lanes reserved for cars with at least two people in weren't pleasant. It's lucky that my taco stop had allowed the traffic to significantly quieten by now.

Also I skirted the new congestion zone, but fortunately my car is exempt in any case. I was later than I wanted to be and struggled to find anywhere to park on the back streets behind the venue, eventually securing a spot after venturing to the other side of the main road by industrial buildings, which were not only quieter but delightfully close to the venue too. The area felt dodgy, but my car survived so all turned out nicely. While I was taking a few photos outside the venue I saw Gruff himself entering, which was a surprise as he walked past the fans rather than using a side or back entrance. I'd arrived around 8pm, 30 minutes after the doors had opened and later than I'd intended, but still in reasonable time. There was a little queue to enter the back room where the show itself was taking place, and I had to download another stupid app for the ticket, which I deleted immediately afterwards. I also got my hand stamped to allow me free access between the rooms. The venue was already pretty full and the support act Bitw was onstage. He was just one guy with a guitar and glasses, but as the bar at the back of the venue was closed and I wasn't keen to move forwards without a drink, I quickly went to the back room for the main bar area again, queueing longer than I hoped for to experience a pint of Blue Moon in a nasty Carling glass, albeit one that was hard plastic. I started making a few review notes on my phone while I was waiting, and by the time I headed back into the venue around 8.30pm the support was finishing up. The room was still busy but once I got past a few people I realised that there was plenty of space and it was just a bottleneck at the back, and I secured a pretty sweet spot a few rows from the front and to the left. I'd not expected to see so many roadies, but Gruff had quite a few people setting up his stage, and apart from Kliph on drums sporting a red - possible USSR - top, I didn't recognise them as being members of the band.

With a pint in my hand and a great view near the front I felt much more relaxed, and I wasn't even too pissed to post a status update saying it was my 28th time watching Gruff to garner no likes at all. I quickly totted it up and think that figure is correct, but it could be more. I've seen SFA 19 times, this was my 6th time watching Gruff doing a solo show, he'd also guested with Manic Street Preachers for Let Robeson Sing at the The O2 Arena in 2011, I'd seen the glorious Neon Neon once, and also witnessed the Candylion Pantomime in Cardiff. The drums were set up on the left facing the centre of the stage again, and I caught up on the internet while waiting for Gruff's start time of 9pm. As can be seen in the picture above, the name of the venue was displayed above the stage, and also a pic of John Evans was placed at the back. I do wonder where the John Evans felt puppet has got to? I finished my drink and as it was hard plastic I placed it at my feet, enjoying my position near the stage but moving back one or two rows as the show went on. Gruff appeared to applause and was backed by four other guys, including two on keyboards - one of whom I believe was also confusingly called Gruff - and another guy who played a few things. But my attention was largely on Gruff, who was sporting a hat and couldn't avoid commenting on how cold it was. The set started with the unknown Taranau Mai, which I'm quite surprised to read is from the Pang! album. I definitely need to listen to that more. Next up was the glorious Hiking In Lightning, which was also a standout in Wrexham and now was a firm favourite that had motivated me to listen back to the Seeking New Gods album a few times. The sound was loud and my view was excellent, and to my surprise the Birmingham crowd were positive and enthusiastic, which hopefully means Gruff will be keen to keep the West Midlands on his itinerary in future.

Next up was memorable new song Bad Friend, where Gruff stopped between each section to give us a very long-winded explanation and debate over where the song should go next. It was like a choose your adventure, and when a fan shouted out for the middle eight he disapproved and said that it was much too early for that. Gruff and Kliph debated whether to stretch this out and to keep revisiting it over the course of the night, but instead chose to wrap it up. It was amusing and I suspect not at all like the recorded version will be. The stage setup was very simple although some of the lighting was too bright and just irritating. Kliph had no mic but made himself heard in the banter. He seemed to have become Gruff's right hand man and had been heavily involved in the recordings. He did his "1 2 3" count-ins in Welsh and made a few drummer jokes to fill the time. He and Gruff seem to have a great rapport and Kliph looks to be much more integral to the success than he had been in The Flaming Lips. But it's extraordinary for one man to be playing with such legends in either case, and a monumental achievement! There wasn't much filming or photography, and even the professional photographers seemed to be slipping in amongst the crowd as there was no gap in front of the stage. Candylion was much appreciated, and Pang! was preceded by the display of a sign sharing its name. Gruff asked us to be negative ahead of Negative Vibes, attracting some good-hearted booing, and the lead single Celestial Candyfloss from the new album was very pleasing. Gruff then held up his image of the John Evans felt puppet, before surprising me by launching into Iolo, introduced as one that isn't about John Evans! The American Interior tour in 2014 had been particularly exciting (even more so in retrospect), and so it's always a pleasure to revisit this LP.

If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme) was cute enough but was totally surpassed by Loan Your Loneliness, as I shot my first video. It took me a while delving through my camera files afterwards to confirm that it had indeed saved and recorded correctly, and the sound was more boomy and less impressive than my usual camera. Potentially that was just a reflection of how loud it was, but I'll find out in the future. The guitar intro and noises were excellent amid red lights, and it's another highlight from Seeking New Gods. Cycle Of Violence isn't one of my favourites, but I do appreciate how Gruff switched to his second mic after warning the sound man he would be doing that, and used it to capture his voice and screams to create an increasing cycle of sounds as he looped himself as the song built up into loud but impressive chaos. Silver Lining (Lead Balloons) was the second single from the new album Sadness Sets Me Free and we were told it was the first time being played, and we were the guinea pigs! So not only did we have the convenience of a local date being announced, but it was also historically significant and much more notable as a result. After timely newbie Overthrow The Government was Liberty (Is Where We'll Be), the end of which featured a drum solo that led beautifully into American Interior. I'd not particularly expected Sensations In The Dark and the guy to my left was moshing and being mildly annoying, before Bae Bae Bae ensured that the set both represented "the hits" as well as those new numbers. Proof yet again that not playing the hits is a dick move and unnecessary, as it's quite possible to do that and treat us to new material too. The Court Of King Arthur was an audience request, and my brain was just too slow to shout out for Whale Trail.

It also made me wonder what SFA songs I've never heard live, but really there aren't too many beyond early b-sides such as Guacamole, and it also seemed somewhat rude to be shouting out for SFA songs in a solo concert. Gruff has played Colonise The Moon and Cryndod Yn Dy Lais before, but rarely delves deep into the Super Furry Animals back catalogue, nor is it necessary as he has plenty of solo material he can happily play. There was a little pause and the Resist Phoney Encores sign came out ahead of Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru, as I shot my second and final video capturing blue lights and slightly muffled sound again, but it was really loud! Of course I always think of the excellent Candylion pantomime version where he drove through the crowd singing it, but it's a logical closing tune and a good place to finish. Gruff went mad with the signs, including Rapture, Wild Abandon, Applause, Louder and Apeshit, and it's a gimmick that I'm surprised has survived so long, as it's amusing but far from the coolest thing that SFA/Gruff have ever done. I guess he just enjoys the method of communication so much that it has stuck? The set had come to a close twenty minutes ahead of the 11pm curfew, and the largest shock had been the lack of Frontier Man. I really like it and am surprised it's been dropped. Apart from that it would have been nice to hear People Are Pissed, Layer Upon Layer, Mausoleum Of My Former Self, 100 Unread Messages, Shark Ridden Waters, In A House With No Mirrors (You'll Never Get Old), Gwn Mi Wn or Skylon! The absence of Shark Ridden Waters in particular was a surprise, but it's also a testament to just how much cool material Gruff has accumulated over the years. I'm sure someone had claimed that his next album was going to be his 25th, and I have little doubt that total is true. And I've been watching him live since he was just 28 years old, and now he is 53 but still at the top of his game.

Before leaving I found the quieter loo in the corner of the bar, then walked down the wrong road to find my car. It was a bit icy but luckily I saw my car hadn't frosted up again when I finally found it, and driving conditions were reasonable. It had reminded me how awful rush hour driving was though, and luckily I was now able to secure the benefits of driving thanks to a much faster and smoother journey back via the A38, trusting in my sat nav to get me round Birmingham. My ears were whistling and I wrote up a few notes, but it was already 11.30pm and I didn't want a late Thursday night. I checked up on it and the train did run, but I'd got back a good 45 minutes earlier as a result of driving, and no doubt it cost me less money too. I surprised myself by finding the time to write this review up the following week, completing the draft just ahead of seeing Gogol Bordello the following Friday. It's a good thing I checked, as I'd convinced myself that was in Wolves, but it necessitated another visit to Birmingham sadly. I was enjoying a busy few weeks and totally mocking the idea of October to April being my chilled catch-up months, yet somehow I seemed to be keeping on top of other things, so I can't complain. For sure being able to work from home (and getting out of the stupid and unnecessary enforced trip to the office in December) has totally transformed my life for the better. I noted that Gruff was also playing warm-up shows in Glasgow and Liverpool after this, and I'm so pleased that I didn't venture up to Manchester specially and had held my nerve. As a result, it was a much more memorable and also convenient night, and I can't really ask for more.
Setlist
Taranau Mai
Hiking In Lightning
Bad Friend
Candylion
Pang!
Negative Vibes
Celestial Candyfloss
Iolo
If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)
Loan Your Loneliness
Cycle Of Violence
Silver Lining (Lead Balloons)
Overthrow The Government
Liberty (Is Where We'll Be)
American Interior
Sensations In The Dark
Bae Bae Bae
The Court Of King Arthur
Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru

Mark: 8.0/10