Who
Super Furry Animals
Support
Y Ffug
Where
Birmingham O2 Institute
When
10th December 2016
Price
£30.00
Who with
No-one
Position
At the front, towards the right
Comments
Despite the many tribulations of 2016 which I'll cover a bit in my last review of the year, this was proving a fertile time for live shows, as I'd secured tickets for Kraftwerk, The Stone Roses and Guns 'N' Roses, and would also get myself booked up for The Jesus And Mary Chain a few days after this. Annoyingly getting other people to join me was proving harder than ever, but despite digging deep into my savings I am determined to focus on my priorities, as what's the point of anything if you miss out on doing your very favourite things? I still bitterly regret missing Grandaddy on their initial reformation tour in 2012, and The Beach Boys reunion that very same year, and although Grandaddy are touring again in 2017 they're again ignoring the West Midlands, and I cling onto the hope that they'll add an extra date or I'll feel rich enough to go at the last minute. In fact the 10th December weekend had been reserved many months in advance for a visit to the Birmingham Christmas Market, and although I warned that it was foolish to be able to guarantee we'd all be able to attend so far ahead of time, I was more thinking of others to give acknowledgement that this was a rare occasion where their pulling out would be tolerable. Therefore I was surprised to be the one to put a spanner in the works by insisting on attending the show from the minute SFA were announced for their first Birmingham headline gig since 2007, but to be fair I pointed out everyone could just join me for the show and have an amazing time, and the plan for the day was reworked so we'd have lunch out instead and nothing would be missed out on, and in fact I suspected the day would have naturally ended shortly after the time the gig started even if I hadn't attended. In the old days of the late 1990s I'd had pushed others far harder to join me at the show and have the time of their life, but now I can't be bothered, being sick of the arguing. I figure that others should be begging to join me, and if no-one is motivated enough to do that then tough shit, it's their loss.

I got tickets straight away and didn't check again to work out if the show eventually sold out, but I was thrilled to hear that SFA would be playing Fuzzy Logic and Radiator in full to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fuzzy Logic, which also meant it was 20 years since I'd become a fan! Although I've heard many bands since and became a huge fan of other artists, SFA have always proudly remained top of the pile, and I'm pleased that this has happened genuinely and not because I closed my mind to new music. Yes, there was a long time where I was listening to other artists far more, such as The Beach Boys, but I always kept faith and suspected that I'd end up returning to SFA, which indeed has happened. I've probably reached that point when it would be incredibly difficult for me to discover an old band who inspire me and I've somehow missed, or a new act who can measure up to my heroes, as since 2007 and my discovery of Gogol Bordello I haven't felt such a surge of excitement. I'm listening a huge amount to Kraftwerk at the moment, and in fact I barely heard any SFA at all ahead of this gig, but it has reached the point where I simply don't need to, as I know the songs so well. This was to be the 19th time I'd seen SFA live, and the fourth since their reformation, taking in support slots in Birmingham and Swansea as well as their rapturously-received set in Manchester. I'd also purchased their Zoom! greatest hits compilation and Fuzzy Logic 20th anniversary edition, although I must admit I was disappointed by both due to the lack of completely new songs. I'd always been told that SFA have a huge archive of unreleased material, so although remastered music, alternate versions and great artwork is nice, what I really would like is a compilation of completely unheard tracks, and I'm sure the fans would love it too! Unless the quality or quantity of unreleased material has been exaggerated, or it has been lost as I heard the long-promised instrumental album had been, I don't see what's stopping them!

I only noted when drafting this review that the venue name has changed from the HMV to the O2 Institute, and I loved seeing promotional photos of the inflatable Radiator pandas photoshopped onto the famous sights of the cities the band would be visiting. I'd also accidentally sneaked a peak at the setlist so knew exactly what to expect, but I won't spoil the suspense here. On the day I wore my legendary Furrymania top, resisting a festive jumper, knowing it would be wholly inappropriate in a sweaty and smelly gig environment, and I'd also stood up to protest our original restaurant booking, as the fantastic Brazilian all-you-can-eat meat buffet had cheekily smashed up their lunchtime prices over the Christmas period, and as cash was in short supply and tolerating such shameless profiteering would have gone against all my principles I insisted on an alternative. I'd hoped for the simple and superior option of just enjoying the food at the market, which would have been far cheaper and the only downside was that it was raining on the day. Sadly though I was outvoted and we settled for Wagamama, enjoying a moderately over-priced meal instead of an extortionate one. I couldn't protest too much as Christmas does only come once a year, even if it is undervalued by everyone banging on about it from September onwards! I headed out early in the morning via three buses to visit the Top Church in Dudley, which has been resolutely closed every time I've ever tried to visit, but I'd spotted on the website that it was actually open on Saturday mornings, and to my pleasant surprise this turned out to be true! Due to lack of cash I'd turned my attention to local sightseeing, and although of course it would be nice to be jetting off abroad every week, visiting the underrated and rarely photographed sights in my area is an intriguing alternative. In fact I'd made three visits to Dudley as it was so hard to find everything open, being motivated by the disgusting threats of the council to close the museum down and rob the town of an attraction it should cherish.

The church was very pretty inside, making me think that Dudley town centre would be an excellent day out if you could trust everything to be open and supplemented your time with some shopping or another destination, and I caught my onward bus to Dudley Port train station. The lack of a railway station in central Dudley is a baffling omission, but luckily the public transport was running like clockwork and I was able to take advantage of a combined ticket. When finally at the Christmas Market I enjoyed one stein, which at £9 may even have been cheaper than last year, and before the aforementioned meal at Wagamamas we sampled the food with three unnecessary bags of pork scratchings, with the spicy flavour proving particularly memorable! As our new favourite pub Cherry Reds opposite Brewdog was rammed, I led us to an alternative Christmas market in a tent by the Bullring, which despite all the moaning as we walked there it was an excellent choice, with some cheap mulled wine and rare high quality English beer from Meantime brewery, who I'd so wanted to see the brewery of in London back in October, but tours had sold out. In fact a very exciting-looking Bierkeller had just opened on the opposite side of town, which if we weren't so pressed for time and if it wasn't so wet, dark and miserable would have been a good choice. Also hopefully once the Xmas rush is out of the way they'd be less inclined to overcharge customers and we can enjoy a quieter and pleasant visit. In the event it seemed to make absolutely no difference that I was going to the show as we all went our separate ways around 6ish, and I'd had been well pissed off if I'd skipped the show out of solidarity and had been skanked just the same. I think this was a great bit of justification that I should be more selfish in putting my own needs first, especially when I can still meet the broad strokes of the original plan and not let anyone down.

Before the final separation we ventured into McDonalds, where I picked up £1.99 Chicken McNuggets with chips on a voucher, along with a Terry's Chocolate Orange McFlurry. Despite my many years of gig experience I shockingly forgot to get a good-sized drink, meaning I was completely parched by the time I ventured into the venue, walking into Digbeth to join the queue just before doors opened at 7pm. It wasn't a long wait but I was handed a pointless neck band that just seemed to be an advert, and I was impressed by the merchandise at the bottom of the stairs but sadly couldn't afford any, having burned through my cash already. It was a pleasant surprise to see my old green Howard Marks t-shirt back on sale, and also there were some badges that looked good, but the crazy price of concert tops - £20 even from an anti-capitalist band like SFA - puts me off splurging. The venue was in the main room on the first floor and I was the first one to the front, remembering to go to Gruff's side. One of the security guys asked me if I was here for SFA, making me fear I was in the wrong room as there had been no rush to the front row, before luckily confirming I was in the right place, although surely it was the job of the guy who checked my ticket outside the room to verify that essential detail before I'd got in here? As it was a quiet start my later than expected arrival had made no difference whatsoever, and thankfully as I'd been fairly sensible beforehand I wasn't feeling remotely drunk or in need of the loo, which was quite a result as I'd been to one of the most impressive drinking festivals this country has to offer and had showed some restraint! In a very strange development my body is now quite content to just enjoy the one beer, which saves a lot of money and nasty hangovers, although I'm not quite sure how this change has come about! Also although I hadn't been at the front for the two SFA support slots earlier in the year, as the best position was available to me tonight I didn't see any reason not to enjoy it!

Much like other music venues I swear the shape of the Institute had changed, as it didn't go far back at all, and I also don't recall there being a double balcony or a bar at the back of the room. I've yet to venture to the two smaller rooms, but I read that the Institute is quite a bit smaller than the Academy, with 2000 spaces in the main room compared to 3000. Support band Y Ffug - Welsh for The Hoax - took to the stage around 8pm after an intro tape that bore no relation to their music. They were a passable guitar band from Pembroke who were astonishingly loud, even more so than SFA, but this sadly was to their detriment as it was just ear splitting. The singer was a skinhead wearing a Joy Division Unknown Pleasures top, and even the song introduced as taking it down a notch was also very loud! Another night had had Bill Ryder-Jones from The Coral in support, so sadly I didn't get the best result, but to be fair Y Ffug did very little wrong, and with a little knowledge of their songs I could have understood what they were doing a bit better, but I just find it easier now to sit back and let support bands impress me, hoping that the best ones will make a connection in any case. After Y Ffug the stage was swiftly set up for SFA, with the battered Juxtapozed With U blue box being uncovered in front of me. Also the old white Furry Trumpet Players headpiece was deposited in the middle of the stage, with a fully realised version of the Out Spaced teddy bear with a vice through its head to the right. It was wearing an SFA scarf, and I wondered if this was an old stage prop I'd never seen before which had been recovered from the archives, or a new build to celebrate their glorious past? By now I was rather thirsty so was very happy that cups of water were distributed a couple of times in my direction, but given that I was searched upon arrival and they only ever seem to be confiscating food and drink rather than petty things like looking out for our security and safety I probably couldn't have got my own bottle in in either case.

The room had slowly filled up and I presume that there was a capacity crowd, although SFA fans had aged with grace and there was barely any pushing at any point. Also there was a lot of dry ice unleashed at the outset and three small screens as the backdrop, keeping it simple with a slot machine effect to preview the track titles, for example rotating to show S 4 W before Something 4 The Weekend. SFA emerged wearing their white lab outfits, and Gruff explained the plan for the evening via his usual array of signs, starting off with a Fuzzy Logic sign, then Part 1 Side 1 to signify the start of Fuzzy Logic played in its entirety! I'd heard God! Show Me Magic a good few times before so I was much more interested in Fuzzy Birds, which was introduced as being about a hamster, yet for some reason being called Fuzzy Birds. The minimalist video screens featured a hamster running in his wheel, and due to my superlative lyrical knowledge I was able to mouth along to every word. It was at this point I realised just how special it would be to hear so many beloved songs live for either the first time ever or first time in a good while. The slow version of Something For The Weekend was played, but just like Magic it was overwhelmed by the musical debut that followed it - Frisbee! I shot my first video of the night, and as I was at the front and could hold my camera steady, and also as the sound quality was excellent, they all came out very nicely, and with a pretty good angle to the band compared to the mountainous height of the Albert Hall Manchester stage. The song was as bonkers as ever before the pace was taken down for Hometown Unicorn, then Gathering Moss, which I thought was a new one for me so I'm a little surprised that it was played both at my first ever gig in 1997 and also at Furrymania bingo in Manchester 2001. I shot a second video, capturing the slow pace and soothing green lights, and continued to relish the joy of hearing the full album and the wonderful change of getting some different tracks to the normal SFA experience. All four fantastic Fuzzy Logic singles were lows by the unfortunate burden of their familiarity, and If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You continued the perverse inversion by being utterly outshone by the wonderful Bad Behaviour, which along with the much later Atomik Lust is one of the very few cases where SFA actually do sound like The Beach Boys.

I shot my third video of the intro and it was clear that the band were as thrilled to play it as I was to hear, as it took me back to the giddy highs of their premillennial setlists. Beforehand Bunf switched round the sign to announce they were now on Side 2 of the show. There was also a strange rogue hand appearing in my video, and I'm not quite sure how it got there, as it seemed very deliberate, yet my usual considerate camerawork meant my camera was low and not remotely in anyone's way! Next up was Mario Man for the first time ever, featuring an 8 bit sprite on-screen and, although it could have been a rare weak track in the SFA back catalogue, it muscles its way back to prominence by virtue of its lyrics, which have added meaning for me now I've actually been to Cyprus! The highlight of perhaps the entire show then followed with Hangin' With Howard Marks, also for the first time ever. Although this is a very rare track where the nonsense of the lyrics (in the chorus) undermines its brilliance, there's no disputing that the guitar intro is one of the greatest of all time. I shot a fourth video and the crowd reaction in singing along to the riff was a little like the thrill generated by a Stone Roses crowd. This may have been the point where Bunf confused us by asking if we were now on side 4, which would only be true if the vinyl version was unnecessarily doubled! Howard's face from the album artwork was projected onto the screens and I was left baffled as to why such a classic tune has been overlooked in SFA setlists for so very long. Even the internet's leading setlist website can only find one record of it being played live before 2016, and that was way back at V96! I hope very much that the success of this tour has convinced SFA of the merits of rotating their setlists and bringing in more olden classics, or even newer ignored cuts, just as I've been encouraging them to do via these pages for years.

For such a memorable show I am struggling a bit with details, making me think that either this concert was low on spectacle and gimmicks with a firm focus on great songs, or that my recollection has been reduced as I didn't find time to write up my meagre notes for a good few days afterwards. The band certainly seemed a bit more animated than usual, making me wonder if they are as excited to be playing different songs as I was to be hearing them? The crowd were ok, but didn't seem anywhere near as motivated as Manchester had been. To be fair it's difficult to judge when you're in the front row, but mediocre Birmingham crowds have been a recurring feature of my gig-going life, which sadly I've grown used to as Wolverhampton has fallen more and more off the gigging circuit. It's strange that everyone complains about indifferent London audiences, whereas I've always found them eager to appreciate a good group! Next up was Long Gone, and SFA answered my question of if they remembered Dic Ben did the voices at the end by flashing his name up on the screens towards the end. Interestingly he keeps popping up in my Facebook newsfeed via mutual friends, and it was another track I'd never heard before, although in my mind its main strength was how it segues into the next tune. SFA then professionally and thrillingly completed their debut album with For Now And Ever, a tune to their fans effectively promising they'd never split up, and it's definitely a great achievement that they still perform with their original line-up after a full 20 years. Although I hope never to see the back of them, I hope they honour this pledge in the most sensible way of continuing to perform as long as the full group are motivated to continue. It's tough to imagine them swallowing a member leaving and just continuing to diminishing returns, so let's hope they don't do that! I believe the album finished with the legendary Receptacle For The Respectable trick of rubbing their guitars together, and it was fantastic to hear this uplifting song for my first time ever, as it must have fallen by the wayside very quickly as soon as The Man Don't Give A Fuck was set upon as the eternal closer.

The band briefly left the stage, but not before putting out a new sign declaring 1 minute for Howard, a nice tribute to the late Howard Marks. A silence was hardly achieved, and as the legendary red furry trumpet player of old appeared with the apeshit sign, SFA returned to the stage. Gruff explained that we'd come for Fuzzy Logic, but were now going to enjoy Radiator as a completely free bonus! And certainly hearing the greatest album of all time live was one of the best freebies imaginable! Also usually a band play an album in full then deliver a greatest hits and rarities set, so it was a delight to see that SFA were doing it differently by taking the concept even further. I shot my first video of Furryvision ™, featuring plenty of lasers and Gruff holding a sign declaring that this was Round 2. The Juxtapozed With U box was used only for The Placid Casual, and without the usual vocal distortion. It sounded a bit different to expected, and I shot a short video capturing the continuing lasers. The band had even refused to perform it at Furrymania bingo as they couldn't do it justice acoustically, so it was a delight over 15 years later to finally cross it off my list, and it was mind boggling to think that my entire time at university and full work career so far bridged the time gap between being promised this song live and actually getting it! Next up was the ever-wonderful The International Language Of Screaming, as I shot a video of the legendary bridge for posterity, which still remains the high point of western civilisation, with only perhaps the Lost season 3 finale coming close. The crowd perked up and the lights went mad, and it was a winner all round.

Next up was a real shock - the first time I'd enjoyed hearing Demons live for many, many years! Hearing it in the context of the original album and knowing that leaving it out would destroy the moment made it sound better than ever. Also there were actual trumpets, not that I could see who was playing them or if they were pre-recorded, and the stage was bathed in red lights. Next up was Short Painkiller, which was another first time track, and one which I recorded as promised after making jokes about SFA having to play it live. It sounded brassier and quite a bit more expansive than on record, and although a bit pointless in itself it does link the songs nicely. It is always wonderful to hear She's Got Spies live, as the name of the organisations such as KGB and FBI were flashed on the three-screen slot machine backdrop, but it was a tune that SFA had already started playing live again so it wasn't as exciting as it could have been. However, this only made the next track even more wonderful - Play It Cool for the first time since 2001! Every time they haven't played it live I've bemoaned the fact, as it's a glorious song with infinite depth that becomes more wonderful with every listen. As usual I seemed to be the one member of the audience who got the handclaps right, and I shot a 10th video of the last bridge/chorus and the end, capturing some intense lasers. Gruff used a vertical guitar on its stand for a guitar solo, and it was every bit as wonderful as I remembered it, linking the set back to the most glorious days when SFA live really did rule the world. Shockingly it seemed I've only ever heard Hermann ♥'s Pauline live once in 2003, with the band saying they didn't play it as the crowd never seemed to grasp it, and it's a shame that it hadn't become a fixture again as it went down a storm in 2003 and repeated that wonder tonight.

The glory continued with my first live viewing of Chupacabras since 1997, and I'm proud to still remember all the words perfectly. I usually keep my videos short but for once I decided to just film the full song, and I'm glad I did as I don't know if I'll ever get to enjoy this incredible moment ever again! The Radiator sleeve image of a chupacabras was projected onto the screens and wailing foghorns accompanied Gruff as he chanted "chupa chupa chupacabras" at the end, and it was lovely to see the band literally bouncing around, either forced to liven up by the rigours of the tune, or gaining the same pleasure out of playing it as we all did out of hearing it live! Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir is one of the few Welsh language songs I can quite convincingly sing in full, and it was the first tune I ever saw SFA perform live when they opened with it in 1997, plus it had popped up at Furrymania bingo 2001. Gruff then explained how we would now be dragged into a pit of despair for the emotional climax of the album, and it is that combination of strong opening, tuneful middle and hard-hitting climax that makes Radiator the greatest album of all time. Forever Changes by Love is perhaps the second best, but by comparison it seems just too lacking in fun and nowhere near as varied or interesting. I was pleased to hear Bass Tuned To D.E.A.D. live for the first time ever, then shot my 12th video during Down A Different River. I'd overestimated the wonder of the moment as I thought I'd never heard it live before, so am quite surprised that Super Furries had played it in both 1997 and 2007, as well as a poorly remembered acoustic rendition at Furrymania where Gruff had to continually prompt a fan for the correct lyrics. One of the reasons I rate SFA so highly is the huge depth and variety of their back catalogue, so it was an absolute revelation to realise that, after hearing both Demons and Down A Different River live in their original context, for the first time ever I thought that perhaps Demons had been the right choice for fourth single from the album after all!

I hadn't heard Download live since 1997, and as a very natural bridging song it makes very little sense when not sandwiched between River and Mountain People, although the lyrics sounded as relevant as ever amid the shitstorm that was 2016, and the triumph of stupidity and ignorance over reason. Gruff demonstrated that he was still on the right side of pragmatic optimism with his heartfelt I Love EU solo track, and I'm sure that the lyrics of Download struck a chord with him more than ever in these troubled times. Also I can't express enough what an absolute revelation it was to hear so many unheard or barely played tracks from my favourite SFA era, rather than the same old tunes again and again. I really don't know if the band are giving the crowd what they think we want or if they are focusing on their personal favourites in not mixing the setlists up a lot more in the past, but I hope this great experience rubs off on them and makes them keen to delve into their back catalogue, either with more expansive reissues or with specially curated live shows. Perhaps a b-sides show or specially selected rarities (i.e. the best songs that never became live staples), or full renditions of Guerrilla and Rings Around The World as a double-header could equal the joy of Fuzzy Logic and Radiator back to back, although I suspect that unless the live show was curated by me that it would struggle to live up to this standard. Also of course The Man Don't Give A Fuck finale must remain at all costs! I shot my 13th video toward the end of Mountain People, where the ending broke down briefly before continuing, and even without a big focus such as the Orangely Out Of Its Head loop or yetis pounding on drums it was still a delight to hear such a powerful finale. Except of course this wasn't quite the end, as SFA continued their unbroken track record of playing The Man Don't Give A Fuck, which I was hearing for a stonking 19th time! It may not always have been at the very end, but it is one highlight that should never be dropped.

The crowd went a bit madder than they'd done so far, although the two bouncers still had nothing to do beyond dishing out the odd cup of water, and when SFA re-emerged in their yeti costumes the photographers returned to the pit, dodging around and blocking my view a bit as they'd already done a couple of times earlier tonight. I captured a video of SFA very leisurely returning to the stage amid lasers, picking up their guitars and assuming their most iconic pose before the final bout of guitar. It's funny that the mannequin challenge has become the latest shamelessly unentertaining internet fad, when people like SFA - and indeed Soulwax - have been doing similar for 15 years. Gruff and Bunf then held up a Thank You sign, before rotating it to declare that this was The End. As usual I hung around in the vain hope of a setlist, and was cruelly snubbed by my reluctance to snatch or hassle the staff, yet again being punished for my patience. Sometimes I wonder if I should give up trying, as the frustration of being snubbed 16 times in a row asking for a setlist is beyond ridiculous. On the way out I noticed by the sound desk a machine with a sticker declaring that "this machine kills fascists", which was amusing, and the band had comfortably respected the 11pm curfew, although the exiting of the venue down the stairs is insanely slow. It's fortunate I wasn't in a hurry, and how the hell could this place cope in a fire evacuation? Either they don't have the facility to get us out promptly, or they fail to use it when it could help us out!

I didn't check outside for bootleg t-shirts, instead hoping to spend my meagre remaining change on a can of fizzy pop. I resisted a takeaway with a small queue then was amazed not to find anywhere else, eventually travelling the long way around New Street via a cash machine to a supermarket just to be moaned at for not having smaller change, which isn't very helpful as I suspect many small purchases at these places are motivated by an urgent need for change! The last train back was infuriatingly busy, with a bunch of idiots badly singing Stone Roses and Christmas songs, not even showing the courtesy of getting the lyrics to Waterfall right! It was most frustrating as I couldn't get a seat to write up my notes, and it was so loud that I couldn't listen to music either, having to resort to some iPod Solitaire to pass the journey. My ears were whistling for a good few days and I was especially tired when waking up early the next day to go swimming, but I don't let a little thing like a late night interfere with my plans. Talking about omissions would be churlish, as I'd sneaked a look at the setlist beforehand so knew what to expect, and we'd been given excellent renditions of all the tunes too. Absolutely nothing disappointed, and it had been a very long time since I'd heard so many SFA songs in a set that I was so excited by. Playing full albums is a bit of a cliche now, but SFA had done it in style, and what's wrong with following the crowd when the idea is genuinely appealing? Only creditable bands can do it as shit pop acts simply don't have notable albums they can perform. Part of me wants to award this gig 9.5/10, but I fear that would be a little too generous, as after seeing SFA so many times inevitably the impact is diminished. Also, as good as it was, the very best marks are achieved when a band exceed expectations, and tonight SFA just met my high expectations, and I learned little about their brilliance that I didn't already know. However, it had been a delight to hear two of the greatest albums ever made in quick succession, and this excellent show has reminded me that, after the best part of 20 years, SFA have reigned supreme, despite some pretty stiff competition!
Setlist
God! Show Me Magic
Fuzzy Birds
Something 4 The Weekend
Frisbee
Hometown Unicorn
Gathering Moss
If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You
Bad Behaviour
Mario Man
Hangin' With Howard Marks
Long Gone
For Now and Ever
Furryvision ™
The Placid Casual
The International Language Of Screaming
Demons
Short Painkiller
She's Got Spies
Play It Cool
Hermann ♥'s Pauline
Chupacabras
Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir
Bass Tuned To D.E.A.D.
Down A Different River
Download
Mountain People
The Man Don't Give A Fuck

Mark: 9.0/10