Gruff Rhys staged 'Candylion' musical in Wales (pics) and reissued the LP; Super Furry Animals expand tour
photos by Rachel Juarez-Carr & Christopher Jesse Juarez
‘The Insatiable Inflatable Candylion’ @ SWALEC Stadium
Only the imagination of Gruff Rhys could have come up with this singular show. He expands his 2007 album Candylion into a psychedelic fable – for all the family! Billed by National Theatre Wales as a “theatre gig”, live music propels the story, with the audience standing or moving about the space.
We’re in Pixel Valley, where hybrid creatures – Candylion, Polarpear, Meringueutan – happily gather pixel fruit. But after the Candylion swallows some negative vibes, she begins to grow – and get nasty. The pink creature (played with winning childish stroppiness by Remy Beasley) turns into a tyrannical “Turbo Capitalist”, forcing the others to work in her candy factory. Only Caruin – a carnation penguin, obviously! – resists. After an epic journey to the land of the Cone People, he returns to persuade Candylion – swollen into an enormous, inflatable set of jaws – that it’s better to share.
The word ‘surreal’ is liberally used today – but Candylion really, genuinely is. It’s delightful – and should delight kids. – [The Independent]
As mentioned, Gruff Rhys turned his 2007 album Candylion into a family-friendly musical staged by the National Theatre Company of Wales at SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff during the holidays. The colorful production features sets by Super Furry Animals designer Pete Fowler, as well as musical help from onetime Flaming Lips drummer Kliph Scurlock, plus Sweet Baboo, Lisa Jen and others. Pictures from the stage production are in this post.
Candylion has also just been given its first-ever UK/US vinyl pressing, in a double-disc gatefold package that features three sides of music and the fourth side an etched illustration.
In other news, Gruff’s band Super Furry Animals will soon be back in North America, playing West Coast shows in February and then back again in in the spring for the rest of the country, including Austin’s Levitation Festival and NYC’s Webster Hall on May 5 (tickets). A few more shows have added since our last post and all are listed, along with more pics from the Candylion show, below…
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Super Furry Animals – 2015 Tour Dates
04.02.2016 VANCOUVER THE IMPERIAL
05.02.2016 PORTLAND, OR CRYSTAL BALLROOM
06.02.2016 SEATTLE, WA NEPTUNE THEATRE
09.02.2015 SAN FRANCISCO, CA THE GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
11.02.2016 WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA THE ROXY THEATRE
12.02.2016 WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA THE ROXY THEATRE
21.04.2016 GLASGOW SSE HYDRO
24.04.2016 ABERDEEN AECC
25.04.2016 LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA
27.04.2016 LEEDS FIRST DIRECT ARENA
29.04.2016 BIRMINGHAM GENTING ARENA
01.05.2016 AUSTIN, TEXAS LEVITATION, CARSON CREEK RANCH
03.05.2016 CAMBRIDGE, MA THE SINCLAIR
05.05.2016 NEW YORK, NY WEBSTER HALL
06.05.2016 WASHINGTON DC 9:30 CLUB
07.05.2016 PHILADELPHIA, PA UNION TRANSFER
28.05.2016 SWANSEA LIBERTY STADIUM
