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Super Furry Animals touring West Coast in 2016; Gruff Rhys played "Rings Around the World" w/ Yo La Tengo (video)

photos by Rachel Juarez-Carr

Gruff Rys @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London 10/20/2015
Gruff Rhys

There’s a lot of news in the world of Super Furry Animals. Having gotten back together for the reissue of the 2000 Welsh language LP, Mwng, and to play festival dates (including NYC’s 4 Knots this summer), the band seem to be officially back in action. They’ve announced North American dates for the West Coast in February, and after that they’ll open for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds on UK dates in spring 2016. Hopefully the rest of North America — and maybe a new SFA album? — will follow. Stay tuned. All dates are listed below.

Before that, SFA frontman Gruff Rhys is turning his 2007 album Candylion into a family-friendly musical called The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion that is a collaboration with the National Theatre Company of Wales and will have a holiday run at SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, Wales from December 16 – January 2. Here’s the synopsis:

This Christmas, take a trip to Pixel Valley, a magical world filled with positive vibes, colourful, mixed up characters and badminton.

Come on an adventure with Polar Pear, Sledgehog, Cheffyl and the larger than life insatiable, inflatable Candylion… what will become of life in the valley when negative vibes take over the town?

Musicians and actors collide in this immersive production that blurs the line between a theatre show and sing-a-long live music gig, inspired by Gruff Rhys’ (Super Furry Animals) seminal album, Candylion.

That actually sounds kind of great. Tickets are on sale.

Gruff also just opened for Yo La Tengo at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Monday (10/21) where he played a selection of solo and SFA songs. He also came out for YLT’s encore where they performed Super Furry single “(Drawing) Rings Around The World.” Video of that, plus setlist and more pics from Gruff’s set at Shepherd’s Bush, below.


Gruff Rhys The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion

Gruff Rhys The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys

SETLIST: Gruff Rhys @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire 10/20/2015
Unknown song
Cryndod Yn Dy Lais (Super Furry Animals song)
American Interior
Iolo
Shark Ridden Waters
Liberty (Is Where We’ll Be)
If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)
Allweddellau Allweddol
Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru
The Swamp
Gathering Moss (Super Furry Animals song)
Sensations in the Dark

Super Furry Animals – 2016 Tour Dates
02/04/2016 Vancouver, BC / The Imperial
02/05/2016 Portland, OR / Sabertooth Music Festival – Crystal Ballroom
02/06/2016 Seattle, WA / The Neptune Theatre
02/09/2016 San Francisco, CA / Great American Music Hall
02/11/2016 West Hollywood, CA / The Roxy Theatre
04/21/2016 Glasgow, UK / The SSE Hydro
04/24/2016 Aberdeen, UK / GE AECC
04/25/2016 Liverpool UK / Echo Arena
04/27/2016 Leeds, UK / Genting Arena
04/30/2016 Bournemouth / International Centre