Super Furry Animals @ Hi:Fi South

United Kingdom | by Ross Purdie | 30 May 2006

Super Furry Animals have played almost every UK festival known to man, with tanks, lightsuits, robots, and even Howard Marks among the weird and wonderful things joining them on their summer jaunts. Singer Gryff Rhys stops backstage at Hi:Fi South to chat to VF about all things, err, Gryff like, innit...  

Virtual Festivals: Having fun?
Gruff Rhys: Oh it’s magical, beautiful weather, and a riviera of stale facilities

VF: What have you been up to so far?
GR: We went to a great service station on the M3. They were very nice but a bit crowded and full of children for my liking, obviously due to the bank holiday rush.

VF: Are you looking forward to your performance later?
GR: Yeah, we enjoy playing outdoors, even though we’re in a tent today, and festivals are a great opportunity to try out new songs.

VF: Any covers planned? Maybe a nice bit of Kylie?
GR: No covers, no. No Kylie today. We are going to be plugged into the light suits though, which glow occasionally. When they work.

VF: What happens if the rain causes an electrocution?
GR: That’s even better.

VF: So would you die for your art?
GR: Absolutely.

VF: Have you ever been electrocuted?
GR: Yes, but I wouldn’t like to get into the graphic detail of how. I can confirm there will not be any Kylie covers though.

VF: Any new songs?
GR: No, but we’ve added a new bit to an old song, one called ‘Calimero’. That might be new to some people. We’re also doing two or three songs off the last album.

VF: What’s your favourite song you’ve done?
GR: We don’t like getting too obsessed by our own material as there might be complications later in life. I’d say ‘Eye Of The Tiger’.

VF: What sort of stuff are you into at the moment?
GR: I’m listening to something called ‘Rush Hour’. I don’t know what it is but it’s banging, banging whatever it is. It’s a bit like what I can hear coming from that tent down there.

VF: What do you think of some of the dancier stuff here?
GR: Well it’s very old school isn’t it. It’s like Goldie all over again. I hear he’s playing isn’t he? No, ah well he’s old school.

VF: Will Ian Brown cut the mustard as the main headliner of Hi:Fi?
GR: Yeah, everyone’s a bit hard on Ian Brown when he plays live but it’s just top songs, isn’t it? He’ll be ok.

VF: You’re playing the Hay-On-Wye festival. Lots of famous people like Bill Clinton have spoken there. Are you doing it for political reasons?
GR: No, we’re just going there to play music. It’s just a bit different to playing in a field. There’s some good people reading and speaking there as well so hopefully we’ll get a chance to see some of that.

VF: What’s your relationship with the tank now? (SFA once toured with a blue techno tank which appeared on stage with them)
GR: Umm. Complicate and very confused.

VF: Is it ever likely to make another appearance on stage with you?
GR: Well, we could have done with it today. I mean we have got one here so it will probably come in useful later. The stage has got a very wide ramp, as we asked for, so it’s a possibility.

VF: You’re also renowned for swearing quite a bit. What’s your favourite naughty word?
GR: Err, I quite like the Spanish word ‘cabron’. It means you’re a person who’s wife is shagging someone else but you don’t know about. It’s quite a devious swear word and is a big insult in Spanish. Huge. And on that bombshell, we'd better make a move...