Lead singer, Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals performs, at Glastonbury music festival, Pilton, Somerset UK
When the Super Furry Animals first arrived from Wales at this festival in the mid-1990s, it was in their own tank, painted blue and kitted out with a sound-system. Since then, their performances have become legendary and always a spectacle. From giant inflatable animals to yeti costumes, the SFA put on show. But this is a decidedly low-key late afternoon appearance for the Furries — and they've rarely sounded so good. If the band wanted to prove a point, they have, these songs old and new stand on their own. Shed of visual distraction, the joyful multi-layer pop/rock/dance of the Furries back catalog, which spans over 10 years and seven albums sounds both classic and fresh. The low-tech approach sees singer Gruff Rhys eating potato chips on "Receptacle For The Respectable" (Paul McCartney is eating celery on the recorded version). And set closer, "The Man Don't Give a Fu—k," which samples Steely Dan's "Showbiz Kids," is shorn of its techno outro. But the Furries are preaching to the converted here. The sizable crowd knows they are in the presence of one of the world's greatest bands. And the sun really did come out during "Hello Sunshine." "Our next song will be 'Hello Thunder and Rain,'" quipped Rhys.