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Summer Reading

Tropical Truth and Solva Blues are from Gruff Rhys' selections. He wrote the foward to the John Cale biography. SFA make an appearance in Howard Mark's infamous book. Gruff's father edited the anthology of verse and poetry, The Mountains of Wales. Pete Fowler illustrated a paperback edition of Animal Farm and is featured in the art book Vinyl Will Kill.

29 July : Barcelona
Gruff and Bunf play acoustically, on the bill with Andy Rourke [formerly of The Smiths] at Sala Razzmatazz in Barcelona on 29 July.

[22 July : B-Music Night ~ Manchester] ~ postponned
B-Music night comes to the Cornerhouse, Manchester, with special guest Gruff Rhys joining Andy Votel and Dominic Thomas.
Update: This has been postponned until August, as announced on their email list. ~ 17 May, 28 June

23 July : B-Music Night Welsh Rare Beat ~ Cardiff
To celebrate the release of the Welsh Rare Beat compilation from Finders Keepers Records, Gruff Rhys, Andy Votel, Dominic Thomas and Dyl Mei will be at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff until 3AM. Check B-Music for further details. From the mailout:
"WELSH RARE BEAT LAUNCH PARTY ~ CARDIFF
Saturday 23rd July 2005, 10.00pm-3am (Late late license)
Clwb Ifor Bach, Stryd Womanby, Caerdydd
ADMISSION �5.00
To celebrate the launch of our "WELSH RARE BEAT" comp, we will be playing our first Welsh B-Music at our newly appointed home 'Clwb Ifor Bach'. Prepare to be bombarded by some super-rare psychedelic footage of legendary Welsh artists such as Meic Stevens and Heather Jones, along wih a rip-roaring soundtrack of Folk-Funk-Turkish-Psych-Tropicalia-Prog-Spacerock and a heavy dose of Welsh-Rare-Beat!! With dj's Andy Votel. Dominic Thomas, Gruff Rhys and Dyl Mai.

From www.clwb.net:

"LANSIO CRYNODDISG WELSH RARE BEAT
"A fascinating insight into an enigmatic musical mind and the rich, thrillingly politicized culture that nurtured it" ~ Uncut 4/5

I ddathlu lansiad y casgliad amlgyfrannog "WELSH RARE BEAT" bydd y gwestai arbennig Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) am chwarae set DJ arbennig gyda Andy Votel, (Twisted Nerve), Dominic Thomas, (B Music) a Dyl Mei (Pep Le Pew), yn nigwyddiad cyntaf Cymraeg y label recordiau B-Music.
Paratowch i gael eich syfrdanu gan glipiau o artistiaid chwedlonol Cymraeg nas welwyd ers blynyddoedd fel Meic Stephens a Heather Jones gyda trac sain o Gwerin-Ffync-Psych-Tropicalia-Prog-Gofodroc a llond troli o Rare-Beat-Cymraeg!!!
Nos Sadwrn Gorffennaf 23 2005
10pm-3am
Mynediad �5
~ 17 May, 20 July

20 July : Gruff Rhys ~ Tokyo
"British Pavilion Presents Super Furry Animals Special Acoustic Live
日時：7/20(水) DJ TIME 20：00 START（LIVEスタート時間未定
場所：HUB渋谷1号店 東京都渋谷区宇田川町３－１０ぽあんしぶやビルＢ１ TEL03-3462-5881"
pub-hub.com
Gruff Rhys will play solo at the HUB in Tokyo on 20 July, according to Sony Music Japan. See Fusion Musique. 13, 15 July, thanks to Mangilovewales

16 July : Ashton Court Festival ~ Bristol
Super Furry Animals play the Ashton Court Festival on the Saturday of the two-day festival which runs, 16-17 July. Lemon Jelly headline on Sunday, with 150 other acts throughout the weekend. The amazingly cheap tickets are only five pounds in advance from Bristol Ticketshop, The Arcade, Broadmead, Bristol, or with added booking fees from 0870 4444 400 or Bristol Ticket Shop, or six pounds at the door. ~ thanks to Keith, Rob of The Mighty Stars (also on the bill)

17 July ~ Gruff @ the Barbican
Gruff Rhys will be performing solo and DJing at the Barbican in London on Sunday afternoon, 17 July from 1PM-4PM as part of a FREE concert series featuring British Folk artists. Other musicians to appear on the Free Stage, level 0, include Hamilton Yarns, and Robin Williamson. Scheduled for the Sunday prior, 10 July, are Bob Stanley, A Hawk & A Hacksaw and Adem's Assembly5. 13 June, thanks to Moira

15 July : Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
Owain Glyndŵr's ghost was dead right. Super Furry Animals will play the Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau on 15 July. Visit their website for all the glorious details.
Update: The information has been removed from the website, we have no idea why. It may be a hold on press, or things may have changed. If anyone knows, please do write.
Ah...it was a hold for press. The show will be announced official Thursday. But hey.
Update: SFA's appearance has been truly and officially confirmed now...go get yourself a ticket and have fun.
According to an article in the Daily Post, all 10,000 tickets for the festival will likely be sold soon. Organizer Ywain Myfyr said, "Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau will be the showcase for Welsh music this summer. This year's line-up is very exciting but it's not just about our overseas guests, I think it reflects the vibrant and exciting scene we have in Wales at the moment."

Update: This looks to be broadcast on TV in Wales on S4C.
TV: Wales on Sunday report that the concert will be shown on on both on S4C and S4C digidol, Sky TV channel 151 in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
~ 15 April, 11 June, thanks to Owain M., Corach

Eisteddfod
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg have said that Gruff will be playing a gig in the Eisteddfod in Bangor, during the first week of August. No further details are available at this time.

Update: In the May issue of Sound Nation, Steffan Cravos of Fitamin Un reports that Gruff Rhys will play the Wednesday night [4 August?] of the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru. ~ thanks to Ger, 18 March, 10 May

10 July : Oxegen Festival
Super Furry Animals will headline the New Band Stage [!] on Sunday, 10 July at the Oxegen Festival, to be held at outside Dublin, Ireland, as announced in Hotpress and NME.~ 19 April

9 July : T in The Park 2005 ~ Scotland
The Scottish Daily Record report that Super Furry Animals will headline the X-Tent at T in the Park 2005 on 9 July. The festival had already sold out, but there's a possibility of additional ticket availablity through the website.
Update: This has now been confirmed. There may be day tickets still available, do check. ~ 25, 26 April, thanks to Squirms

8 July : Somerset House ~ London
Super Furry Animals play the Somerset House Series at the The Strand, London on Wednesday, 8 July. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster.

Update: It's our understanding from links and news reports that the show is on. Enjoy, those going. Check Transport for London. ~ 22 April, 8 June, thanks to Doll of shesgotspies.co.uk, browneye, CT board & List

Love to you all
We send all our love to our many friends in London. Due to the situation there, the Somerset House show may not go on, but do confirm this locally. As with all the news we list, we may not always have the most current or correct information. Please keep in mind that this is an independent, unofficial website.

Update: The Somerset House website is currently reporting that only the 7 June QOTSA show was postponned, the rest are planned to carry on as scheduled, but do check before traveling to the venue.

Find a smile again by reading about the new light-up stage outfits in this review of the Barry show from the South Wales Echo. ~ 7 June, with love from NYC & CT

6 July : Barry Memorial Hall
There is a summer festival "warm-up" show at Barry Memorial Hall on 6 July, tickets on sale Monday, 6 July, as announced on NME.com

Update: Tickets are for sale directly from the venue on 01446 400111.
~ 3 June, thanks to Alan/NME, Rhys

More, more, more
The Guardian traveled with SFA to the One Love Festival in Istanbul ~ don't miss this interview. News, tipped on the List, that SFA may support U2 on some dates, and that they turned down a massive Coke deal is revealed, along with many details of the forthcoming album. NME reports that single Laser Beam, out 8 August, is backed with two new tracks, Sunny Seville and Colonize The Moon, the later which Gruff has played in his recent solo shows. Gigwise has posted an album review. {I know, we just want to hear it, not read about it!}

BBC 6 has a contest to win tickets to the Somerset House concert. nofixedidentity has posted some photos from Coventry. The Guardian reviewed Patti Smith's Meltdown Festival shows. We're still a little fuzzy on whether Gruff played. Anyone?

Round Our Way
Hamish Roberston of Verbose Coma sent us our new cover photo, taken at the Newcastle Freevolution Festival. There's new design T-shirts in the SFA Shop [no connection to us]. We peeked at our website stats and found that while there's been nearly a hundred thousand visits to the news page, only a few hundred have looked elsewhere. Your webmaster has spent untold hours on this and there's some not-so-secret information and downloads scattered about. Go! Enjoy! Write and send us new stuff: superfurrylogic[AT]aol.com ~ 11 June

Rhys Ifans List
There's a new mailing list for fans of Rhys Ifans on YahooGroups.

Pete & The Magic Numbers
SFA illustrator, Pete Fowler has animated a video for The Magic Numbers. You can watch Forever Lost on NME.com. You can create your own poster by visiting The Magic Numbers ~ poster creator

superfurry.com
SFA's own, but long out-of-date website superfurry.com, has been updated with some artwork and "new site coming soon". Your webmaster wrote the news section on an earlier version, from 00-02, which is archived in our prior pages. Meanwhile... ~ 17 June

Acid Casuals
Acid Casuals, featuring Cian Ciaran of SFA and Kev Tame of Third Light, have a split single with Vacant out 19 June. It's a limited edition of 1000, and song titles are Wa Da Da / Jack. For more about various side projects, see Recordings : asides. ~ thanks to Matt

September : Gruff & Karen & Kool Keith
As Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's revealed to MTV.com, she, Kool Keith (AKA Dr. Octogon among other names), Danger Mouse, Gruff Rhys, and several Seattle-based musicians calling themselves the Peepers, are recording an album tribute to the porn movies Deep Throat and Lialeh, both released in 1972. Light in the Attic Records will release an EP version in September, with the full album to follow in early 06. Earlier this year, the label released The Free Design Redesigned Vol. 2, with SFA and other musicians remixing music by the 60's vocal group. ~ 12 May

1 July : Ramshackle DJ & Xbox Live
On 1  July, Guto and Bunf will be special guest DJs at Ramshackle for Xbox night at the Carling Academy Birmingham. The night runs from 10PM-3AM, admission is 3 pounds (NUS or with flyer) or 5 pounds (advance priority). Also on the day, Super Furry Animals will be on Xbox live between 9PM and 10PM GMT, playing Conker: Live and Reloaded. To play with SFA, if your Gamertag starts with a letter from A-M, add Furry Animal 1 and Furry Animal 2. If your Gamertag starts with a letter from N-Z, add Furry Animal  3 and Furry Animal 4. For more information, see the XBox Night announcement. ~ 29 June, thanks to Fancieland

29-30 June : Oasis Support
SFA play support to old Creation label-mates Oasis on 29 June at Glasgow Hampden Park and 30 June at Manchester City Stadium, as hinted last week on the List and announced in NME. Also appearing at Manchester at The Stands. Glasgow also sees The Stands, plus The Futureheads and The Redwalls. Both dates are already sold out. ~ 10 June, thanks to our lovely tipster and Alan/NME

Update: After the Glasgow show, SFA are holding an after-party at ABC (330 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JB, Phone: 0870 4000 818). This was seen on a poster around town ~ do confirm with the club.
Update: Electrik Soup reports that this starts at 11pm and is �5 entry. ~ thanks to Stephen V-G, Electrik Soupr

Fall For It
Hannah Jones writes in The Western Mail, "Their Dolgellau appearance on the opening night of July 15 precedes a major US tour in the autumn which will be filmed by Welsh production company, Avanti."~  22 April

Love Krafted
The honeymoon Furries tour trip of Jonas and Casey is covered in the Aberdeen Press and Journal. And see their photo above with the Furries in remote Ullapool, Scotland. We wish them much happiness together. Now that's more than a few tales of love and friendship around SFA, including some we've seen online and firsthand, and one theatrical play.

Bits
Speaking to Pitchfork, Gruff said of Love Kraft, "Everybody's been pitching in more and more over the years anyway, and Cian has always written a lot ~ especially the instrumentals. It's nice having it wide open." There's no songs sung in Welsh, "but there's one in Portuguese." Rhys said. "There's a song called Oi Frango, which is basically an instrumental, but it does have a few Portuguese words that are repeated." Tour plans to the US, Europe and Japan in the autumn were mentioned and they report the US release date as 9 August (prior to the UK).

Of the May dates in the UK, Daf told Coventry Evening Telegraph, "We've always liked these intimate gigs where you can smell the audience. We haven't toured for over a year and it's a good way of getting back into it. It might be a bit of a cobweb-dusting exercise."

Guto told the Sunday Mail, "We try to move on with every record but never radically so. It's a bit like Teenage Fanclub or The Beach Boys but it still sounds like us....Laser Beam will be out in July. It's a happy love-filled record."

Speaking to NME, Gruff said of the future tours, "We're building up; it's gonna get mental in the next few months. We're gonna be adding elements to the show. We have people behind the scenes working on new technology." Of the replacement for the Yetis, "There is gonna be something but it's gonna be post-robots. It's very futuristic, whereas the robot is history. The thing is, this thing is so new it doesn't even have a name."

Stream : Zoom ~ BBC Radio 1 ~ John Peel ~ 12 July 01

Press
The Scottish Daily Record spoke to Gruff about the tour and forthcoming album. There's reviews of the recent tour in the News And Star, Scotsman, and Whitehaven News. There's some photos from that gig on Haven Sounds. Frequent board contributor, Morph, review the Oxford show for Artrocker. Gigwise has a brief article. Pitchfork has reviews of the US re-issues.

Photographic Evidence
Doll has photos and reviews of recent shows on shesgotspies.co.uk. Gaz has photographs from Wrexham. And also check out Noriko's photos.

August : It Might
In other festival news, TODD told Drowned In Sound that they are scheduled to play a festival in August with The Boredoms and SFA. (We have no further details at this time.) ~ 17 February

Under The Radar
US magazine Under The Radar has an extensive cover feature on Super Furry Animals in Issue 9. It has detailed discussion of the forthcoming album, including talk of a track with lyrics about the night Gruff opened for the Flaming Lips {for which your webmaster helped pull some strings}. Visit the magazine's website for subscription information and individual issue sales. And check back, as they'll be adding many more of the quotes they gathered for the article.

Update: The extra pages are now live on undertheradarmag.com/sfa.html. {Just love all the quotes from all the fantastic people I've met thanks to the Furries! Bit strange with all the links, they don't have this website...}

11 June : Pete Fowler DJ ~ London
Soft Focus returns on 11 June, "an evening of spooked folk, shimmering baroque pop & gentle country sounds, carefully played by Pete Fowler, Jeremy Brill and Graham Erickson..." at The Three Kings Pub off Clerkenwell Green.

10 June : 4th Efes Pilsen One Love Festival
SFA play the 4th Efes Pilsen One Love Festival on 10 June in Turkey. Other performers at the multi-day festival which starts 9 June include The Chemical Brothers, Ian Brown and Lemon Jelly. Tickets are YTL 55 (regular) and YTL 35 (student), and can be purchased through Biletix and at the entrance. If you know of anything Furry related we haven't posted, please write superfurrylogic[AT]aol.com. ~ thanks to Squirms

4 June : Venn Festival 2005 DJ
SFA will DJ on Saturday at the Venn Festival 2005 in Bristol, to be held 3-5 June at Cube Microplex. Other acts appearing include Acid Mother's Temple, for which Pete Fowler has also done sleeve artwork. Tickets are �10 plus booking fees for Saturday, and available from Bristol Ticket Shop, at 12 The Arcade, Broadmead, Bristol, BS1 3JA, phone: 0870 4444 400. See the festival's website for further details. ~ 22 April, thanks to Rob

Pics & Axes
Gaz is sharing some photographs from the Wake Up To Trade Justice rally held in London on 15 April. And don't miss the photos posted by Andrew Kendall. Amadeeeep has photos from Boom Bip's recent London show, where Gruff guested.

Secret Garden Confirmed, Tour Info
See details of summer tour dates below. Guto spoke about SFA's tour plans to the Whitehaven News.

Welsh Rare Beat
"Finders Keepers will be releasing a compliation of obscure and collectable Welsh folk rock from the vaults of Sain records in July. Curated by Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and Finders Keepers stalwarts Andy Votel and Dominic Thomas this is set to become the soundtrack of the summer."

Update: The May/June 05 issue of Flux magazine comes with The Phoenix Rises, a free mix CD by Andy Votel and Dominic Thomas, featuring current and forthcoming releases from the vaults of Finders Keepers, including the forthcoming Turkish compilation Anatolian Invasion, Welsh Rare Beat and excerpts from the Sitting Target original soundtrack. 4, 12 May

21 September : Nottingham Rock City
First of the autumn dates, SFA on 21 September at Nottingham Rock City, is showning on See Tickets.
Update: We saw it, we posted it and it was gone. ~ 1 June, 31 May, thanks to ihaterobbiewilliams

2 June : Monsterism vs. Pain, London
Artist Pete Fowler will be DJing as part of the OneDotZero arts festival in London, on 2 June. From their website:
"war of the worlds: monsterism vs painprogramme: legendary character designers and toyfiends pete fowler [monsterism] and james jarvis [world of pain] hit the decks for a monster music-led mash up. unmissable mayhem as their weird worlds collide for collectors, eclectic music fans and thrill seekers everywhere."
See our Pete Fowler . Art . Info pages for more. ~ 12 April

extra : Flaming Lips
Read Flaming Lips album news from Entertainment Weekly {but it won't be out quite so soon...}, so watch The Fearless Freaks trailer and ifilm clip ~ the film is out on DVD in May. Jim DeRogatis' book is released in October.

30 May : Newcastle, Evolution Festival ~ Freevolution
The Lumen website is not yet updated with information about 2005 Evolution Festival.
Update: SFA will play this festival on Bank Holiday Weekend, Monday, 30 May. They will be on the Innovation Stage at Spiller's Wharf as part of the free Freevolution Festival hosted by Jason Pierce AKA Spaceman. See Evolution 2005.
~ 7, 8 April, thanks to James, Peter

Ticketing
As detailed in the Guardian, there was a problem with the SFA tour advertisement not including added ticket fees. Apparently, the advertisement was update (we show the old version above). {We hope that the issue of exorbitant ticket fees is addressed, as here in the US, it's an uncontrolled monopoly.}

The Daily Post reports that an agreement has been reached with the promoter, Metropolis Music, and that remaining tickets for Wrexham will be sold at Phase One Records. They also requested that See Tickets drop their requirement that all tickets be sent out by special delivery, reducing their postage and packing charge to �1.75. In true SFA fashion, there's also some quotes about the future of Wrexham FC. ~ 3, 6 May, thanks to Joe/BBC

27 May : Ullapool, Town Hall
Ullapool Town Hall capacity: 380
Tel: 0870 169 0100
www.gigsinscotland.com
Ticketmaster.co.uk

28 May : Dundee, Fat Sams
Tel: 0870 169 0100
www.gigsinscotland.com
Ticketmaster.co.uk

29 May : Whitehaven, Civil Hall
Tel: 01946 852821

Update: bravecaptain will support ~ thanks to Neil, 6, 7 April

25 May : Wrexham, NEWI
Tel: 0115 912 9000
www.gigsandtours.com
Update: Tickets will now also be sold at Phase One Records in Wrexham, bypassing the agency booking fee. See Tickets have also been asked to drop the requirmenet for recorded delivery. See our related article for details. ~ 6 May

24 May : Coventry
Colosseum Nightclub Coventry, Tuesday, 24 April at 19:30
tickets �15.25 including fee plus �1.75 postage.
Tickets on sale 6 April from See Tickets and WAY AHEAD 0115 9129000.
Tel: 02476 228459

23 May : Oxford
Oxford Brookes University Student Union, Oxford, Monday, 23 April at 19:00
tickets �15.25 including fee plus �1.75 postage.
See Tickets: www.wegottickets.com
Tel: 01865 484 750 Tickets may also be available following the details on the student union website.
~ 6 April

22 May : Preston, Lancashire
53 Degrees Preston, Sunday, 22 April at 19:00
tickets �15.25 including fee plus �1.75 postage
See Tickets
Tel: 08712 200260
Also locally at Action Records ~ thanks to Neil, 6 April

31 January : Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word
Wendy and Bonnie's By The Sea, the song sampled by SFA on Phantom Power, is featured on a new compilation produced by Andy Votel of Twisted Nerve. The album also features songs by Sidan, featuring a young Caryl Parry Jones, who wrote the final song on Gruff Rhys' solo album, Chwarea'n Troi'n Chwerw. Details of launch parties in London and Manchester are on the Delay Records website. The album bears a sticker quoting Gruff, "It's true! Folk is not a 4 letter word, it has 23 letters and spells BUY THIS RECORD AND GET LAID!" ~ 27 January, thanks to Delay Records, Joe/BBC Wales

Mark Mulcahy
Our sort-of homeboy Mark Mulcahy has a new album out. Oodles of UK details are on Loose Music. Your webmaster gets to see him at street fairs and Daffodil Festivals in Connecticut.

bravecaptain & Friends
The new online single from bravecaptain stars our mutual friend Corin Ashley of Boston-based The Pills. Corin's been doing some solo spots, including opening for Robyn Hitchcock.

More
Trashcan Sinatras are touring the US, UK and Japan this spring.

Sadly, San Francisco-based Stratford 4 have split, but they will release their last album, and there are new projects from all, including August Bodies.

Boom Bip is touring North American in May. And fear for us, Goldie Lookin Chain are back for a few shows.

14 May : Soft Focus ~ Pete DJing
"Soft Focus ~ an evening of spooked folk, shimmering baroque pop & gentle country sounds, carefully played by Pete Fowler, Jeremy Brill and Graham Erickson...Saturday 14th May 2005 AD, The Three Kings Pub off Clerkenwell Green, 7pm until 'time gentlemen please'

August : It Is
Gruff tells us that the new SFA album will be out in August. ~ 8 April, thanks to...Gruff

iTunes EP
There's a four track live EP available on iTunes UK, which has tracks from SFA's Xfm radio session. We have an affiliate link, but we can't link directly to the EP, as our technology is behind the times. ~ thanks to Rob

Shopping List
Gruff Rhys has a selection of books and albums on Gruff Rhys' Selections on amazon.co.uk. Purchases through our associate links help support this website. Thank you! ~ thanks to Maria

Slacyr
Visit Recordiau Slacyr Records for releases from MC Mabon, Texas Radio Band, Gintis and Pep Le Pew. {Purchases made through their PayPal link give us a little kick back to help support this website, which is just nice for everyone.}

Fire Starter
The folks at Incendiary Magazine have posted up their conversation with Gruff in Amsterdam. Not the usual interview...it's well-informed and personal. ~ thanks to Damian, Richard

9 May : Dax Pierson Benefit
The San Francisco Guardian reports that a London benefit concert is in the planning stages, which will aid recently injured musician Dax Pierson of Subtle. Musicians said to appear include Gruff Rhys, Four-Tet, and Hood. See www.daxpierson.com for health updates and further benefit information.
Update: The benefit will be 9 May at the London Scala, and feature the Super Furry DJs vs. Mogwai DJs, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorrilaz) DJings, plus other DJ sets and live appearances. See the article on NME.com for details.
Update: The benefit is called Fun Raisin and tickets are available through Ticketweb and Rough Trade Covent Garden.

27 April : Gruff Rhys ~ Triptych Festival, Aberdeen, Scotland
Bethan Elfan revealed that Gruff Rhys will apear at the Triptych Festival to be held in Aberdeen, Scotland in April. The line-up is to be announced 1 March.
Update: Fiona Keenan will open the show.~ 20 April, 17, 18 February, 1 March

12 April, 26 April : Re Re Re Re Release
XL Recordings/Beggars Group US will re-release five Super Furry Animals that have gone out of print in the US: Radiator, Out Spaced, Guerrilla and Mwng. Also to be re-released is the compilation Outspaced. They will be out on double CDs on 22 March. US indie label Empyrean are releasing the albums on vinyl. You can pre-order the CDs through our links and help support this website.
Update: The release date has just been pushed back to 12 April.
Update: Guerrilla will be re-released on 26 April. We're unclear on Out Spaced
~ 19 March, updated

Extra tracks are:
Fuzzy Logic (1996): Organ Yn Dy Geg, Crys Ti, Lazy Life, Death By Melody, Waiting To Happen
Radiator (1997): Mu-tron, No K, Foxymusic, Hit & Run, Wrap It Up
Out Spaced (1998): same tracks as UK release
Guerrilla (1999): This, That And The Other, Missunderstanding, Ms Spector, The Matter Of Time, Colorblind
Mwng (2000): Cryndod Yn Dy Lais, Trons Mr Urdd, Calimero, Sali Mali, Hon Yw'r Gan Syn Myndi Achubyr Taih, (Nid)
~ 28 January, 13, 22 February, thanks to Beggars, Wishing Tree, BeeOK

Tramway Times
"That bastion of limousine liberals" The New York Times met up with Gruff when he was last in the city, and took the tramway with him out to Roosevelt Island. ~ 31 March

Cosmic Trigger Happy
There's a new online forum for Furries talk, Cosmic Trigger. It's added to our quick links above and on our front page.
Update: To reflect the high daily traffic in the new forum, we've moved it up to the top of our quick links so it's easy to access from here.

Laser Beam
The first UK single off the forthcoming SFA album may be Laser Beam (or Laserbeam), and will be released in July, according to Music Week. Look for that to change a half dozen times as the date draws near, but hey, that means you can stop back and visit us. ~ 27 March, thanks to Ollie's Mom

Chord Songbook
A long-awaited sheetmusic book will be released in the UK on 1 April. Order the 48 page Super Furry Animals Chord Songbook through our link.
Update: Like everything Furry, this seems to be delayed. You can pre-order it and it will ship when it's in. {Fellow Yanks, your webmaster has had good success ordering from UK ~ the weak dollar and VAT refund offset the prices and shipping.}

12 March : Air America
Gruff Rhys was on Air America, a US radio network, on Saturday evening, 12 March. We're seeking an archived version to share with you.
Update: The show can be downloaded from the Air America archive. Listen in from about 22 minutes.~ thanks to Duncan, grimmissis

19 April : Gruff Rhys guest vocal/DJ ~ London
Eat Your Own Ears presents Caribou (formerly Manitoba), Scala, London on 19 April. From the Scala:
"Super Furry Animals� main man GRUFF RHYS makes a special live guest appearance to sing the excellent track Do's and Don'ts featured on BOOM BIP's Blue Eyed In The Red Room. His "slouch-mouthed mumblings is truly special, growing from a Brian Eno-joins-The Beach Boys wash of voices and bass pulses, through a verse that is grumpy and disengaged enough to have come from Pink Floyd�s mordant masterpiece The Wall, to a chorus that stands on its head whistling circus tunes..." ~ NME

GRUFF RHYS joins KIERAN HEBDEN AKA FOUR TET at the decks to dig out a crate of psychedelic pop, 50�s jazz, raw hip hop and early folk music ~ you may even hear the mournful cry of a curlew...!"

Update: Boom Bip's mailout says that Gruff will also perform Do's And Don'ts live on Tuesday, 19 April, at Eat Your Own Ears at Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London. Tickets are �10.50 plus fees from Ticketweb. ~ 21 February, 30 March, thanks to Gaz, Lex Records

15 April : Trade Justice Movement, London
Gruff Rhys will play an acoustic set at the Marquee Club in Leicester Square, as part of the all-night Wake Up To Trade Justice rally in London on 15 April. Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead will join Vanessa Redgrave and Pete Postlethwaite for the nighttime protest which will stop in at Downing Street. Other artists are expected to be announced. Visit the organizations website and see the story on Xfm.

Update: According to a mailing from bravecaptain, he, Gruff Rhys and Richard James will also play acoustic sets after the Marquee appearances at Westminster Methodist Central Hall 'round midnight or later. ~ 8, 13 April

16 April : Gruff Rhys ~ Rotterdam
Gruff Rhys will take part in Motel Mozaique, a festival in Rotterdam, on 16 April. Visit the English-language website for more information. ~ 28 February

July : 100% Unconfirmed
The ghost of Owain Glyndŵr told us that SFA *may* play Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau. Why would we say if we don't know for certain? Only that we have a life too, and if you've gotta book time off work or think about travelling. It is 100% unconfirmed and unannounced and...don't have a cow, man. (now confirmed)

9 April : DJ in Brighton
According to a post on ye olde and ancient superfurry.com, Gruff and Bunf will DJ at Arc in Brighton on 9 April, with admission 5 pounds. We haven't confirmed this, so ring the club. ~ 3 April

Gruff with Boom Bip
Gruff Rhys guests on the forthcoming album from Boom Bip entitled Blue Eyed In The Red Room, on the track Do's and Don'ts. Also featured is Nina Nastasia. Bryan Holleran said, "Gruff crashed on my couch for a few days. He drew inspiration from some of the books I had lying around, in particular Bahai Faith by Jessyca Russell Gaver." An MTV film crew was at Danger Mouse's studio, so the collaboration was filmed ~ we don't know if that will surface. Of the track, the Sony UK press release says, "...Gruff's portentous lyrics perfectly complemented thespooky, cosmic feel of the track with the layered vocals, fingerclicks, tablas, backwards guitars and mesmeric bass that spiral outinto a proper LA-style, wig-out." Boom Bip also has a track featured in the upcoming Jay-Z hip-hop documentary film, Fade to Black.

Update 12 January: Do's + Don'ts is now available now as digital download single only from Bleep. The single features two songs from the new album ~ Do's + Don'ts with Gruff Rhys from The Super Furry Animals and an instrumental track called The Move. You can also listen to the songs in full before you buy. Each track is 99p UK or $1.35 USA or EUR 1.35.

From Lex Records:
"Boom Bip's new album Blue Eyed In The Red Room" is due out in late February on Lex. Recording Do's + Don'ts wasn't the first time that Boom Bip and Gruff had worked together. Back in 2002 around the release of Seed To Sun Boom Bip opened for The Super Furries on their US tour and then last year The SFA released a Boom Bip remix of Father, Father on the Phantom Phorce remix compilation. "Do's + Don'ts" song was recorded at the end of the Super Furries tour in Los Angeles last year. The vocals were laid down at Danger Mouse's California studio one afternoon. It might be a new direction but it definitely sounds very Boom Bip. Listen to the results:
Download from: Bleep

Update Boom Bip is touring the UK and Europe in April, playing the Coachella Festival in California, then touring the USA with Mice Parade, then Fog.

"Do's and Don'ts, sung by Gruff Rhys is just about the biggest Do possible." ~ Vice

Update: By popular demand, Do's + Don'ts will be released in the UK as a limited edition single of 1000 copies on 11 April. The B-side will be a remix by Her Space Holiday.
~ 11, November, 11 March thanks to Gaz, Lex Records, Melonie of superfurry.org

7 April : Furry TV
Gruff Rhys, producer/SFA tech Les Morrison and others will be on S4C (analogue and digital) Thursday, 7 April at 9:30PM in Welsh-language program, Pesda Roc. From the S4C website:

O Maffia Mr Huws i Gruff Rhys o'r Super Furry Animals ~ Luned Emyr sy'n edrych ar gyfraniad Bethesda ac ardal Dyffryn Ogwen i'r byd canu roc mewn rhifyn arbennig o'r Sioe Gelf. Gyda chyfraniadau gan nifer o hoelion wyth y s�n roc leol, gan gynnwys Gruff Rhys, Si�n Jones, Hefin Huws, Dafydd Rhys a Les Morrison, dyma hanes ardal fach a'i dylanwad fawr.

From Maffia Mr Huws to Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals fame ~ Luned Emyr traces the Ogwen Valley's contribution to the music world in this documentary from the producers of Sioe Gelf (The Art Show). Featuring interviews with Gruff Rhys, Si�n Jones, Hefin Huws, Dafydd Rhys and Les Morrison, the programme tells the story of this small area and its huge musical influence.
~ 4 April, thanks to Owain M.
{Your webmaster would always love copies of these TV programmes, in any format.}

Elevator Music
Of the Amsterdam show, Jens Lekman writes in his website tour diary:
"Last week I played in Amsterdam, when I stepped into the elevator at the hotel I met Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals who was standing there playing on a little Casio keyboard. I picked up my ukulele and we stood there for half an hour entertaining the people who dared to ride the elevator with us. Ha ha... it was beautiful. Later that evening he put on one of the loveliest performances I've seen in a long time."

Update: Visit VPRO 3VOOR for video from the lift! ~ thanks to Jems, Corach

Photograph Albums
Gaz is sharing his album of 81 photographs from the 10 February show at Theatr Colwyns on Photobox, and Marg has more on Peripheral Anomaly. Visit shesgotspies for Doll's photographs and reviews from Bethesda, Aberystwyth and Cardiff. Nori has photographs from Harlech and Colwyn Bay. ~ 11, 18 February, thanks to Gaz, Marg, Doll

Europa
xsilence.net has a review and photos from Bruxelles, Muzikalia from Barcelona, Fileunder.nl from Amsterdam. There's also an interview on Fileunder.nl. Visit Planet Claire Aligre 91.3FM for streaming video of a radio session from Paris. Don't miss it! Incdendiary Magazine has a review and photos from Amsterdam. Pop News has an interview in French. In it, Gruff says that he will be recording a version of the Kevin Ayers song recorded with Syd Barrett, A Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning) for the Harvest label. He also revealed that Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas has again orchesterated many of the tracks on the forthcoming SFA album. Undertoner has an article in Danish. ~ 1, 15, 21, 22 February

Gruff Plays Beach Hut
Gruff Rhys played to 50 surprised diners at the opening of the Beach Hut cafe at Llanfairfechan in North Wales. The restaurant is a new venture launched by Les Morrison, a record producer and sound technician who's worked with SFA and many other bands. The surprise performance was tipped to members of the List, but by request, we refrained from announcing it here in advance. Speaking to The Daily Post, Les said, "I'd invited friends for the opening and it came as a shock for them when Gruff started singing. They were all clapping and enjoying themselves." ~ 14 February, thanks to Lucy

15 March : US ~ Gruff Rhys ~ Yr Atal Genhedlaeth Order Gruff Rhys Yr Atal Genhedlaeth from amazon.com Order Gruff Rhys Yr Atal Genhedlaeth Limited Edition from amazon.com Your purchases support this website ~ thank you!

US

US

8 March : Ffa Coffi Pawb in North America
Empyrean Records will be releasing a version of the Ffa Coffi Pawb Am Byth record on CD/LP in North America on 1 March [now 8 March]. The album is a compilation of recordings by the band Gruff and Daf were in prior to the formation of SFA. The North American version has a bonus track, alternative artwork, and it comes with American translations, lyrics, and notes on each song from Gruff Rhys.

You can also order Phantom Phorce on 2 vinyl LPs:
"PHANTOM PHORCE is a masterful collection of re-workings that takes the tracks from the band's sixth, 2003 studio album, PHANTOM POWER, and whips them into a fierce, diverse musical frenzy. From Killa Kela's beat-box laden Golden Retriever, to Four Tet's organic-soul Piccolo Snare, to Frieband's blippy-trippy Hello Sunshine, PHANTOM PHORCE breathes new life into now-classic SFA treasures. Pressed on limited edition high quality gold colored vinyl!"

Empyrean will also be releasing more SFA vinyl (along with the upcoming new record) throughout 05. See our Recordings : afore for more about Ffa Coffi Pawb and other pre-SFA bands.

Update: The bonus track will be Toycn, and there will be a fold out poster included. The release date is now 8 March. ~ 28 December, 5, 21 February, thanks to David at Empyrean

27 March : Gruff Rhys ~ Iceland
Gruff mentioned a festival in Iceland on two radio interviews, but we haven't found any further information. If you have, please write. Meanwhile, visit Mugison.

22 March : Tavastia ~ Helsinki, Finland
Gruff Rhys will play Tavastia Klubi in Helsinki, Finland on 22 March. Special guest will be Samae Koskinen (Sister Flo), and tickets are Euro 12. ~ 17 February

Don't Mess With Texas
Gruff Rhys will not be appearing at SXSW Festival, to be held in Austin in March. Despite some press notices, this is the word according to his US label, Rough Trade America, and well, Gruff. ~ 31 January, thanks to Casey and KS in KS

SFA USA
At his NYC solo show, Gruff said that the Furries plan to be in the States around May or June. Visit Dark Shapes Prowl for a photo from the set at Tonic. Megamegamega has a blog review. ~ 6, 15 February

23 February ~ 12 March : Waves in the Chatroom
We're a bit flumoxed to report that a new play is debuting in Cardiff about two SFA fans that meet online. Waves in the Chatroom, by DJ Britton, will be at Sherman Theatre Company from 23 February to 12 March. Tickets are 5 pounds (Mon-Thurs) and 8 pounds (Fri-Sat). From the synopsis:

"Cerys in Cardiff begins a virtual friendship with Michel in Montreal through their love of the Super Furry Animals. Echoing Marconi's first transmission across the Atlantic, the pair grow closer while their home lives become more turbulent. Add a meddling egotistical Marconi to the mix and you've got a modern urban tale for a computer generation.

"Extraordinary. I give the world wireless communications and a century later they invent the cable! I give them the means of flashing urgent information around the world and where does it lead? MTV! Although, these Super Furry Animals really rock...that is the terminology, I believe."

Having see more than a few friends and lovers meet over eight years of the List, can we just say...! ~ thanks to Geraint

"With music from the Super Furry Animals throughout and directed by the Sherman's artistic director Phil Clark, Waves in the Chatroom is a modern urban tale for a computer generation." ~ Western Mail

The play will also be performed at Torch Theatre in Pembrokeshire on 24 March. Tickets: �10.00 (�8.00).

14 March : GLC ~ NYC (no SFA)
Goldie Lookin Chain plus MC Lars are at Mercury Lounge in New York City on 14 March at 8:00PM. The show is 21+, and tickets are $12 plus fees from Ticketweb. GLC will continue alphabetizing the USA at SXSW. Buy your webmaster a pint, clarts.

Extra
From some of what was once Arnold...Little Massive

Visit Mike Appelstein's website for Cardiffians Young Marble Giants.

The Silent League have a Christmas single for download and will be touring the UK and US.
See also: Hopewell
The Wounded Knees

And check out new releases from Recordiau Slacyr Records

4 March : Welsh Rare Beat ~ Manchester
From B-music : "Welsh Rare Beat with Special Guest Gruff Rhys, on Friday 4 March 2005, from 8:00PM~late, at the Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester. Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys will be joining residents Andy Votel and Dominic Thomas for an exclusive DJ set. Free admission!"
~ 19 February, 19 January

28 February / 1 March : Acid Casuals
Cian's other group Acid Casuals release a limited edition 12" single, Wa Da Da / Lucianno on 28 February on Secret Agent Records. They will perform live in Brussels on 1 March with bravecaptain. From the mailout: "la tentacion ~ the galician celtic cultural centre, 28 rue laeken brussels, the gig follows the screening of a short animation film in the early evening, and the line up is acid casuals followed by bravecaptain at around 10ish, with djing by acid casuals and bravecaptain afterwards."

According to an post on the newsgroup, Daf is currently working on a project called Y Peth (The Thing), and Guto and Bunf may be working on a project together (unconfirmed). See our Recordings : asides and Recordings : afore for more on various side projects and pre-SFA bands. And please write if you have anything to add. ~ 16 February, 28 February thanks to Anthony, Duncan, Andy

22 February : BBC Radio 1 Session
Huw Stephens announced that Gruff Rhys will be taping a BBC Radio 1 session at Maida Vale on 22 February, with tickets to be won during an upcoming show. Update: The show will air the day of taping, from 11:00PM-1:00AM GMT [6:00PM Eastern, 3:00PM Pacific], and will be available on the Radio 1 archive afterwards.

Update: Visit the BBC website again for an interview and photos from the session. ~ 3, 21, 22, 24 February, thanks to Theo, Nori

17 February : BBC Radio 1 Wales
Gruff joins Bethan Elfan on BBC Radio 1 in Wales on 17 February. You can listen again on the Bethan & Huw website. Also aired was the new Acid Casuals single and selections from Andy Votel's collection. Andy revealed that Finders Keepers Records will be releasing a Best of Sain Records collection with Gruff selecting the songs. ~ 17, 19 February, thanks to Owain

3/4 February : WFMU
Gruff Rhys will be a guest on radio station WFMU on Thursday, 3 February, from 11:00PM to 2:00AM Eastern [4:00AM 4 February GMT]. The station is located in Jersey City, just across the Hudson from New York City. They write, "Gruff Rhys' solo record will be released on Rough Trade this March entirely in his native Welsh. The record is a kind of epic, modern, folk record instrumented almost entirely by Gruff alone. There's also a Super Furries singles collection to be released on Beggar's in January so listen in for Gruff to perhaps perform some acoustic versions of those Super Furry Animals fan favorites too!" The station webcasts and archives all their shows, so you can listen in from all over. ~ 4 January, thanks to Gaz
WFMU ~ Gruff Rhys [Real Audio]
WFMU ~ Gruff Rhys [MP3]

31 January : Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word
Wendy and Bonnie's By The Sea, the song sampled by SFA on Phantom Power, is featured on a new compilation produced by Andy Votel of Twisted Nerve. The album also features songs by Sidan, featuring a young Caryl Parry Jones, who wrote the final song on Gruff Rhys' solo album, Chwarea'n Troi'n Chwerw. Details of launch parties in London and Manchester are on the Delay Records website. The album bears a sticker quoting Gruff, "It's true! Folk is not a 4 letter word, it has 23 letters and spells BUY THIS RECORD AND GET LAID!" ~ 27 January, thanks to Joe/BBC Wales

Press
Gruff recently spoke to NME about mixing the forthcoming Super Furry Animals album in Rio. A May release is planned. ~ 19 January

The Free Design Remix
Light In The Attic Records are releasing a set of remixes of music from 60's vocal pop The Free Design. The compilation, entitled The Free Design Redesigned Vol. 2, released on 12" vinyl, features Super Furry Animals remixing the song, The Proper Ornaments, plus remixes from Stereolab, The High Llamas, Dangermouse, Caribou and more. See the label website for sound clips and ordering information.~ 18, 23 January, thanks to Darren

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