Ok, so I admit, that when I agreed to do this review of the Super Furry Animals gig in Bridgwater, I didn't actually know that much about the band. I'm not sure why I haven't been to one of their gigs before or listened to their music much. I mean I'm really into my music, and the Super Furry Animals have been around for a while now, plus I have heard great things about them. So, when this gig was announced, I was looking forward to finally checking them out. Luckily for me, and for all of you reading this review (!), right at the beginning of the gig I met a couple from Cardiff, Rich and Kate, who, as it turns out, are die-hard Super Furry Animals fans. Needless to say, I spent the whole night tapping them on the shoulder, shouting "so, what's the name of this song, then?" which helped me out big time with the writing of this review. Bonus! Luminous suits  | | Super Furry Animals in their crazy suits |
Shortly after El Goodo, the support act, left the stage, the psychedelic background on the large screen behind the drum kit started to whirl around, accompanied by some strange and weird electro sounds. Then, the Super Furry Animals leapt on stage, in – pause for dramatic effect here – bright green glowing suits! They were kind of like big baggy track suits but with little green lights all over them which actually lit up. If that's not random enough, it got even weirder when the lead singer put on a space helmet! A few songs in, and we did get to find out more about the suits. Despite his thick Welsh accent, I could just about make out what Gruff Rhys, the lead singer, was saying about them. It seems that the Super Furry Animals have a team of scientists in an industrial unit in Tuscany working on the suits, and that by November 2005 they are expecting to achieve three times more luminosity - the ones we were seeing them in now are just the beginning! Brilliant - I was starting to like this band! The music - with thanks to Rich for help in writing this section!  | | Super Furry Animals, complete with space helmet! |
I have admitted that I didn't know quite what to expect from this band, but I was surprised by how mellow some of their songs were. I was expecting it all to be really rocky, but much of their stuff was really moving and beautiful, not to mention crazy, random, and experimental. Suffice to say, it was eclectic! Fire in the Heart was one memorable song for me, though. So many people were singing along to this one that they sounded like a choir! It was such a beautiful song. One of those tunes that if your nearest and dearest isn't next to you at that moment it time, it somehow imprints an image of them in your mind (in soft focus, obviously), and makes you go into a dream-like state where all you can think about is that person. Turns out that song has a similar effect on other people too, as Rich and Kate told me that this is going to be their first-dance song at their wedding! For any Super Furry Animal fans reading this review, some of the songs they played included The Horn, off their new album, Hello Sunshine, Frequency (this was such a gorgeous song), Zoom!, and Ice Hockey Hair.  | | Super Furry Animals on stage |
Juxtaposed Wit U is one of their songs that I did actually recognise – hurrah! Although I didn't recall the robot voice that sang the verse, this a top tune, and one that I could sing along with! Looking around the audience, the Super Furry Animals had an utterly enraptured crowd. It sounds cheesy, but you could feel the love they have for this band. Right from the start, it was a great atmosphere in the Palace – the best I've seen it. The end of the night draws nigh The gig ended with a song called The Man Don't Give a F**k - Rich said that they finish every gig with this song. With about 10 minutes of techno, this is the coolest ending to a gig I've ever experienced. The video screen at the end was like some sort of comedy ending to Dallas or something, with "you've been watching" credits and hilarious shots of the band and crew, complete with a video montage of the town of Bridgwater itself. Genius!  | | Rich and Kate - serious SFA fans! |
I was honestly impressed by this band - they created a brilliant atmosphere, sounded really amazing, and were genuinely funny comedians on top of all that. True, the words odd, weird, and random could all be used to describe this band too, but in my opinion, that's what makes them extra-special. It's not often that you see a band that has something different – but the Super Furry Animals have it in bucket loads! Plus, I like odd - odd is good! The only thing I found frustrating was that the fact I hadn't heard much of their music before. But that's my fault, and one I intend to rectify asap by a trip to my nearest record shop. So, there's only thing left to say, and that's thanks to Rich and Kate, without whom this review would be, well, let's just say, even more vague than it already is! | 
