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Concert reviews Music

Super Furry Animals are like no other band in the world ever

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS at the Opera House, Tuesday, July 19. Rating: NNNN


After going on hiatus for a half-decade to sow some solo oats, Super Furry Animals reconvened last year almost as if the last five years had never happened. Upon returning to Toronto for their first show in eight years, there was a warm, communal vibe in the room that made it feel as if they’d never left us.

Dressed in matching lab suits, the five-piece walked out to a hero’s welcome. Occasionally donning his Power Rangers-esque mask, frontman Gruff Rhys kept his words to a minimum, instead choosing to communicate via signage that read “APPLAUSE!”, “LOUDER!”, “APE SHIT!” and “THANK YOU.” 

With no new album on the horizon, they took the opportunity to run through a set of mostly hits, fan favourites and a new single, Bing Bong. The songs were backed by some odd yet complementary retro film clips – for example, bombs dropping during If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You, a figure skater for Ice Hockey Hair, a newborn shrieking for The International Language Of Screaming – which added plenty of visual wonder.

But the viz didn’t overshadow how adept the Welshmen are at recreating their whimsically, weird psych-pop live. A song like Receptacle For The Respectable, which begins as sunny power pop and descends into a flurry of swirling electronic noise and death metal growls, best exemplified that. They conquered that tune, with Rhys even stepping in to chew some carrots – an act famously carried out by Sir Paul McCartney on the song’s studio recording. In that sense and many others, the Furries are like no other band in the world ever.

They ended with what’s arguably their greatest achievement and signature song, the expletive-stuffed The Man Don’t Give A Fuck, which encouraged a hearty singalong of the 50 or so “fucks” contained in it. Leaving the stage briefly, they returned to cap off the song dressed in their famed yeti costumes, reeling on their guitars and holding up “FIN” and “THE END” to say goodnight. You could say the return of Super Furry Animals lived up to both expectations and their name. 

music@nowtoronto.com | @yasdnilmac

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