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In the darkness of the brightly lit stage at the Barrowlands, a man in black holds a large telephone out of his ear and chants: “SFA OK. SFA OK.”
The man is Gruff Rhys. The band is Premium Fur Animals. And this song, Wherever I Put My Phone (That’s My Home), allows them to re-introduce themselves at this, their second gig after 10 years.
Not that he needed to explain much to them. The Glasgow date sold out quickly, mainly because of the fans – going by the age of the crowd – who loved it for the first time. Signed to Creation, the Oasis-funded label, they rose to fame in the middle of the 90s goldrush. Alan McGee he thought he had found his own Blur, but their beauty and weirdness made them fall outside the Britpop canon.
That madcap background has always masked what they are: an incredible songwriting prowess. Proof of their great talent and diversity comes when they do Run! Christian, Run! followed by Juxtapozed with U. The former is a classic 70s rock song, the latter is a beautifully crafted song. They are all amazing.
It cannot be said enough that Rhys is a beautiful singer. Good performance makes this clear. His voice is sad, but his music is so sweet that it feels like Eeyore transcendent – being Tigger through the transformative power of pop.
He is not much of a showman. So is the rest of the team. They usually let the music sell. However they have their moments. At the raucous climax of Receptacle for the Respectable, Rhys, Huw Bunford and Guto Pryce gather center stage, guitars up, and necks pressed together. It’s a little Status Quo, a little running giraffe, a lot of fun.
As the two-hour show reaches its climax, he leans into the epics: Mountain People, Slow Life and, of course, the traditional close of The Man Don’t Give A Fuck, extended tonight to 12 minutes. The anthem against any evil in the world you want it to be, has not lost its brutal anger and dirty joy.
