GRUFF RHYS @ ST GEORGE'S CHURCH, BRIGHTON

Rating:

During GCSE History lessons we would often attempt to steer our teacher Mr Rowe off topic, away from uninspiring discussions about crop rotation in the 14th century, and onto more interesting stuff like the Tudors or World War II. If Welsh singer/songwriter and polymath Gruff Rhys had been teaching us, such measures would have been unnecessary. The Super Furry Animals man is a captivating performer with a gift for both imaginative songwriting and sonic ingenuity, while his knack for crafting a catchy melody rivals the likes of Ray Davies and Brian Wilson. Throughout tonight’s performance/presentation of his recent album, American Interior, Rhys entertains the audience with the story of 18th century explorer John Evans, a distant ancestor of his who went to America in search of a mythical tribe of Welsh-speaking Native Americans. Evans’ life was fascinating, and the way Rhys narrates his tale using a laptop and a projector screen – with endearingly primitive graphics – is both humorous and heart-warming. Similarly, the droll delivery and sense of comic timing lend the performance a comedic tone that celebrates Evans’ achievements with understated triumph and avoids mawkish sentimentality. At one point he brings out a mannequin of the Welsh explorer, which draws much applause from the audience… and is then unceremoniously dumped on a chair as a mute witness to his own life story.

On his current tour, Rhys is performing solo, a bold move given the lush arrangements and rich detail on American Interior, yet this lo-fi experimental approach works remarkably well and doesn’t lose any of the album’s ambition. Using a combination of dub plates (all recorded live), a harmoniser, FX pedals and a metronome, Rhys plays stripped-back versions of these adventurous songs, which sound more intimate than the recorded versions. By the time he rounds off the set with ‘100 Unread Messages’, an hour and a half has flown by. During the encore we’re treated to a divine version of ‘Honey All Over’ from 2011’s Hotel Shampoo, which utilises an FX pedal to multitrack the vocals. As the sounds of his voice reverberates around the church, bouncing from the cold stone walls, Rhys leaves the stage and goes on a walkabout, holding a placard displaying the slogan ‘Tax the Rich’. It’s a wonderful moment and provides a neat snapshot of everything that this bold and courageous artists represents. Rhys is rightly acknowledged as something of a Renaissance Man (a rare title in the vacuous world of pop music), and tonight at St George’s Church he demonstrates why he’s so revered.

Paul Sng
@sng_paul

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Paul Sng

Editor-at-large, Brighton. Likes: Lee Hazlewood, Lee Hazlewood songs and Lee Hazlewood's moustache Dislikes: Celery, crap nostalgia and people who raise their voice when speaking as if they're asking a question?