Who knew the cost of extra flight baggage could come between you and owning the grungefather’s guitar? Towards the tail end of this enchanting 45-minute set to promote his new LP, Sadness Sets Me Free, 53-year-old Welshman Gruff Rhys regales the crowd with a comical tale of how, when recording in Nashville with countrywoman Cerys Matthews, she bestowed him with one of Neil Young’s guitars as Rhys had said how lovely it sounded. He baulked at accepting the generous gift though, partly due to the extra £200 baggage costs – to much mirth from the packed-out Rough Trade crowd. The irony being of course, Matthews bought him a replacement from a nearby guitar shop – so he had to stump up the costs anyway.
None of Rhys’ acolytes in attendance were complaining though, as the Super Furry Animals' frontman doesn’t half get a pretty tune of it. In town to promote his eighth solo album, he remains as quirky and beguiling a performer as ever. Sporting his usual uniform of baseball cap and overshirt, Rhys performs seated throughout switching between two guitars – the other from the States via Sweden (‘they have a lot of wood there’) – and two microphones.
Scanning the gamut of his solo back catalogue and a lilting Roy Ayers’ cover, it’s proves a lovely way to while away a Saturday evening. Title track Sadness Sets Me Free get things underway, which is quickly followed by another intriguing newie Bad Friend (‘better than having good enemies’) and the subtle, but joyous American Interior from 2014.
Part of Rhys’ charm is his understated, ramshackle nature. The setlist is virtually unreadable for him because he had inexplicable written it in highlighter pen, while hearing every word of his pre-song explanations requires the sort of silence where pins can be heard dropped.
Don’t let that lack of polish fool you though. He remains a powerful force for good.
Whether it’s his honourable efforts to keep the Welsh language and culture alive in song or his witty ability to call out establishment wrong doings on tracks I Tended My Resignation (‘because no one does these days, do they?’) to Colonise The Moon (‘with bad ideas’), Rhys remains an artist who deserves to be cherished – whether he’s playing Young’s precious acoustic or not.
Gruff Rhys performed at Rough Trade on 27 January 2024
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