Still got it!
The Super Furry Animals are easily one of the best festival draws around but with Rockness focusing more on the dance elements, the band were resigned to headlining the third stage of the Saturday evening and up against some big draws at the other arenas. If one band isn’t going to be perturbed by that though, it is the unflappable Furries and their hardcore following still turned up en masse. Just as well because with a tactic of playing their latest album ‘Dark Days Light Years’ from the start of the gig, they were running the risk of alienating a lot of the casual followers who know the hits but don’t follow the band religiously.
The latest album from the band sees them in upbeat and melodic mood but with album sales diminishing, it was a losing battle for many of the crowd who were completely unaware of the songs played for the vast majority of the set. If you get the chance to hear the latest album in the comfort of your own home, its a finely tuned and entertaining album but it failed to spark on the festival circuit to a crowd of unsuspecting punters.
Eventually the crowd got the hits they were desperate to hear and no Furries gig is complete without ‘The Man Dont Give A Fuck’, a song that has evolved over the years. At a festival no one would really expect it to come attached with the techno freak-out that used to accompany the songs closure during its early performances but it loses none of its charm or spitting venom. Even when strummed on an acoustic guitar, the build up to the expletive ridden chorus never fails to charge up an audience and get the crowd roaring and jumping.
With dark clouds converging outside the tent and two major dance draws playing elsewhere, the Super Furry Animals were always fighting a losing battle but the experienced veterans still had more than enough about them to steal a convincing draw whilst reminding some of the floating fans of the genius moments that pepper their career.