GIG REVIEW - Super Furry Animals @ Fuji Rock Festival, Japan

Hi:Fi South Live Arena

Arriving to the stage by golf buggy the Welsh techno wizards are dressed for tonight's Live Arena performance in what look like Blue Velor waterproof boiler suits. Ambling on stage lead singer Gruff Rhys is playing a paint tin maraca while the rest of the bands make lovely noises before the Golden Retriever backing visuals which spill orange over the heads of the throng. It really feels like we're watching the musical version of gold.

The band continue backed by mellow trailing visuals to play some very spacey rock and are quite possibly jamming no longer sticking to any known tune, which slightly confuses the crowd, magical and Hello Sunshine sneaks upon us, lovely. Their next song Receptacle Of The Respectable includes a nacho solo by Gruff, munching into the microphone before throwing nachos into the crowd who are mesmerised by the groovy cartoon and this tune is in 13 parts we are told.

A clash of the three guitars on stage like sword play brings much feedback and suddenly 'You've got to tolerate, Some of those people that you hate, I'm not in love with you, But I won't hold that against you.' spills form the speakers from the rather lovely Juxtaposed With U it's another magical moment. If I could see the sunset I'd wager it would be lovely, and looking at it would leave me feeling rather like I do after Super Furry Animals walk off stage, all glowing and ready for the night.

review by: Scott Williams

Super Furry Animals / The Fall at Cooper’s Field, Cardiff

Warm Welsh summer air, swirling clouds, and a crowd that felt alive. SFA, perched on the brink of their second album Radiator, delivered a performance that felt both nostalgic and forward-looking—melding psychedelic riffs with catchy melodic hooks built for arena or intimate field stage alike.

The support bill featured The Fall, bringing their characteristically uncompromising post‑punk energy to the stage—a surprise element for many, but a perfect foil to SFA’s evolving sound.

Radiator, due out just a matter of weeks later, echoed live in the way vintage synths met driving guitars—woven through Gruff Rhys’ expressive delivery and the subtle psychedelia that would go on to define the album’s legacy.

Posters and flyers distributed before the show featured familiar artwork and bold block letters, announcing Cooper’s Field as the epicentre for a Welsh music milestone. Meanwhile, scrawled memories from those in attendance recall a night that felt both pioneering and warmly rooted in SFA’s hardcore Cardiff following.

This show would go down not just as a local anthem but as a turning point—signalling the rise of Radiator-era SFA and reaffirming Cardiff as ground zero for Welsh alternative creativity.