Gruff Rhys is giving interviews for the Super Furry Animals for the first time since 2016 – and provides clear answers to many questions that have remained unanswered in the meantime.
Super Furry Animals are back – at least partially. A remastered version of their album LOVE KRAFT will be released on October 24th to mark the 20th anniversary of the 2005 record. The band is also planning several concerts for the summer of 2026, but not in Germany. For Gruff Rhys, this is reason enough to give interviews for SFA again after almost ten years – specifically since 2016. The 55-year-old Brit also spoke about previous decisions, including the rejection of support offers from Oasis and U2.
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It was about money
Speaking to Uncut, Rhys explained that Super Furry Animals were asked to open for Oasis in Scotland in 1996. However, the band declined. According to Rhys, the reason for this was that they were “below The Bootleg Beatles” in the pay hierarchy at the time. The band in question is a Beatles tribute group and apparently Gruff Rhys and his band, which was founded in 1994 and released their debut album (FUZZY LOGIC) in 1996, did not want to be classified as a cover band at the time.
Money also played a role in the head shaking towards U2. SFA were also under discussion for support shows here, but the “low fee they offered us wouldn’t have capped our expenses,” the singer explained.
What happens next?
The anniversary edition of LOVE KRAFT comes with a bonus CD entitled KISS ME WITH APOCALYPSE, which contains 22 additional tracks. In an interview with Uncut, Gruff Rhys said of the album that it “just shows a band in development” and that the recording process “didn’t feel forced.”
After LOVE KRAFT, Super Furry Animals released two more albums: HEY VENUS in 2007 and DARK DAYS / LIGHT YEARS in 2009. After that, Rhys devoted himself primarily to solo projects. His current album SADNESS SETS ME FREE was released on January 26, 2024. The band officially took a break from 2010 to 2015, but then performed occasionally again, releasing reissues, a best-of and a biography.
It is currently unclear whether there will be further shows, for example in Germany, after the planned UK and Ireland concerts in 2026. It also remains unclear whether Super Furry Animals will go into the studio together again and record a whole record.