Bristol Sounds 2026: Super Furry Animals

Following their unexpected reunion announcement at the tail end of last year, Super Furry Animals make their long-awaited return to the South West as part of Bristol Sounds’ 2026 programme, after supporting performances by Gwenno and Getdown Services.

Opening on ‘Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home)’, the band prove they still have the whimsical charm that made them so beloved, frontman Gruff Rhys rapping into a vocoder while holding a comically oversized phone. The energy in the amphitheatre erupts when they follow this up with big hitters like 2001’s ‘(Drawing) Rings Around the World’ and 1999’s ‘Do or Die’.

Throughout their two hour runtime, the group showcase the musical range spanning their 30-year career, whether it’s the tongue-in-cheek blues of ‘Golden Retriever’, the classic Britpop bop ‘Something 4 The Weekend’ or the addictive power ballad ‘Ice Hockey Hair’. The band mellow out and return to their Welsh roots with a rendition of the Mwng cut ‘Ymaelodi Â’r Ymylon’, a song performed purely in that language. The heavier back half of Rings Around the World’s ‘Receptacle for the Respectable’ culminates with Rhys, guitarist Huw Bunford and bassist Guto Pryce clashing their instruments against each other in a frantic wall of sound.

Despite their mammoth sized set, the band leave very little time for direct crowd interaction. They instead opt to communicate with the audience via an electronic sign held up by Rhys between songs, commanding to applaud or “go ape shit” — which the crowd gladly obliges!

You can feel the energy persist in spite of the brutal temperatures of this week’s record-breaking heatwave, an inconvenience that ultimately fails to bring down the mood. Moments like the groovy horn section of ‘Northern Lites’ and the soulful sway of ‘Juxtaposed With U’ draw some of the biggest singalongs of the night, while the debut album’s punky opener ‘God! Show Me Magic’ leads to everyone chanting “GOD!” back at the band during its bridge. Trippy, distorted visuals of the animals from their many album artworks grace the screens throughout the latter stretch of the show, adding extra character to an already quirky performance.

As the show nears its end, set staple ‘Slow Life’ has Rhys rock up sporting a high-vis jacket and helmet for its sharp synthy intro, further reinforcing his endearing signature weirdness. This peaks during their extended rendition of finishing track ‘The Man Don’t Give a Fuck’, which has the band walk off stage halfway through only to return in furry costumes for its thundery climax — a bold choice in this weather that fully pays off.

Ten years on from when they last resurfaced, and thirty years into their tenure as a band, Super Furry Animals prove that they haven’t lost their touch. Their collective synergy is as tight as ever, as if they were never really gone, and Rhys’ vocals haven’t aged a day. The electronic sign’s final message to the cheering audience reads “SFA OK” — a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.