Gruff Rhys at Rough Trade East

There is nothing more we can really say about one of the most talented Welsh musicians of all time. Previously with Super Furry Animals, then with the project Neon Neon and then on his own, Rhys has always shown a remarkable coherence alongside a brilliant and crystalline talent, providing a career that has been a constant crescendo filled with success and artistic achievements.

Now, after the Welsh Music Prize award for his record Hotel Shampoo in 2011, Rhys is back with a brand new record named American Interior. To call it just a record would be reductive, as it is more like a project including a record, an app, a documentary and a book. The main topic of American Interior – the story of the explorer John Evans (1770 – 1799) – is defined in every possible form of art, and the theme of the exploration is analysed and showed in several different ways.

But it is with the music that Rhys speaks the cleanest and most vivid language: American Interior is a splendid pop record with fabulous songs: Liberty (Is Where We’ll Be), 100 Unread Messages, Iolo and more. At Rough Trade East, with a guitar, small synth and a drum machine, the Welsh songwriter played for about 30 minutes,in front of a mature audience, engaging and entertaining with some shrewd jokes between the songs. His class is unequivocal, and we just can’t wait to see him this week at Soho Theatre for a longer show.

Lorenzo Cibrario

For further information and future events visit Gruff Rhys’s website here.

Watch the video for American Interior here: