You know you’re in for a weird night when it begins with you entering the extravagant Victorian grandeur of Leeds Town Hall to be welcomed by the site of Goldie Lookin’ Chain member Adam Hussain working the microphone. Just as members of Wu-Tang aren’t quite as edgy and powerful when they do their solo projects, Adam isn’t quite as funny and catchy as when he is with GLC. He did have another MC with him but it just wasn’t as good as the full GLC but it was still nice to see him and a good start to the evening. He also came back to do a track using the “Testmatch” theme when Super Furries left the stage before their encore, which was a really nice little touch.

Jim Noir was the perfect support act for Super Furry Animals and is the greatest thing to come out of Chorlton since it’s namesake happiness dragon. Breezy, catchy, psychedelic and ever so charming, the songs just seem to burst out of him. Tonight, he was obviously extremely nervous, making self-depreciating quips and getting confused about his set list but he’s so damn talented that it doesn’t matter. I think Jim Noir is definitely one to watch in 2008.

What more can you say about Super Furry Animals these days? They’re an established national sonic treasure. They write wonderful, catchy songs and then seamlessly breathe new life into music production techniques and genre influences. They are a band as capable of rocking out like punk at it’s peak and then suddenly doing the classic techno sound (electronic alien funk, like Kraftwerk and the Daleks teaming up to play James Brown). Their new album is yet again awash with hooks, psychedelia and new sounds. They bring it to bold, vivid life tonight without a single stale crumb. Add to that some classic hits and they even reinvented some of them (playing “Northern Lights” in the style of Husker Du). They are still a band with a full head of steam and a bag full of ideas. You’ve really got to hand it to them, Super Furry Animals are still one of the finest acts currently active on these shores.

Review by Ned Netherwood