Gruff Rhys Live In Kuala Lumpur | May 6, 2011 – Gig Review

Gruff Rhys‘ first show in Kuala Lumpur barely registered a blip on the radar of local concert goers. But the discerning ones and in particular those who know what a living treasure Rhys is, made their way to the MAP@Publika yesterday evening for what would definitely be among the year’s best gigs.

The crowd build-up was slow with fans trickling in after the doors opened at 8pm. This may have resulted in the first opening act only taking to the stage about an hour later. Zack Yusof’s band, Free Deserters played a rousing seven-song set. Couple came on shortly after and kept the crowd in the small and intimate venue warmed up for Rhys.

No sooner after Couple vacated the stage, work began on sorting out the cables and connections for Rhys’ set. Curiously though, a table was set up at the front of the stage. On it a haphazard arrangement of musical “instruments” that bore more than a passing resemblance to children’s toys rather than professional music equipment. There were two little plastic keyboards, a toy beatbox, a metronome and a pair of electronic drumsticks with no drums anywhere in sight. The only instrument in the traditional sense of the word was his electro-acoustic guitar.

Incidentally, the guitar is also an item of curiosity. It’s a right-handed guitar which he played upside down with his left hand (its bass strings are down instead of up). It’s somewhat modified for this purpose with what looks like a plywood attachment, which he joked during the show, was to make instrument more aerodynamic.

As it turned out, Rhys was without the support of a band to back him, and the instruments on the table would be the ones to do the job. Incredibly, Rhys turned in a remarkable performance with the little keyboards, beatbox, drumsticks and the metronome which he introduced as Trevor. If at all, the set up wasn’t just a demonstration of his eccentricity but also his mastery as a musician, singer-songwriter and performer.

Nothing seemed amiss despite the motley arrangement of instruments as Rhys went through his 90-minute set with tracks from his current Hotel Shampoo and the earlier two albums – Candylion, Gyrru, Gyrru, Gyrru, Cycle Of Violence and Sensations In The Dark were some of the exceptional standouts.

Rhys also proved to be incredibly witty, his lilting Welsh accent giving the entire performance a charming warmth. And there were moments when it felt like the venue shrank and that Rhys was there performing for a small party of close friends.

It was past midnight when the show drew to a close. Undoubtedly, the fans left knowing that they had been witness to something special: Gruff Rhys live in Kuala Lumpur. And it rarely gets any better than that. - By Nick Mun

Tags: gigs, gruff rhys, indie folk, indie rock

Category: Gigs