Guerrilla (album) - Promotion and Legacy

Promotion and Legacy

The Super Furry Animals embarked on a brief, five-date, tour of the United Kingdom, in support of first single "Northern Lites", beginning at Tenby De Valance Pavilion on 27 April 1999 and ending at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on 2 May. The group then played that year's Glastonbury and V festivals. The band undertook a tour of the United States and Canada, beginning at Maxwell's, Hoboken, New Jersey on 14 September and ending at the Coachella Festival on 9 October. Singer Gruff Rhys wrote a tour diary, covering the first nine dates from 14-26 September, which appeared in the 9 October 1999 issue of the Melody Maker under the title "Guerrillas in the Midwest". The group played a fifteen date tour of the United Kingdom, starting on 15 October at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool and ending at the Brixton Academy, London on 3 November. After concerts in Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands and France, promotion ended with a headline date at the Cardiff International Arena on 20 December which was webcast on the band's official website, and a support slot with the Manic Street Preachers at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on New Year's Eve 1999.

Singer Gruff Rhys has described Guerrilla as "flippant, exciting, with an instant pop rush" and "one of most ambitious" records, going on to state that "if any of our records could've sold a lot, this is the one. I don't think the others have been proper pop albums, but I think Guerrilla could have been". The band were disappointed with the relative lack of success of the album and its singles—none of which managed to chart inside the Top Ten of the UK Singles Chart—and went on "pop strike" as a result. Because of this the group's next record was the all-Welsh language, lo-fi, Mwng, which the group recorded simply for the joy of making music. The album was recorded in two weeks for just GB£6,000, in contrast with the "excessive expense" of Guerrilla.