ONE trailblazing Welsh bard tipped his hat to another when Gruff Rhys presented his soundtrack to the Dylan Thomas biopic Set Fire to the Stars.

Fans of the Super Furry Animals singer filled Cardiff's New Theatre for a special live airing of the record.

The picture, starring Anglesey's Celyn Jones as the legendary poet and Elijah Wood as US wordsmith John Malcolm Brinnin, was screened before a sold-out crowd at the venue.

Maverick musician Gruff emerged for the second half of the evening and bizarrely held a sign aloft that read “RESIST PHONY ENCORES!”. He said: "I am part of the Resist Phony Encores community and I will be staying on stage until the end."

The futurist troubadour was true to his word and as well as cuts from the swinging soundtrack - which draws on 1950s jazz - the audience was also treated to a flurry of Gruff solo-career gems, such as Shark-Ridden Waters and Negative Vibes.

The theatre became a multi-coloured discotheque for the spacey Sensations in the Dark, before the bittersweet finale I Love EU.

Another sign: “PROLONGED APPLAUSE” was not even necessary, as by the end rapturous audience members were giving every number a standing ovation. Far out.

Declan Harte