John Cale invites The Kills and Gruff Rhys to mark Velvet Underground anniversary

Veteran rocker John Cale will be joined by The Kills and Super Furry Animals star Gruff Rhys as he celebrates the 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking The Velvet Underground & Nico album.
Wild Beasts, Nadine Shah, Fat White Family, and local band Clinic will also make guest appearances with Cale, a co-founder of The Velvet Underground, as he stages a special show in Liverpool, England to honour the 1967 release.
The musicians will perform the seminal rock group’s debut album in its entirety at Clarence Dock on 26 May (17), and Cale reveals each act was hand-picked to take part in the anniversary event.
“It’s such a privilege to have this calibre of artistry about – its not that they fit the legend, rather the legend is part of each of them,” he states in a press release unveiling the line-up.
The Velvet Underground & Nico album, which featured a cover design by Andy Warhol, was released in March, 1967, and included the hits I’m Waiting for the Man and All Tomorrow’s Parties.
Cale previously performed the album in Paris, France, a year ago (Apr16), with special guests including The Libertines and Animal Collective.
His former bandmate and group co-founder Lou Reed died in 2013.