Biffy Clyro
Where: The HMV Forum, Kentish Town, London
When: Tuesday 20th October 2009
As I entered The Forum to see Biffy Clyro I felt just a hint of trepidation. It was nothing to do with the band, I've been listening to them for a while and been mightily impressed. It was more to do with me. I wouldn't consider myself particularly "rock". I rarely leave the house without a waistcoat. Plus I wasn't really up for moshing as I have bruised ribs (bottle of gin, rave, ball pit). So I wondered how much I was going to enjoy the night. Turns out, lots. And lots. And lots.
The evening kicked off superbly with support act The Boxer Rebellion. They're a fantastic band with flavours of The Strokes and Ash, deserving of far more attention than a half capacity crowd. People that missed them; you're idiots, even if the pub down the road does sell pints for only a pound. "Evacuate" from their latest album Union was a particular highlight and was downloaded as soon as I got home. Secondary support came from Frightened Rabbit. I wasn't as impressed by them as I was The Boxer Rebellion; to me most of their stuff sounded like a soundtrack to a bit in Hollyoaks where someone dies. But a lot of the crowd did appreciate them and I did really enjoy their last song "Keep Yourself Warm" mainly due to the fantastically filthy lyrics "You won't find love in a hole/ It takes more than fucking someone/ To keep yourself warm".
The crowd was left to simmer just enough to reach a level manic anticipation before Biffy Clyro came on. "Came on" is probably an ineffectual way to describe their entrance. It was more like a punch to the head from a massive, meaty fist of rock. Their opener was "That Golden Rule", the first single from latest album Only Revolutions. There's only one way to describe this song, and that is epic. It's a huge, snarling beast of a track with astonishing guitar and drum parts, a glorious, gilded chorus and an instrumental finish so powerful it can actually break the laws of time and space. It's probably the most spectacular start to a gig I've ever witnessed and created an intense, frenetic atmosphere that continued to grow and grow as the night went on.
The set itself was comprised of mostly of tracks from previous album, Puzzle and the upcoming Only Revolutions. If you haven't heard Biffy Clyro before their sound is pure hardcore rock infused with elements of metal. Think of the Foo Fighters and Rage Against the Machine having a steroid-enhanced wrestling match and you're somewhere near. Stand out tracks heard include 'Saturday Superhouse', 'Machines' and 'Semi Mental'. Spotify them now. The whole gig was super size in pretty much every way: length (around an hour and a half), sound (I will never hear certain frequencies again) and spectacle. Throughout it all the band performed with superhuman energy, like Duracell bunnies who have ditched the batteries in favour of uranium. At one point lead singer and guitarist Simon Neil viciously head butted the microphone. Scarily I think it may have been intentional; it was in time and he didn't bat an eyelid. Or maybe it's just because he, James Johnston (bass) and his brother Ben (drums) are phenomenal live performers. They're all incredible musicians, all contribute to the gorgeous vocal harmonies and are so tight together that there must be some sort telepathy at work.
The main set ended with the upcoming single from the album, 'The Captain', an outrageous and knowingly over the top song packed full of insane melodic lines and a wonderfully anthemic chorus. It was as perfect an end to the set as 'That Golden Rule' was a beginning. But Biffy Clyro weren't quite done yet and returned for the inevitable encore; no Biffy fan was going to move an inch before they heard 'Mountains'. 'Mountains' is the most well known and commercially successful song to date and for good reason: it's absolutely stunning. Belting out "I am a mountain/ I am the sea/You can't take that away from me" along with Biffy is something everyone should experience. It reminds you just how amazing live music can be.
Biffy Clyro are a truly amazing live experience. The crowd were fantastic as well, apart from the few pint-throwing cock ends (if one had hit me it would have been game over for my lamb's wool cardigan). Biffy fans are are great and relished every moment of their deservedly beloved band's gig. They even have their own special chant, "'Mon the Biffy". By the end of the night I was joining in. Go and see them live and you will too.
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