Biffy Clyro
Manchester Central
03/12/10
It seems odd, reviewing a gig where Biffy Clyro’s triumphant set closer was rapturously received, even by the most sardonic fans, (the type that usually strain their voices by shouting over songs from the latest two albums “You know I saw them before Puzzle even existed…” to anyone who’ll listen). Of course it only seems odd because the song in question was ‘Many of Horror’, or thanks to Simon Cowell, Matt Cardle and The X Factor ‘When We Collide’ as it is now known. Now you can say what you want on this issue, but the truth is that Biffy Clyro are still the best British live band around, and on the strength of tonight I believe they will continue to be so, no matter how many times we have to hear the teeth-clenching key change at the end of Cardle’s cover.
So what’s the difference between this show and the countless others that Biffy have played and conquered? The obvious difference is that they are now playing arenas, but the catch is that instead of shying
away from it, or worse, moulding and ruining their music to suit it, they have managed to transfer the sweat, quirk and intensity of club shows to the big stage. As frontman Simon Neil said in a recent interview: “We didn’t come to the mainstream, it found us.” Though the band may make use of video screens, holograms and confetti, it is only ever a glossy layer, not in the least masking the raw power of such songs as Saturday Superhouse, Jaggy Snake and Justboy.
The set list is a well crafted balance of old and new. Admittedly it was a risky decision coming on with six new songs, but the airing of tracks from every album, including a wonderful rendition of the rarely played ‘Diary Of Always’ means that the balance never tips, and leaves everyone satisfied. However the best thing about Biffy’s live shows is their value-for-money: they play 25 songs. The cynical may sneer “Quality not quantity,” however when after 25 songs you’re still ready for more, you realise that the quality levels didn’t drop all evening.
So arenas conquered – now where do they go from here?
GEORGE OSBORNE
I Am Kloot
The Duchess, York
22/01/11
The Duchess, being one of the last venues on I Am Kloot’s latest tour to become a sell out, attracted a wide range of ages. The warm up act, Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards, provided a good performance with deep vocals and steel guitar even if not fully observed by the waiting audience.
The smaller scale of the venue provided a potentially very intimate performance, starting with a toast from front man John Bramwell who provided generally well received patter – and even paused to ask someone whether they were okay after falling over. Songs were drawn largely from the new album with a fewer older classics thrown in. Proof was the most well received song of the night, with much of the audience joining in.
It was a strong performance providing a rockier sound than their recorded albums; the one low point to the evening was a portion of the audience choosing that particular venue to have exceedingly loud and endless conversations, rising in volume with the guitars. This somewhat detracted from the evening, especially during some of the more gentle songs on the playlist. Overall a great performance, good venue.
MICHAEL MACEY
Twin Atlantic
Fibbers, York
20/01/11
Sitting at the back of an empty Fibbers waiting for Twin Atlantic to finish soundchecking, what’s obvious is that these guys are at the wrong venue. O2 Academy? Wembley Stadium? That should do it. Unfortunately, squeezing their colossal sound (that must be itching for a stadium tour already) into the 150 person capacity of Fibbers feels like someone’s launching a constant wave of alt-rock grenades your way.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Twin Atlantic, they’re a Glaswegian four-piece born in 2007, currently sharing the same management team as Kylie Minogue and trendy new hot shot James Blake. So, big things to come from these guys? Well their independent label Red Bull Records seems to think so, sending them out on Wednesday for a tour around the UK and Europe.
At about 10pm they grace the stage and are instantly met with a burst of cheers and chants from a bulging crowd shuffling in and amongst inevitable pools of sweat, beer and heavy anticipation.
The bar is set high from the first song, ‘Lightspeed’, with a contagious chorus bouncing off the walls as the eye of a circle pit starts to form in the middle of the crowd. Sam McTrusty’s voice holds up well over the booming drums and distorted guitars, though extra credit should be given to that thick accent of his which seems to let his lyrics swim out and linger in even the darkest corners of the venue.
As far as stage presence goes, these guys don‘t hold back. Softly spoken in our interview, Craig Kneale (drums) is unrecognisable as their set progresses; exploding on the drum kit with every bellowing chorus. With thunderous rhythms and electrifying guitar riffs, they close the show with ‘Where is Light? Where is Laughter’ and the atmosphere blows up. As the Fibbers walls intimately hug the crowd, there are echoed chants for more.
Unfortunately, what comes so alive in Twin Atlantic’s live show falls flat in their recordings. McTrusty’s approach to song writing is quite amateur on record, and the guitar work is fairly ‘humdrum’ at the best of times. I’d say that unless they start committing themselves to developing their songs in more interesting ways that bands like The Subways and Biffy Clyro have done, they’ll be stuck in the underground scene playing these type of shows for the indefinite future.
JOSH BRILL