Biffy Clyro kick-start their set with what is surely the perfect opener: the awkward guitar and raucous vocals of 'that golden rule', the first single from 'only revolutions', send the crowd wild from the first note. And when it's math rock ending segues perfectly into 'living is a problem...' and from there into anthems like '57' and 'love has a diameter', it's clear a lot of thought has gone into this set. The whole night flows perfectly, songs exploding and dropping, then exploding again, each time more intense until they leave the stage for the last time.Simon Neil, Biffy's guitarist and singer, is the star of the show from start to finish. He has fun with the crowd and knows exactly how to put on a show. Songs may not be executed perfectly; they're sloppy and loose but they're also completely enthralling. He puts improvisational spins on 'a whole child ago' and howls like a psychopath in 'get fucked stud', but the Johnston twins (Ben on drums and James on bass) keep up the whole way, especially in some nice three part harmonies where they barely drop a note.
If there's one problem with this set, it's that it's too heavy on songs from 'puzzle'- only two weren't played- when two or three could easily have been dropped to make way for older songs like 'my recovery injection' or 'strung to your ribcage'. And it's a sad fact that although older tunes such as 'glitter and trauma' and 'justboy' were played brilliantly, barely one in four of the audience knew what was going on - 'they had an album before puzzle? Erm... I don't think so. I've been a fan almost a week now so I think I would know'. Damn you indie kids!
New songs were dropped here and there in the set, and never felt out of place, with 'bubbles' and 'the captain' being as well received as any, although I felt that without a brass section the latter fell a bit short of the mark. Also, the bands constant changing of guitars wasn't very smooth at all and disrupted their flow a little.
Overall though, I think I have to return to opener that golden rule's first lyrics: 'son of Henry, I'm the first in line to the throne' - Biffy Clyro are the kings of today's rock scene, and at the top of their game.
