Live: Biffy Clyro, Manchester Orchestra, Pulled Apart By Horses – Olympia Theatre, Dublin – 29/10/09

Words: Gareth O’Malley

They said the doors would open at 7:30pm, but I get in ten minutes later, and it is clear that those sneaky folks at the Olympia pulled a fast one on us. Pulled Apart By Horses are already mid-way through their set by the time I settled in, but they go down very well indeed, especially with us near the front who could, well, hear them. New song ‘Get Off My Ghost Train’ gets quite the reception, and so too do set-closer ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ and the memorably-titled ‘E=MC Hammer’. PABH go down quite well considering the brevity of their set doesn’t give them much time to make an impression, but they do a staggeringly good job.

(Self-titled debut’s out January 2010, for the record.)

Next up are Manchester Orchestra. From my position I can see the band members waiting to go on, and they get quite a good reception when they do appear. A “‘Mon the Manchester Orchestra!” from someone nearby is met with a quite shy “‘Mon the Biffy” from frontman Andy Hull. He seems genuinely shocked that people know who they are. A five-song set ensues, and from the general response, you could have sworn it was them who were headlining, and not Biffy Clyro. Top marks so far, then. But nothing could quite have prepared me for what was to come.

A few around me are becoming more than a tad impatient, when without warning, the lights dim, and Simon Neil, Ben Johnston and James Johnston take to the stage. It all kicks off with forthcoming fifth record ‘Only Revolutions” second single ‘That Golden Rule’, and when I say it kicks off, well, it does. A pit forms, extending to around twenty rows back, but it does little to separate the wheat from the chaff, as we’re all up for it. I went in knowing fully what to expect, and that is exactly the kind of atmosphere that’s been created by the final chorus of ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’.

However, with a new album in tow, it seemed that tonight was going to be all about the new stuff. …Not so, but more on that later. The first of the ‘brand-spanking new’ material is ‘Bubbles’. It boasts a massive chorus and some time signature trickery. All good in my book then, and as ‘God And Satan’ and ‘Born On A Horse’ are, erm, trotted out later in the set, it becomes clear that Biffy have become accustomed to their pop sensibilities, but still possess a refreshing quirkiness. Will this translate to the album? Well, I’m giving ‘Only Revolutions’ the review treatment next week, so this remains to be seen.

As the show progresses, I start to realise that Biffy are quite the accomplished live act. However (and don’t take this the wrong way) the amount of ‘Puzzle’ fans in attendance tonight is made clear by the overall muted response to material off albums one and three, ‘Blackened Sky’ and ‘Infinity Land’ respectively. Biffy realise how well ‘Puzzle’ songs go down though, and so play no fewer than eleven of them on the night. This leaves quite the sour taste in my mouth, but I can’t say I was too annoyed while there!

Closing the main set with recent single ‘The Captain’, Biffy return a few moments later to play a handful of encores. ‘Joy. Discovery. Invention.’ from ‘Blackened Sky’ has huge singalong potential, but it’s not fully realised tonight, to say the least. The same cannot be said of ‘Semi-Mental’ however, and I see quite a few people going completely mental to it – by this time I’ve moved out to the right side. Better for my health.

‘As Dust Dances’ sets up triumphant show closer ‘Mountains’. ‘Only Revolutions” lead single, it receives an ecstatic response.

Biffy Clyro have truly proved themselves as a live act now, I feel. Dripping with sweat, practically fighting for my life, I lasted the pit as long as I could, and loved every minute of it – though I came dangerously close to collapse during ‘Glitter And Trauma’. I’ll never forget what an experience tonight’s been. From the new songs, it seems that evolution is proving better than revolution for the band, but they are integrated seamlessly into the live set, and only help to strengthen the band’s credentials. It was a quite literally breathtaking night.

Setlist

1. That Golden Rule
2. Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies
3. A Whole Child Ago
4. Bubbles
5. Who’s Got A Match? 
6. 9/15ths
7. 57
8. Born On A Horse
9. Get Fucked Stud
10. Machines
11. Now I’m Everyone
12. Cloud Of Stink
13. Justboy
14. Love Has A Diameter
15. God & Satan
16. Glitter And Trauma
17. Hero Management
18. Saturday Superhouse 
19. The Captain 
—
20. Joy.Discovery.Invention
21. Semi-Mental
22. As Dust Dances
23. Mountains

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Biffy Clyro: Only Revolutions

02/11/09

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Biffy Clyro: That Golden Rule

TRACK REVIEW: Biffy Clyro – That Golden Rule

Words: Gareth O’Malley

The year is 2009, and here is where we now find Biffy Clyro: After years building a loyal fanbase, two years ago, they released an album, ‘Puzzle’, that got to #2 in the UK albums chart. It was their breakthrough, and it helped them to expand their fanbase exponentially. While it was a commercial success, it was rather like Marmite with fans of the band who had loved them for their quirkiness. Say what you want about ‘Puzzle’, but it was a major shift in direction for the Scottish three-piece. It appeared that, while they’d said that they wanted to make a pop album, they had taken it too far, and lost too much of their identity, maybe even gone, whisper it, safe.

‘That Golden Rule’, the first cut from the Biff’s as-yet-unfinished fifth LP, ‘Only Revolutions’, is the sound of a band rejuvenated. It comes absolutely fucking roaring out of the speakers, with a jagged guitar riff and pounding drums. Frontman Simon Neil’s lyrics are as brilliant as ever: ‘The son of Henry, I’m the first in line / To the throne, smell my mustard gas’. Halfway through, it transforms into something like the bastard child of ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’ and ‘Now The Action Is On Fire!’, off ‘Puzzle’ and 2003’s ‘The Vertigo of Bliss’, respectively, all swooping strings and crashing guitars. An adrenaline-fuelled four minutes that bodes well for the return of the Biff. ‘Only Revolutions’ will be with us quite soon; September and October have been knocked about as possible release dates. With a tour beginning at the end of the latter month, it can’t be long now. That’s good, because I can hardly fucking wait. And with good reason.

mp3: Biffy Clyro – That Golden Rule [alt]

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