BIFFY CLYRO | LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Tue 6 Dec
When you get an email at 5.30 on a cold December evening, asking if you’d like to review Biffy Clyro that same night, the phrase “does a bear defecate in the woods?” comes to mind. Even if my reply was a tad more polite than that. Entering the Motorpoint, in my years of reviewing I don’t think I had ever seen it so packed: a sea of bodies from wall to wall, the excitement palpable.
I’d barely taken my seat when the house lights went down to an earthquake of roars and screams: a choir was piped over the PA before a flash of lights highlighted Biffy’s Glastonbury-esque pyramid-shaped stage. Opener Wolves Of Winter was met with a warm embrace from the crowd – these loyal and devoted fans didn’t need easing in, they were ready to go.
Stage lights dimmed to a single spotlight on frontman Simon Neil for the opening riff of Living Is A Problem Because Everyone Dies, then reigniting to reveal the rest of the band, by the time Biffy reached Biblical the atmosphere had gone from warm to red hot. After which Neil only needs to show off his Googling abilities, proffering a “welcome” in Welsh, to have the arena in the palm of his hands.
At this point in Biffy Clyro’s nigh-on two-decade-long existence, their passion and hard work can’t be questioned. Shirts off onstage, hair soaked in sweat, it’s safe to say blood and tears go into each song to boot. Bubbles and Black Chandelier are fine showcases for Neil’s characteristic vocals, while Friends With Enemies had hands swaying in unison, as if we were one big Biffy-worshipping cult.
Even if you didn’t love the music, you would likely be entranced by the visual effects: spectacular lights and lasers which came together with the music to make a great gig epic. When Neil took to the top of the pyramid armed only with his acoustic guitar for a solo performance of Machines, a big screen close-up on his face showed the emotion in his eyes. For a moment you forgot you were one of thousands in this arena. In keeping with that tone of emotion, the band swiftly reverted to a trio for the inspirational Mountains.
By the time Animal Style arrived, you could feel the gig coming to a climax: that conflicting feeling of having the time of your life and not wanting it to end. Effortlessly segueing into Many Of Horror, a silence struck the audience that’s almost impossible to maintain in a gig of this size. Following the obligatory cheers for an encore came the introductory claps of The Captain foresaw Different People and an unlikely final selection, Stinging Belle: not one of their most well known or popular songs, but perhaps chosen in an effort to calm the crowd before their re-entry into the wet and dreary real world. This was one of those gigs that stays with you.
words DENIECE CUSACK photos RAYMOND BANNISTER
