Biffy Clyro

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Biffy Clyro
Simon Neil
Simon Neil
Background information
Origin Scotland Ayrshire, Scotland
Genre(s) Alternative Rock
Years active 1995 – present
Label(s) Beggars Banquet
14th Floor Records
Website Official site
Members
Simon Neil
James Johnston
Ben Johnston

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish alternative rock trio

Contents

[edit] History

Biffy Clyro was started back in 1995, when school friends Simon Neil and Ben Johnston got their first guitar and drums respectively, soon after bringing Ben’s twin brother James in on bass. Initially called Screwfish, they soon changed the name to Biffy Clyro, allegedly as a result of a spoonerism relating to a Cliff Richard biro, although many other tales for the current name are given by the band members themselves, no one knows for sure how they got their name. In 1997, the trio relocated to Glasgow to study audio engineering and electronics in music, but primarily to turn Biffy Clyro into a full-time proposition. Biffy Clyro first started by playing their aggressive pop tunes in the Glasgow club scene, eventually enjoying a stable and enthusiastic response from their audiences. After releasing their first EP, thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow, via the Electric Honey record label, the band managed to secure some airplay on Scotland's BBC, which opened the way for even more notability within the Scottish music scene and opened the way for the band to tour the festival circuit, including Scotland's prestigious T In The Park gathering. It was whilst playing the unsigned stage at T in the Park in 2000 that they were spotted by the Beggars Banquet label and signed to a recording contract.

The band played numerous live shows, including an opening slot for their longtime idols, Weezer. A relentless bout of touring swelled the Biffy fanbase and won them new friends among fellow musicians, and they recorded material with Paul Corkett (Placebo, Six By Seven) and Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Idlewild, Roger Waters).

The band released the single "Justboy" in October 2001, followed by the simply-titled "57" in February 2002. Their debut full-length album, Blackened Sky, was issued that March. Promoting the album by touring with the Cooper Temple Clause helped Blackened Sky become one of the most critically acclaimed underground albums of 2002.

Released in June 2003 and recorded in only one day, follow-up album The Vertigo Of Bliss was produced by Sheldon. The result was a rich, diverse album of angular post-hardcore/alt-rock, taking its title from a phrase in Glen Duncan's novel I, Lucifer.

Their third album, Infinity Land, was released in October 2004. The album included their singles Glitter and Trauma, My Recovery Injection and Only One Word Comes To Mind.

They also contributed a cover of the Weezer song "Buddy Holly" to Kerrang!'s "High Voltage - A Brief History of Rock" CD.

[edit] Genre & Influences

Generically, the group can only really be safely categorised as a rock band; beyond that, they defy all the common restrictions of genre, often straddling several generic boundaries within one song. So in their own words "Don't pigeon hole, just listen". Their influences remain diverse - according to the band themselves, their sound has been shaped as much by post-emo indie luminaries like Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral as it has by prog legends Rush. Their sound also wouldn't be the same without the heavy influence of Sacremento emo godfathers Far.

[edit] Chart success

They have released three albums and twelve singles, and while they are yet to achieve a top 20 hit, their first single, ‘27’, was promptly awarded Single Of The Week at 'Kerrang!', 'Questions and Answers' reached #26, while 'The Ideal Height' narrowly missed out on a top 40 chart position. The leading single from most recent album Infinity Land ("Glitter and Trauma") reached #21, and second single "My Recovery Injection" reached #23. "There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake" was also a #1 download only single before downloads were counted along side physical singles.

[edit] "Mon the Biffy!"

A phrase is often heard at the group's gigs, "Mon the Biffy!" - originating as a heckle from friends at early shows, it soon became a catchphrase used by fans to express their love for the band, and has become synonymous with the band, with many journalists and interviewers, including Zane Lowe, using it to greet the band, or to sign off articles.

[edit] Media coverage

The band's popularity within the UK underground has not always been reflected by critical acclaim. While Kerrang! magazine have supported them since their early days (partially due to ex-editor Ashley Bird's love for their music), the same opinion was not held by influential British rock tabloid New Musical Express until recently. Other music publications such as Q magazine tend not to see past the band's taste for unusual song titles (examples of which include "Toys, toys, toys, choke, Toys, toys, toys" and "Kill The Old, Torture Their Young"), not to mention the oft-ridiculed band name itself.

[edit] Literary Influences

Lyrically, the band display a strong literary influence. Song and album titles include Joy.Discovery.Invention (Chuck Palahniuk), and Infinity Land, taken from Jeffrey Dahmer's concept of heaven. The bands second album The Vertigo Of Bliss is taken from a phrase in the contemporary novel I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan. New songs appear to continue in this vein, with 'Asexual Meat Kitchen' seeming to contain literary references to the work of John Donne and Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley . "to the west, to the west she's gone. I watched my mother, until she drowned Out of faith, a little late, what a strange design" from A-sexual meat kitchen (also known as 'to the west') resemble parts of "Hymn to God, My God, in my Sickness"; the references to the ocean, diving away beneath and "to the west".

[edit] Side-projects

All three members of the band play in Marmaduke Duke but only at live shows, a side-project initiated by JP Reid, aka The Dragon, from fellow Ayrshire band Sucioperro. Predictably, the general sound is not far-removed from that of Biffy or Sucioperro's but has an experimental, playful side, and is also reminiscient of other influences such as Mr Bungle and Minus the Bear.

[edit] Puzzle

Main article: Puzzle (album)

The new album is titled 'Puzzle', which was first confirmed by the band in an interview before playing at Xfm's Winter Wonderland in Glasgow's Carling Academy on Thu 7th Dec 2006, & is scheduled for release in Spring 2007. The band stated in an interview with Rock Sound magazine that they had 40 tracks to choose from. Tracks confirmed for the album, their first since signing to 14th Floor Records, include Semi-Mental, Saturday Superhouse, Now I'm Everyone & Who's Got A Match. The first single to be released from the album, Saturday Superhouse, is due out in Feb '07 although a download only version of Semi-Mental will be avalible on Christmas Day.

The new album is being produced by Garth Richardson and the band is currently recording at the Warehouse Studio, Vancouver and The Farm Studio, Gibsons, Canada. The album will be mixed in New York by Andy Wallace and mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisc. It will be the band's fourth album. The artwork for puzzle & it's subsequent singles is rumoured to be being designed by Storm Thorgerson.

songs that have been played live in the last year that may appear on Puzzle:

  • "Semi-Mental"
  • "Now I'm Everyone" – (Played at King Tuts in 2005, Belladrum)
  • "Get Fucked Stud" – (Played at King Tuts in 2005, Liquid rooms 2005)
  • "Who's Got A Match" – (Played at King Tuts in 2005, Belladrum)
  • "I'm Behind You"/"I'm Probably In Your Pocket"
  • "Scared of Lots of Anything"/"Living is Easy"/"Puzzled Communication"/"Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies"
  • "To The West"/"A Sexual Meat Kitchen" – (Played at King Tuts, V Festival, Reading Festival 2005, Koko 2006)
  • "Love Has A Diameter" – (Played at Liquid Rooms 2005, Koko 2006)
  • "The Conversation Is..."
  • "The Ghouls Of Bybombidor"/"9/15s" - Contains section's of Biffy Clyro's cover of "Buddy Holly" by Weezer, from a Kerrang Compilation CD. (Played at King Tut's 2005)
  • "Drop It Dickhead" – (Demo released via biffyclyro.com)
  • "As Dust Dances" – (Played on Radio 1 Session in Scotland, July 18th 2005)
  • "Help Me Become Captain"/"Angels Fall"
  • "A Whole Child Ago"
  • "Saturday Superhouse"
  • "Machines"

[edit] Team Biffy

  • Dee Bahl - Manager
  • Neil Anderson - Tour Manager
  • Steve Zapp ITB - Booking Agent
  • Adam Johnston - Drum Tech

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Blackened Sky
Beggars Banquet
11 March 2002
The Vertigo of Bliss
Beggars Banquet
16 June 2003
Infinity Land
Beggars Banquet
4 October 2004
Puzzle
14th Floor Records
(Forthcoming - 2007)

[edit] EPs

thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow
Electric Honey Records
2000

[edit] Singles

Year Release Label Album
1999 iname Babi Yaga (none)
2000 Thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow Electric Honey (none)
2001 27 Beggars Banquet Blackened Sky
2001 Justboy Beggars Banquet Blackened Sky
2002 57 Beggars Banquet Blackened Sky
2002 Joy.Discovery.Invention/Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys Beggars Banquet Blackened Sky
2003 The Ideal Height Beggars Banquet The Vertigo Of Bliss
2003 Questions and Answers Beggars Banquet The Vertigo Of Bliss
2003 Eradicate the Doubt Beggars Banquet The Vertigo Of Bliss
2004 There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake Beggars Banquet Infinity Land
2004 Glitter and Trauma Beggars Banquet Infinity Land
2004 My Recovery Injection Beggars Banquet Infinity Land
2005 Only One Word Comes To Mind Beggars Banquet Infinity Land
2006 Semi-Mental 14th Floor Records Puzzle
2007 Saturday Superhouse 14th Floor Records Puzzle

[edit] External links

Biffy Clyro
Simon Neil | James Johnston | Ben Johnston
Discography
Albums: Blackened Sky | The Vertigo Of Bliss | Infinity Land | Puzzle
EPs: thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow
Singles: iname | 27 | Justboy | 57 | Joy.Discovery.Invention/Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys | The Ideal Height | Questions and Answers | Eradicate the Doubt | There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake | Glitter and Trauma | My Recovery Injection | Only One Word Comes To Mind | Semi-Mental
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