Biffy Clyro - Dunfermline Alhambra
Biffy triumph at warm-up show for end of year tour.
2008 has been a big, big year for Biffy Clyro. The Scottish trio have been riding high on the continued success of 2007's 'Puzzle' and more recently, single 'Mountains'. Having spent the last few weeks holed up on a farm demoing new tracks for album number 5, they have come out to play their last few shows of 2008 in the UK and Ireland before all those in Team Biffy go home for a well deserved Christmas break.
Tonight, the opening night on the tour, a 'warm-up', sees the band in Dunfermline's Alhambra Theatre, a gorgeous little venue which has been recently re-furbished and is quite a setting for tonight's rock'n'roll party.
Fellow West-Coast rockers Sucioperro open up proceedings, their edgy, but catchy songs go down well, and even the few who know of the band open up a few miniature mosh pits, and great each song emphatically. The majority however seem to be Sucio virgins, but show their appreciation all the same.
By the time Biffy take to the stage, the venue is swelling to bursting point. A giant white sheet masks the stage and the generous helpings of dry ice keep the view of the band limited to that of a few shadows. As the opening riff of 'Living Is A Problem...' begins and the lights flash along with the jagged rhythm, we can just about make out four other shadowy figures perched either side of Ben Johnston – a four piece string section. The anticipation in the crowd of what might happen tonight multiplies and as the huge chorus kicks in the stage is fully exposed and the sing along is deafening.
What stands out right from the start is how phenomenal the production is – lights, sound, effects – it's all perfect, it sounds huge... until, disaster strikes. During the closing moments of the opener the PA makes a loud cracking noise and then, nothing. A rather eerie, apprehensive silence comes over the audience, but fortunately the panic is quickly dispelled and the set continues with a further three tracks from 'Puzzle' in 'Saturday Superhouse', 'Get Fucked Stud' and 'Whole Child Ago' before crowd favourite 'Joy. Discovery. Invention' and the unexpected 'Ideal Height', '27', and 'Convex, Concave' (which is truly brilliant), are split by further 'Puzzle' tracks including the utterly outstanding '9/15th's' which is transformed with the addition of strings.
Simon Neil's solo rendition of 'Folding Stars' is gorgeous and emotional, as is the impressive 'Machines', complete with glockenspiel and cello.
Another worrying PA drop out during the opening verse of 'Justboy' threatens to kill off the gig far too early, but a bit of quick engineering and we’re off again, with the band picking up exactly where they left off.
Unsurprisingly, 'Mountains' receives the biggest cheer of the night from this mainly 'Puzzle' era audience, but it's the final track of the night that is definitely for the die-hards. The awesome 'Now The Action Is On Fire', the closing track from Biffy's second album, and arguably their best, 'The Vertigo Of Bliss'. Yet again the strings add another dimension we've not heard live on this track before and it's a brilliant, and fitting ending to an, almost, perfect night of rock. All that remains is for Simon Neil to throw away his guitar and launch himself into the crowd leaving the Johnston twins and their four new stage accomplices to finish things off.
Tonight's show was an utter triumph for the Ayrshire trio, and it's a testament to how far they've come since 'Puzzle' was launched 18 months ago. We now wait in anticipation of album number 5 and the direction this will take, given the diversity across the first 4 albums, it could be very interesting indeed. One thing will never be in doubt though, and that is that Biffy are unique, uniquely brilliant, and long may that continue.
‘Mon The Biffy!
Setlist:
Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies
Saturday Superhouse
Whole Child Ago
Get Fucked Stud
Joy.Discovery.Invention
Ideal Height
9/15ths
27
Semi Mental
Convex, Concave
---
Folding Stars
Machines
---
Glitter and Trauma
Justboy
Love Has a Diameter
Who’s Got a Match
Only One Word Comes to Mind
Mountains
---
Now I’m Everyone
As Dust Dances
57
Now The Action Is On FireChris Leonard
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