Photo: WENN.com
“Well done Sheffield,” smiles a humbled and shirtless Simon Neil. “You’ve beaten the snow.”
But this isn’t just any ordinary snow. This is Yorkshire snow – the stubborn and relentless kind. It must all add to the sense of camaraderie because each and every one of us has fought the elements to be in this arena tonight – especially the band themselves. They’re modern rock’s survivors, after all.
Biffy’s essence that once made folk scratch their heads and wince remains undiluted. From the deceptive rock behemoth of ‘Black Chandelier’ and the twisted epic of ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’ to the colossal encore of ‘Stingin Belle’ and the mighty ‘Mountains’, no one doubts that their awkwardness remains but with an added sense of universal anthemics with none of their charm removed.
Even old favourites from the band’s obscurer early days like ‘Justboy’, ‘A Day Of’ and ‘Glitter And Trauma’ make a lot more sense when given the space and attention they deserve to hold their own in an arena like this, rather than when they were let to be blown around fields of ditherers when Biffy seemed destined to spend their lives playing mid-afternoon at festivals.
More than a few heartstrings are tugged as Simon solemnly sways beneath the spotlight for the ode to his mother’s passing in ‘Machines’ and there’s no shame on anyone’s part when uniting arm for a grand sing-along to the Matt Cardle- adopted ‘Many of Horror’. A good song is a good song, and that’s why Biffy are here to prove tonight. They aren’t breaking ground or changing world, they’re just doing rock properly with the balls to do it on a grand scale with imagination and integrity. Although maybe a little too heavy on new material (that’s double album’s for you though, eh?) tonight’s 26 song mammoth set is a testament to their survival. By all accounts, they should have disappeared long ago.
While their contemporaries Cooper Temple Clause, Hundred Reasons, Yourcodenameis:milo, Reuben et al, all gradually fell by the wayside one by one, Leeds and Reading will see Biffy’s first headline slot at a major UK festival headline this summer. It’s not natural, but when has nature ever stopped the Biff?
Below: Biffy Clyro go shirtless as Opposites tour hits Birmingham
