Opposites Attract

They say it’s a long road to the top if you want to rock ‘n’ roll and that dusty old cliché definitely holds true when it comes to Biffy Clyro. Formed in ‘95, the childhood friends (Simon Neil, vocals/guitar and twins James and Ben Johnston on bass and drums respectively) subsequently toured every single dive across Europe for years, releasing self-proclaimed “wonky rock records” that a size-able handful of folk clutched to their breasts and tattooed on their bodies.

But then something happened around five years ago. Out of the blue, they became famous. Like, really, really famous, to the extent that, these days, the perennially topless Scots are both bona fide festival headliners and arguably the biggest British rock band of their generation. When we catch up with bassist James Johnston at his rehearsal room on a farm in Ayrshire, he confesses that he is still coming to terms with the group’s recent Reading and Leeds triumphs.
“For a few days there we were all asking ourselves: did that happen?” he laughs. “It took a while to sink in. We’ve played there eight times over the years. We played there for the first time in 2001 or so and we opened the smallest tent. We were first on – so to finally get to headline after all those years was such a special moment for us. The crowd were incredible and the singalongs were amazing.”
One person who wasn’t impressed with Biffy’s stint as headliners was one Trent Reznor. The vitriol the Nine Inch Nails leader heaped on them via Twitter didn’t faze the Scotsmen one bit. Needless to say, we don’t think he will be on the affable three-piece’s Christmas card list this year....
“He kinda got the hump with us, didn’t he?,” smiles James. “For such a successful guy who’s done so much in music it surprised us a little bit that he publicly would say things on Twitter to vent his frustration. I understand he was annoyed but, ach, do y’know what? When it came down to it, it really didn’t spoil our show. We went there to play a gig. We did that and it was fantastic, so we’d rather just let it fade into the background.”
Reznor’s remarks are but a small blip in a year that’s been full of highlights for Biffy Clyro. Their critically acclaimed double album Opposites has helped the alt rock band rise even further into the stratospheres. Their recent arena tour was a huge success – and they stole the show for many during festival season, which kicked off in Derry at Radio One’s Big Weekend and culminates in their Arthur’s Day appearance.
“Derry really was the start of our summer,” says the bassist. “We’ve been up to the Nerve Centre in Derry on a few occasions and had such a great time. I think it’s important to go to places and meet people and have a connection – so I really felt like when we went back to Derry we were welcomed back home, if that doesn’t sound too bold. I have to say, we’re buzzing off how things are going right now.”
As well they might. On September 26, it won’t be just Biffy Clyro buzzing, as Irish music lovers will be indulging their inner Columbo and trying to figure out where the band will be playing, as part of this year’s Arthur’s Day celebrations. While James won’t divulge which mystery venue they’ll be making a big noise in, he does assure us it’ll be awesome.
“Truth be told, I really don’t know where we’re playing,” he laughs. “It’s a really nice position to be in, as we don’t have to lie to you about what we’re doing. It’ll be as much of a surprise to us as to the music lovers and fans of Ireland. We’ll find out on the day. I’ll get up, go to the airport and come over and see which way the road takes us.
“So much of our lives is dictated to us – we know exactly what we’re doing months in advance. This is quite exciting because it has an element of spontanaeity to it, so it keeps us on our toes. I think it’ll really create a buzz atmosphere and those surprises happen in life far too seldom nowadays. We love doing big shows and giving a spectacle – but there’s nothing like playing a smaller place, turning the amps up loud and shaking a building to its foundations. It’s where we cut our teeth and where we learned to be a band. And in the end, it’s where we’re most at home.”

Biffy Clyro play Arthur’s Day September 26