Viva La Revolution

It’s safe to say that with each new release, Scottish trio Biffy Clyro climb a little bit further up the ladder to rock royalty. However, while ‘07’s Puzzle may have been the most successful record in their 14-year history, it was also their most painful to make, as it documented the death of singer/guitarist Simon Neil’s mother and also saw the affable lads from Ayrshire butting heads with super producer Garth Richardson. Fast forward two years though, and their follow up Only Revolutions couldn’t be any more upbeat and positive. We ask bassist James Johnston “where did it all go right?”

“We all know what Puzzle was about, it was a very difficult record and period in our lives, but I guess this time around we’re happier,” he reflects.
“A record will always be informed by what’s around you, and severe tragedy never leaves you. Simon got married last year, and that was something to be happy about, and we’re looking forward to the future now instead of being sad about the past. I guess the music is a little more hopeful too. The brass on ‘The Captain’ is triumphant and there are a few points on the record like that. We’re in a really great place at the moment. It’s mad though – I feel like I’m from LA talking about emotions. We’re three blokes from Scotland and we don’t do that stuff for God’s sake!”
Sounding like a band at the height of their powers, Only Revolutions also features guitar-work by Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme on ‘Bubbles’ and the Scots confess that they learned a lot from the ginger giant.
“Working with Josh was great fun. We really respect him because he’s always just one step ahead of the rest. We toured with the Queens in the States and Europe and we got to know them fairly well. I wouldn’t say we’re best buddies, but we got on well. We learned a lot from them and when Josh heard we were going to be recording in LA, he said gimme a shout and I’ll come play. I don’t think he expected us to take him up on it [laughs]. I think he thought, ‘Oh, shit it’s Biffy on the phone.’
"Anyway, legend has it that he put his daughter to bed at 10 o’clock and came down to us for 11pm. He came in, listened to the track once and went, ‘Right, I’ve got a solo for it.’ He went next door and just started wailing on his guitar. It was all the things you dreamed of if you were a Josh Homme fan. He’s just fucking awesome.”
Of course Biffy are pretty “fucking awesome” themselves, and while the thrash punk of ‘That Golden Rule’ will appeal to their hardcore fans, there are also many surprising musical interludes. Does the band worry about alienating devotees now that they’re maturing into bona fide festival headliners?
“We do worry about it,” he concedes. “We wouldn’t be anywhere without the hardcore fans from back in the day, but if you try to second guess what people want to hear then that’s when you’re screwed. Besides, I’d rather have things the way they are now than when we were scrambling to get support slots from OPM and fuckin’ Limp Bizkit and shit like that!”

Biffy Clyro play the Olympia on October 28. Only Revolutions is released on November 9 by 14th Floor Records.