I am sitting in the lounge section of The Metro waiting for the members of Biffy Clyro. As the roadies work on the stage, the tension in my belly fills and for some unknown reason I’ve become a nervous Nelly. Before too long lead guitarist and vocalist Simon Neil and bassist James Johnston join me.
We exchange niceties and I notice that Johnston has a “Puzzle” tattoo on his right arm, in reference to their latest release The Puzzle. Artwork for the album was done by Storm Thorgusson, the man responsible for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd’s album covers. “He was up for doing the record, spending three months listening to every incarnation of the songs, trying to get into our heads and come up with a whole bunch of cool stuff.”
It’s not an easy task securing Thorgusson’s services as he “doesn’t work with people unless he really likes their music, it was a big thrill to get the thumbs up from him.” The album had gotten the thumbs up from fans as well, doing well in Australia, Japan and the UK, where they have been labeled “The British Nirvana”.
Artwork for all the singles was also done by Thorgusson, using different artists for each album to keep things fresh. Not content to release singles, Neil quickly throws in that they “like fans to buy the albums.” I mention that it is a very British thing to release singles. Take a look at Top of the Pops, with its saturation of one-hit wonders that has become the norm on the British charts. Johnston jumps in, telling me, “We don’t want to rip people off. A lot of singles only have two songs from the record so why would you bother?” I had the good fortune of listening to The Puzzle and can attest the album is a real ass kicker with great depth. It makes sense to go the whole hog. Buy the album if you like the singles.
It’s the first time in Australia for the Scottish trio who hail from a place called Ayr, an hour outside of Glasgow. Johnston’s brother Ben on drums joins Neil and Johnston, making Biffy Clyro. They are very pleased to have made it to Australia, as they “have wanted to come here for quite some time.” Unfortunately, their previous record label did not support the band outside the UK, which made it tough to tour and expand. Fortunately on this particular Sunday it has not rained and the lads have visited some of the sights such as The Opera House and Botanical Gardens.
Ordinarily there is not much time for relaxation, as the ethos of the band is “work hard”, understanding touring and great songs lead to longevity. The fan-base in the UK is strong. “We’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s been a very gradual build, and we’ve got a loyal fan base.” The desire to build the fan base has been directed to Australia, as Johnston “would like to return to Australia and build on our work.” I mentioned that I read in an interview that they were a bit irked when a British DJ noted that Biffy Clyro are a great new act, not knowing that they have been around for 13 years. Neil and Johnston laugh as we touch on familiar territory. Neil sees the light side of this tale. “It’s nice that people are still discovering our band after our fourth album.”
The Puzzle is different than the last three recordings, “as it’s more of a big rock record, the last albums were more complex.” Lyrically The Puzzle has been a medium for Neil to process feelings, after having lost his mother.
Both Neil and Johnston were receptive to my questioning and Neil in particular was very polite and softly spoken. It came as quite a surprise to see Neil’s abundance of energy and spirit explode onstage, ripping through songs. Neill is a real Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character, a “butter wouldn’t melt” in interviews and a tiger onstage. Perhaps that is his therapy period onstage, releasing the angst and pain. Whatever it is, it’s all encompassing, as the audience moves with it.
One more question and I will hand over the boys to Triple J. I feel obliged to ask, “Where did the name Biffy Clyro come from?” Johnston tells me, “It’s very much three young guys looking for a name that confuses as many people as possible. We wanted something that doesn’t give away what the band sounds like.” Neil lets me in on the in-joke. “We’ve had people ask, ‘So which one of you is Biffy?’.” Funnily enough, before the interview I was thinking the same.
