Biffy Clyro
Background information
Origin	Ayrshire, Scotland
Genre(s)	Alternative rock
Years active	1995 – present
Label(s)	Beggars Banquet 14th Floor Roadrunner
Website	http://www.biffyclyro.com/
Members
Simon Neil James Johnston Ben Johnston

Biffy Clyro (often known colloquially as Biffy) are a Scottish rock group from Ayrshire whose members are Simon Neil, James Johnston and Ben Johnston.

Although the band have always had a dedicated following and have been around since the mid-1990s as well as producing an EP and four albums, it is only in 2007 with their 4th album, Puzzle that they have found real commercial success. This album is seen as less heavy and experimental, and more widely accessible and has won wide critical acclaim. Puzzle has been championed on TV and radio, and Biffy have promoted it with a tour and many festival performances over the summer of 2007 (including a snippet of a live performance being used as the opening titles for the BBC coverage of T in the Park).

Biffy's sound is a heavy but melodic mixture of guitar, bass and drums, with all 3 band members contributing to vocals. They are known for complex and interwoven guitar picks, strums and melodies, that change many times within each track.

"'Mon the Biffy!" is a well known chant among Biffy fans; usually shouted in between songs at gigs, or before the band come on stage.

Contents 1 Band Members 2 History 2.1 Formation and early years: 1995–1997 2.2 thekidswho... and signing to Beggar's Banquet: 1998–2000 2.3 Blackened Sky era: 2001–2002 2.4 The Vertigo of Bliss era: 2003 2.5 Infinity Land era: 2004–2005 2.6 Puzzle and commercial success: 2006–present 3 Style and songwriting 3.1 Musical influences 4 Discography 4.1 Albums 4.2 EPs 4.3 Singles 5 Notes 6 External links

Band Members

• Simon Neil – Lead vocals, Guitar
• James Johnston – vocals, bass guitar
• Ben Johnston – vocals, drums

History

Formation and early years: 1995–1997

The first incarnation of what would eventually become Biffy Clyro was formed in 1995 by fifteen-year-old Ayr-born guitarist Simon Neil, who recruited Kilmarnock-born Ben Johnston and someone known only as Barry on drums and bass respectively, calling themselves Screwfish. Barry was soon replaced by James Johnston, Ben's twin brother, and the 3 spent the next two years rehearsing, writing and covering songs. Simon Neil has commented on this period of time, saying:

“

At that point we probably sounded like every other band who’d ever heard Nirvana. We were just discovering distortion pedals, really. Then we went slightly more punky for a bit. I guess it takes a while to work out exactly what you want to do. At the start you just want to sound like your favourite bands, but after a while you realise, maybe you could become your favourite band.

”

On 31 January 1995, they played their first gig under the name Skrewfish as the support for a band called Pink Kross at the Key Youth Centre in Kilmarnock. In 1997, the trio then moved to Glasgow, where Neil went to the University of Glasgow and the Johnston twins went to Stow College, studying Electronics with Music and Audio Engineering respectively.

thekidswho... and signing to Beggar's Banquet: 1998–2000

After playing gigs around Glasgow and receiving positive and enthusiastic reactions from the audiences, the band were spotted by Dee Bahl, who soon became their manager. Bahl offered them a chance to release an independent single on Aereogramme's Babi Yaga record label. "iname" was released on 28 June 1999, and led to the band being chosen by Stow College's Electric Honey record label to release a record. thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow was released on 13 June 2000, and after hearing it, BBC Radio Scotland gave the band airplay. A few days prior to the release of thekidswho..., the band were spotted at the Unsigned Bands stage at T in the Park 2000 by a Beggars Banquet representative. Soon after, the band was signed to the independent Beggar's Banquet.

Blackened Sky era: 2001–2002

On 9 April 2001, previously unreleased song "27" was released as a single. On 1 October 2001, a song from thekidswho... was re-recorded and released as a single, "Justboy". This was repeated again on 4 February 2002, when the song "57" was released. On 11 March, the band's debut album, Blackened Sky, was released to generally positive reviews. It was around this time that the band began touring extensively, including being the support for Weezer on 20 March at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. On 15 July, the 4th single from the album, "Joy.Discovery.Invention" was released as a double A-side with a newly recorded song, entitled "Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys", which later appeared on The Vertigo of Bliss.

The Vertigo of Bliss era: 2003

In 2003, the band retreated to the Linford Manor recording studio in Great Linford, Milton Keynes, England to record the follow-up to Blackened Sky. On 24 March, a new single was released entitled, "The Ideal Height", followed by another new single entitled "Questions and Answers" on 28 May. The band's second album, The Vertigo of Bliss was released on 16 June, to positive reviews, which focused on the more experimental style of the album in comparison to Blackened Sky, as well as the introduction of string sections.

Infinity Land era: 2004–2005

In 2004, after touring relentlessly for The Vertigo of Bliss, the band retreated to Monnow Valley Studios in Monmouth, Wales to record a follow-up album. As with the previous album, two singles were released before the actual album; "Glitter and Trauma" and "My Recovery Injection" on 9 August and 20 September, respectively. A digital download was also released; "There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake", on 31 May. On 4 October, the band's third album, Infinity Land was released, and on 14 February 2005, the last single from the album, "Only One Word Comes To Mind" was released. On 16 February, the band performed a cover of Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" live from Maida Vale on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show. Simon Neil's side project, Marmaduke Duke, also released an album in 2005, The Magnificent Duke, and toured the UK, along with the Johnston twins accompanying on bass and drums.

Puzzle and commercial success: 2006–present

In 2006, Biffy Clyro left Beggars Banquet and signed a deal with 14th Floor, an offshoot of Warner Bros. In June, the band contributed a cover of Weezer's "Buddy Holly" to Kerrang!'s High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock, which came free with Issue #1110 of the magazine. In September, the band moved temporarily to Canada to record their 4th album at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, and The Farm Studio in Gibsons, which they finished doing in November. The song "Semi-Mental" was released as a digital download on 25 December. In 2007, the song "Saturday Superhouse" was released on 14 May, where it reached #13 on the UK Singles Chart; the band's highest single chart position to date. On 14 May, the song "Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies" was released, reaching #19 on the UK Singles Charts. On 21 May, Biffy were confirmed for T in the Park 2007, as well as being announced as one of the support bands for the 17 June Muse gig at the new Wembley Stadium, along with My Chemical Romance and Shy Child. On 1 June, Biffy were confirmed for Glastonbury 2007. On 4 June, Puzzle was released to critical acclaim, and helped the band to reach their highest UK Albums Chart position ever, reaching #2 in the first week of release. On 6 June it was announced that Biffy were to support The Who at Marlay Park in Ireland. On 12 June, it was announced that "Folding Stars" will be released as a single on July 16. On 18 June, it was announced the band would support The Rolling Stones at two arena shows in Europe in June and July, and Red Hot Chili Peppers at their 23 August gig at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland. On 8 July 2007 they played T in the Park for a record seventh time. Despite the vast majority of the set coming from the new album, their performance was rapturously received by the rabid Scottish crowd.

Style and songwriting

The band utilise a quiet/loud dynamic, constructing songs that can range from a whisper-quiet pick on the guitar, to huge walls of noise with massive distortion and crashing drums. While Simon Neil sings lead, all 3 members provide vocals, ranging from emo-style screaming to multi-part harmonies. Only when seen live is it possible to discern who is singing, as the 3 vocals intertwine so effectively. Their style of songwriting often depends on constant changes in volume, timing and even genre, displaying an eclectic range of influences even within one song. However, on Puzzle they seem to have developed a more straightforward rock style, saying that they no longer need to make every song complex. However, the sound still retains Biffy's trademark 'size', with orchestral arrangements on some tracks helping to maintain this.

The lyrics are often cryptic, with obscure influences from literature, although many tracks on Puzzle appear to be a reaction to bereavement, and a search for meaning in our mortality. The band make use of word play and puns in lyrics, such as 'which' and 'witch', 'sentimental' and 'semi-mental', and 'irrelevant' and 'an elephant'.

Musical influences

The band themselves cite influences ranging from post-emo luminaries like Sunny Day Real Estate to prog legends Rush, while reviewers are often quick to link their sound to the likes of Nirvana — particularly in their use of shifting dynamics which the latter adapted from Pixies. Members of the band have been reported to listen to bands such as Lightning Bolt, Kerbdog, Red House Painters and Weezer.

Discography

Albums

• Blackened Sky (March 11, 2002)
• The Vertigo of Bliss (June 13, 2003)
• Infinity Land (October 4, 2004)
• Puzzle (June 4, 2007)

EPs

• thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow (June 13, 2000)

Singles

Year	Song	Record label	Album	Highest chart position
				UK Singles Chart	UK Official Download Chart
1999	"iname"	Babi Yaga	(none)	-	-
2001	"27"	Beggars Banquet	Blackened Sky	160	-
2001	"Justboy"	Beggars Banquet	Blackened Sky	111	-
2002	"57"	Beggars Banquet	Blackened Sky	61	-
2002	"Joy.Discovery.Invention"/"Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys"	Beggars Banquet	Blackened Sky	86	-
2003	"The Ideal Height"	Beggars Banquet	The Vertigo Of Bliss	46	-
2003	"Questions and Answers"	Beggars Banquet	The Vertigo Of Bliss	26	-
2003	"Eradicate the Doubt"	Beggars Banquet	The Vertigo Of Bliss	98	-
2004	"There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake"	Beggars Banquet	Infinity Land	-	1
2004	"Glitter and Trauma"	Beggars Banquet	Infinity Land	21	-
2004	"My Recovery Injection"	Beggars Banquet	Infinity Land	24	-
2005	"Only One Word Comes To Mind"	Beggars Banquet	Infinity Land	27	-
2006	"Semi-Mental"	14th Floor	Puzzle	-	198
2007	"Saturday Superhouse"	14th Floor	Puzzle	13	-
2007	"Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies"	14th Floor	Puzzle	19	-
2007	"Folding Stars"	14th Floor	Puzzle	18	-

Notes