It can’t be easy opening for a band as huge as Biffy Clyro, and it certainly must be additionally daunting when your set is filled with technical issues. That said, indie punk/rock duo Teenage Joans took it all in their stride, entertaining the crowd with enthusiastic banter and updates about the inner shambles of their supporting set. Outwardly, technical glitches aside, they are a solid two-piece and certainly delivered musically. Hailing from Adelaide, drummer Tahlia Borg and guitarist/vocalist Cahli Blakers are definitely a band to keep track of as their experience and material develops.
As for the main event, it’s been almost exactly eight years since the Scottish trio hit our shores, last touring in April 2018. There was a valiant attempt in 2021 for another tour, with dates announced and tickets sold, but that quickly disappeared into the plague ether like so many other tours during the Dark Days. The lineup was different this time around, with bassist James Johnston taking some time off touring to focus on his mental health and well-being, and his very big bass shoes have been brilliantly filled by session bassist Naomi Macleod.
It was a packed room at the Roundhouse by the time the Biff hit the stage, opening with the first track on Futique, ‘A Little Love’. There was far more than just a little love for them, with the crowd fully engaged from the first chord, and voices raised at top volume in singalongs from the outset. Those eight years faded away into a glorious musical embrace. I hope they felt how much we’ve missed them on this side of the planet.
Decked out in a kilt (thank you, benevolent gods of fashion), Simon Neil led us all on a rip-roaring journey through a cross-section of Biffy’s discography – obviously heavy with tracks from the tour namesake, Futique, but also laden with older belters such as ‘That Golden Rule’, ‘Black Chandelier’, and ‘Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies’. Their gentler side was also showcased with multiple tracks that regularly turn me to water, including ‘Goodbye’, ‘Space’, and ‘Machines’, the latter featuring drummer Ben Johnston down the front on harmony vocals as Neil sang with an acoustic guitar. It’s remarkable that a band who can blow your nostrils open in a sonic jet-wash one minute can turn around and deliver such delicacy and emotion. The show ended, all too soon, with a five-song encore, rounded out by the massive ‘Many of Horror’, complete with the expected passionate crowd singalong.
Biffy Clyro long ago became my catharsis, and tonight was no exception. Struggling with a significant personal loss, to the point that I had to give up the Melbourne and Brisbane gigs, they provided me with the opportunity for a deep emotional release. There’s something healing about standing in a darkened room with a couple of thousand people, singing at the top of your voice and letting tears stream down your face. This is amplified when it’s music that’s also lyrically exquisite. My grief continues, but it feels somewhat anchored by tonight’s long-awaited re-connection. I mention this as I believe so many of us link our emotions and memories to music, and sometimes it’s someone else’s words that say exactly what you need to say.
May they know how their music impacts people, and may it never be as long as eight years between visits again. Mon the mighty Biff.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Biffy Clyro’s Futique Australian Tour concludes tonight at The Tivoli, Brisbane. The band will then head to New Zealand for two shows ahead of a US Tour. For more information head HERE.
Header Image: Peter Dovgan
