An Awesome Force
Biffy Clyro aren’t strangers to the Download bill. Having played four out of the six festivals the Scottish band have steadily built their way up the bill, fittingly finding themselves on the main stage on the Saturday and drawing a crowd size that is finally doing their music justice.
Something of a signature look for Simon Neil, the Biffy front man saunters onto stage stripped to the waist, hair camouflaging his face so much that all you can see are manic eyes piercing their way through like an axe man searching for his next victim. Unnerving and yet strangely compelling, Neil insures that all eyes are on him as the trio blast off with ‘Saturday Superhouse’ that quickly transcend into the thumping stomp of ‘Who’s Got A Match’ that soon has the crowd jumping and sing along.
But Biffy aren’t about to play a set of ‘Puzzle’ tracks and soon break out old favourites such as ‘Just A Boy’, even managing to throw in a new offering with ‘Mountains’ that blends the emotional clout of Biffy brilliantly alongside their rough edge to the delight of all before the epic spine tingler ‘Machines’ sweeps around the main stage, gently enticing all into a sing along. It’s the stabbing jabs of ‘Livings A Problem Because Everything Dies’ that truly electrifies though. Jerking his head to one side in time with the drum, Neil surveys his growing flock, chillingly drawing out the track and raising expectations with each snap of his head until finally he lunges into the epically astounding song. Soaring with breath taking anthemic charge, ‘Livings A Problem …’ instantly rouses tidal waves of enthusiasm from the crowd that erupt spectacularly leaving closer ‘Glitter And Trauma’ to bring us all back to earth once again as Neil and Co. prove once again what a breath taking experience they are.
Biffy Clyro live are an awesome force who seem to unbelievably get better with each performance. With new songs to offer and old favourites to stamp and sing to they provided the ideal Download set and as Neil menacingly eyed up the crowd, you just know that this band will climb the bill even higher in years to come.