Biffy Clyro live in London: a glorious show of defiance
One member down and amid a testing period, the Scots prove the best way through turmoil is with huge, open-hearted singalongs
When Rolling Stone UK spoke to Biffy Clyro midway through 2025, the Scottish trio spoke of an exhaustion and burnout that almost killed the band. 10th album Futique, released in September, served as a corrective and a celebration of making it through their toughest time yet.
More battles were to come though. In late November, frontman Simon Neil publicly shared his anger at their tour of the United States having to be cancelled at the last minute because “some fucking genius” made an admin error on their work visas. Ahead of their current UK arena tour, bassist James Johnston then announced he was sitting out the shows to work on addiction issues that he had “kept concealed for a long time”. He wrote: “The time has come to properly address my illnesses and deal with them.”
As such, the band’s 2026 begins with a point to prove. As might be expected, their huge London show at The O2 sees them show that the best way through turmoil is with huge, open-hearted singalongs.
Neil and the Johnston brothers have been making songs perfect for arenas for the last two decades. They tend to take one of two forms – the wonky, leftfield crunch of ‘Wolves of Winter’ or the warm and triumphant melodies of ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’. It’s a dual purpose also reflected in their choice of support bands. On this tour, they are joined by the inventive and pulverising noise of cult Detroit collective The Armed, and the big dumb fun of UK rock duo Soft Play. It keeps Biffy Clyro straddling both worlds – the arena-headlining, chart-topping pop-rockers that they’ve become, but also the screaming cult heroes of their pre-2007 days.
Despite keeping one foot in the leftfield, it’s clear that Neil writes songs to be performed to as many people as possible. Backed by drummer Ben Johnston, excellent fill-in bassist Naomi MacLeod and the band’s session guitarist and pianist, Neil takes the opportunity of temporarily breaking from being a trio to prove himself even more of a delightful frontman.
Across the show, he scales the staircase on stage countless times to play to the cheap seats and make everyone feel involved. From the start of ‘A Little Love’ through praising his “brother in arms” James before ‘Friendshipping’, it’s a show with a fierce energy and strong spirit.
Finished off with the enormous and triumphant closing salvo of ‘The Captain’, ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Many of Horror’, this is a big, brash rock’n’roll show so powerful that it reaffirms your faith in the format.