BIFFY Clyro have reached the milestone of album number ten with Futique and singer Simon Neil can’t quite believe it.
“Right. So, album number ten . . . how the f**k did that happen?” he grins. “It feels good — we still don’t feel like we are this deep into the game. We feel like spring chickens.”
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And it sounds like the celebrations have already begun as I am greeted with laughter and warmth when I arrive at the band’s record label HQ to meet the trio — Simon and twins, bassist James and drummer Ben Johnston.
The trio may look fierce with the tattoos and thunderous riffs, but they are among the friendliest, most down-to-earth musicians around.
If anyone doubted just how big the band from Kilmarnock are, look no further than their Glastonbury slot before The 1975 — a set that blew the actual headliners’ performance away.
“It was the most fun Glastonbury we have ever played,” says Simon.
“We were so relaxed. Normally, you’re holding on for dear life and are very aware it’s being filmed live. It does mess with your brain. But as soon as we did A Little Love, I was like: ‘This is going to be f**king ace’.”
‘I was trying to give life to my memories’
A Little Love is the opening track on Futique and was the perfect set opener at Worthy Farm.
Simon explains: “Having been away for a couple of years, we wanted to come back with something new.
Glasto made us realise our songs have been in
people’s lives for a long timeSimon
“We felt no pressure as it was The 1975’s big night, so we felt that we could just go and do what we did, and it just felt great.
“We still have this fear that if we’ve been away for a while, people are like: ‘Who are these guys?’ It’s a healthy way to view it, but as soon as we started playing, we felt good.”
James adds: “It’s tempting to feel we’re not a typical Glastonbury band but Glastonbury is such an eclectic festival, and we’ve played it five or six times. We don’t often pat ourselves on the back, but we did this time.“
Says Simon: “Glastonbury made us realise that our songs have been in people’s lives for a long time, and we’ve always wanted our music to be more famous than us. It made me realise our songs have a value and a life of their own.”
Confidence and learning to be less self-critical has been a journey for Simon, who can’t bear to watch their performances.
“I do watch them,” says Ben. “And I was proud of us.”
James — who, like the rest of the band, hails from Kilmarnock — adds: “It’s just an in-built thing from our upbringing and the part of the world where we come from that we try and stay grounded.”
Simon adds: “I’ve realised we need to celebrate what we’re doing more and be less self-critical. We are a successful band but we still get that ’90s kids sell-out shame.
“One of the things I’ve learned from talking to therapists is I need to operate at 90 per cent rather than doing everything at 100 per cent — otherwise there’s nowhere else to go and I’ve exhausted myself. I’ve really burnt myself out at points by just doing everything at the utmost intensity.
“I’m always really tough on us because I want every show to feel like it is the best show we’ve ever done. Now I’m easing off a little.
“I’ve realised there’s no such thing as a perfect show. I think that’s from maturing — finally.”
The idea for Futique came from Simon looking through old photos of his family and the band, who first came together as teenagers.
“I was trying to give life to my memories,” the singer explains. “I realised what a miracle it is to be in this band and friends with these guys for so long. To be doing this, with your friends for 25 years is something special.”
James points out: “If we weren’t friends first, then we wouldn’t be here today. We probably would’ve gone our separate ways.”
Simon says: “We had a couple of years apart, which was a first, because normally when we’ve not made records, we’ve still seen each other.
“But I went away for a couple of years and it was the first time we struggled to find our wavelength. We had to find the way through. It’s like a marriage — things aren’t smooth all the time.”
The band all admit they could have split up during this period.
They have each had past personal issues, including Simon’s struggles with anxiety and depression, and Ben’s alcohol battles.
Combined with Covid, lockdowns and tour postponements, they weren’t sure if Biffy had a future.
We were really overworked and our minds were all frazzled so I went away and screamed for a couple of years
Simon
The emotional Goodbye is one of the many standout tracks on Futique, which is a farewell note to loved ones and includes the line: “Goodbye, forever/Goodbye to everyone, I’ll miss you all.”
Simon, who has been open about his struggles with his mental health, says: “We’ve all been through it. Ben went through a tough few years as I did and James has had his issues. We all try to pick up that slack when someone else needs it. We are there for each other.”
Dearest Amygdala is another song about the singer’s mental health.
“I’m basically talking to my brain,” he explains.
“I’ve been taking medication now for about 15 years, and I’m still trying to find the right balance with it all, but at points, I just get sick of it, and I just want to rewire my brain.
’We just want to bring a little love into the world in a hard time’
“The amygdala is your fight-or-flight mechanism, and every anxiety has been caused by my amygdala. So it’s a letter to the amygdala, asking it to help me chill the f**k out.”
Touring with side-project Empire State Bastard gave Simon the release he needed before returning to Biffy.
“We were really overworked and our minds were all frazzled so I went away and screamed for a couple of years,” he says.
“That band’s music helped with my anger about how things were going with us and the world.”
The last two Biffy albums were outward-looking, dealing with the band’s place in the world as musicians, as well as Brexit, the pandemic and “so much that fked with our lives.”
For Futique, Simon wanted a spark.
The singer, whose mother died in 2004, explains: “I started writing little songs reflecting on our journey as a band, our friendship, my relationship with my family and even memories of my mum.
‘It’s a hug-your-loved ones record’
He admits he had associated old photos and memories with grief and sadness, but is now trying to take a healthier view.
Simon says: “I needed to be more present rather than reassessing memories and constantly looking ahead.
“I wanted to shut out the outside noise and embrace the relationships that had the most meaningful impact in my life.
The album title, Futique, is a play on two words, future and antique
Simon
“We travel a lot — we go away for 18 months and come back, and our families are always there.
“They allow us to keep coming back. We get rejuvenated from people at home.”
Futique is about living in the moment.
Simon adds: “We’re having a great f**king time now, because life often only makes sense in the rear-view mirror.
“I’ve missed out on so many great things with Biffy because I wasn’t present. I want to try and combat that as we don’t know what the world’s going to be like in five years.
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“The album title, Futique, is a play on two words, future and antique.”
Recording at Berlin’s famous Hansa Studios was significant for the band.
“The way that country deals with its history is important,” says Simon.
“They still have the Berlin Wall — they are not hiding their past. They discuss it, but they don’t want to revisit it. You can embrace your past without endorsing everything.”
He adds: “There are a couple of songs on this album about embracing our journey as a band. A Little Love is about being in a long-term relationship and how you want to kill each other sometimes, but you don’t because you love each other so much.
“Woe Is Me, Wow Is You is a song about the struggle of keeping at it while wondering if you are doing the right thing. True Believer is about having faith in each other.”
Futique is Biffy Clyro at their most honest and open.
Musically, I’m really proud of it. It was a tough one to pull together, but I think we got it there. It’s stripping things down and a classic Biffy end song
Simon
The gorgeous A Thousand And One and the stunning album closing tune Two People In Love are Biffy at their most emotional.
“It’s a hug-your-loved-ones kind of record,” says Simon.
“It was important to have that song at the end — you can kill a record with the wrong track list. I wanted to end with a simple message that we’ve been through this journey, but love is all that matters.
“It’s basically a song to my missus, saying wherever we are in the world, whatever we’re doing, if we’re together, I feel like that’s home.
“Musically, I’m really proud of it. It was a tough one to pull together, but I think we got it there. It’s stripping things down and a classic Biffy end song.
“It was important to reflect on our lives and life’s extremes. We also love extreme music and to take the crowd with us when we play live.
“With this record, we wanted to make sure people have been through the mill by the end!
“I’m just buzzing for people to come and see us play these songs live. We just want to try and bring a little love into the world, in a time where it’s so f**king hard.”
BIFFY CLYRO Futique
RATING: 4.5 stars
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