heart on fire

That Biffy Clyro They have an unbeatable live performance, this is nothing new: we have experienced hand-to-hand combat with them both in the venue and at the festival and, to this day, they have never failed us. This night was no less, in a sweaty Plaza Mayor of Poble Espanyol that was half full but felt like a stadium.

The Scots opened with “The Captain”, a safe bet on the healing power of love, epic but far from pomposity, and the fast “That Golden Rule”, a pure explosion of adrenaline. They thus replicated the start of their popular “Only Revolutions”, making their intentions very clear: to go out and win by a landslide. The verse “Somebody help me sing” didn’t need to come for the entire audience to sing each and every one of its lyrics.

“Let’s love death away,” repeated Simon Neil at the end of the inaugural piece. And that’s what the audience seemed to indulge in, guided by the infectious rhythm of “Who’s Got a Match,” from their classic “Puzzle”and its chorus repeated like a mantra: “I’m a fire and I’ll burn burn burn tonight.” The fire, figurative and almost literal, was noticeable on the skin at more than thirty-five degrees.

With this vibration spreading through the heated atmosphere, the group toured several of their albums displaying their style of styles, also known but still fresh, drawing on diverse sources such as alternative rock, pop, post-grunge or progressive. A sound amalgam capable of transitioning from the rawness of Nirvana to the choruses of Queen, the heavy guitars of metal and the most intimate ballads.

But if there is something fascinating in Biffy Clyro Above all that has been mentioned is its capacity for reinvention, something that the band has once again demonstrated after overcoming one of its deepest personal and creative crises. The downturn has left bassist James Johnston by the wayside, at least live, but it has crystallized into a powerful and luminous “Futique”from which “A Little Love”, “Goodbye” and a vigorous “Hunting Season” were played. There could have been many more.

Their latest album exudes experience and euphoria; the same as Simon as captain of a ship with a larger crew than usual, including on board guitarist Mike Vennart (Oceansize) and new bassist Naomi Macleod, both rescued from Empire State Bastard, Neil’s side project, as well as two violinists. An expanded format that sounded integrated although somewhat static—with the exception of the tireless singer and guitarist—and that subtracted a bit of magic from their traditional lineup as a power trio.

Minimal objections, in any case, for a set that flows freely and at full pace far from conventions. They demonstrated it again in “Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies” and in the mercurial “Cop Syrup”, leaving for the climax heavy arsenal such as “Mountains”, “Wolves of Winter” or the emotional “Bubbles” and “Many of Horror”. Standing hair. And after the gale of sensations, a final claim: “We are Biffy fucking Clyro”. At this point, no one has the slightest doubt.