So, a journalist confession: you never quite know how an interview is going to go. Even with all the prep, all the research, so much is out of your hands \u2013 an artist could be jet-lagged, bored of the interview circuit, or just not that sociable a person. Entering a room is a different experience each time, and you always remember people who engage with the process, and attempt to have fun with it.<\/p>\n
Biffy Clyro <\/strong>are \u2013 hands down \u2013 some of the nicest musicians I\u2019ve met. And I\u2019ve been with CLASH since 2007, as a matter of fact. The Scottish band are quite ridiculously friendly, and astonishingly personable \u2013 in a few minutes, they\u2019re praising the PR\u2019s actually very stylish jacket, asking for my opinion on the Oasis reunion shows, and reliving (blow-by-blow) their experiences as Scotland beat Denmark to qualify for the World Cup. Listening back to the interview a few days later, some answers are almost impossible to make out \u2013 as the band are laughing uproariously at their own jokes. More than once, I have to lead them back to the topic \u2013 \u201cwe\u2019re here to talk about\u00a0your own album, guys\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n And it\u2019s a great album, too. After a short break while frontman Simon Neil <\/strong>indulged his metal fetish with Empire State Bastard<\/strong>, the Jonathan Gilmore<\/strong> produced \u2018Futique\u2019 is a rollicking back-to-basics statement. As Ben Johnston jokingly puts it: \u201cbasically a Greatest Hits!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis album feels like a kind of encapsulation,\u201d says Simon. \u201cAnd I think whatever we do next, it will be like breaking the chains free. I think this was a recommitment to ourselves and to the band.\u201d<\/p>\n Empire State Bastard may have been a work of real passion, but as Simon Neil <\/strong>freely admits it wasn\u2019t for everyone \u2013 even his own family. \u201cMy Dad told me, look, I couldn\u2019t get through it,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n \u201cI started to enjoy the structure of a pop song again. I started to enjoy melodies again. And I mean, I love noisy music\u2026 I\u2019ve got this kind of conflicted personality!\u201d<\/p>\n Sean Johnston<\/strong> picks up on this: \u201cMelody\u2019s always been a strong part of our band. Even if it\u2019s disguised with weird rhythms or abstract lyrics, melody\u2019s always been a huge, huge part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n The choice of Jonathan Gilmore<\/strong> as producer was an entirely natural one \u2013 a dyed-in-the-wool Biffy Clyro fan, he was also able to bring his own skills and personality to the table. As Ben puts it: \u201cThe great thing with Jon is that he\u2019s been a fan of our band since he was like 11. So it was the first time that we were working with someone who\u2019s known our journey. And he\u2019s the smartest, most musical producer we\u2019ve worked with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds weird when you say it out loud,\u201d laughs Simon. \u201cLike, what did the other guys do?!\u201d<\/p>\n The frontman seizes the conversation. \u201cBecause we were coming back after a wee bit of an unsettled time I think it was nice to be in with someone that was so enthusiastic. His excitement was definitely contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean adds: \u201cWe knew we had great songs and the bones of everything, so we were happy to take things on a little bit of a journey. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon interjects: \u201cSometimes you\u2019ll maybe go down a dead end\u2026 but sometimes you go down, and there\u2019s a beautiful garden down there!\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s all knockabout humour, but there\u2019s a sense that when they\u2019re in the studio, Biffy Clyro absolutely commit themselves to the craft. \u2018Futique\u2019 was whittled down from a mammoth folder of songs, material that they intend to complete and release in the coming months. There\u2019s an overwhelming sense of gratitude, simply to be doing this once more.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all genuine,\u201d Simon points out. \u201cThe first thing we spoke about when we came back together was, do we want this to be our lives? And I think having that separation and coming back\u2026 basically, we want to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so lucky that we are friends as well. Because \u2013 honestly \u2013 there\u2019s a reason bands break up after a few albums, and get a bit successful\u2026 it\u2019s because they lose that connection.\u201d<\/p>\n As Ben points out: \u201cYou miss anything in life when you suddenly don\u2019t have it\u2026 you start to appreciate it all the more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n This summer, the Glastonbury crowd felt a little of that energy. Biffy Clyro\u2019s fantastic Pyramid Stage slot was a true highlight, a career-spanning blast of rock precision that saw the Scottish band veer from mammoth hits to an unexpected but wholly entrancing cover of the Beach Boys\u2019 classic \u2018God Only Knows\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do festivals every weekend,\u201d Simon explains, \u201cbut with Glastonbury, suddenly you\u2019re getting a text from your mum! Your auntie phones you, wishing you luck. People you don\u2019t know in the street talk to you about it. Suddenly it\u2019s like: this is a really big deal. And you can pretend it\u2019s not\u2026 but it is!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, there\u2019s very few gigs we play where you think, OK this is going really well. But that went well! And I think taking a wee break helped us. I helped us configure those moments during the set to kind of go, wow \u2013 and really acknowledge it. We came off, and it was just an absolute celebration!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe just wanted to celebrate the fact that we are all together,\u201d says Ben. \u201cIt was like watching the football the other night \u2013 it\u2019s just great to see people so happy, y\u2019know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how I feel about the live shows,\u201d Simon adds. \u201cThere\u2019s not other situation where we\u2019re all congregated together, all wanting to achieve the same thing\u2026 which is joy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ah yes\u2026 the football. Every World Cup campaign needs an anthem, and Scotland are no exception \u2013 Biffy Clyro are long-time fans of Scotland manager Steve Clarke, who of course previously worked at local-to-them club Kilmarnock. So, if Steve Clarke gives them the call, would they accept?<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually are going to the States next year for some live shows just before the World Cup, and there\u2019s no way we\u2019re fucking coming back,\u201d laughs Simon.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, I would definitely think about it,\u201d he adds. \u201cIf I was asked five years ago, I would have went: no fucking way! I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve gotten to a certain age now, but\u2026 look, these things are important. So yes, we would consider it. And yes, I\u2019ve got the chorus\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Oh c\u2019mon \u2013 you can\u2019t leave us hanging!<\/p>\n Simon smiles: \u201c\u2019The party\u2019s starting \/ Cos the tartan\u2019s marching!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s percolating as we speak,\u201d he laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s a \u2018yes\u2019 \u2013 we would consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s maybe a sign of maturity \u2013 or confidence \u2013 that Biffy Clyro are willing to accept these high profile opportunities. The band tell a story about playing the launch show for their EP at Glasgow venue King Tut\u2019s Wah Wah Hut, and deliberately \u2013 perversely \u2013 refusing to play any songs from the EP, just weird material they\u2019d written the week before. \u201cIt\u2019s a career of wrong decisions,\u201d Ben jokes. \u201cWe failed our way up!\u201d<\/p>\n Ironing out that resistance to the norm has probably taken some time, but ten albums in it seems Biffy Clyro have just about gotten the hang of this rock band business.<\/p>\n But then, a short while after this interview, came a bombshell from the band. Sean Johnston<\/strong> was stepping back, to deal with mental health and substance issues. It was a huge shock for fans \u2013 he\u2019s rarely, if ever, missed a show in the past \u2013 and it came as a massive 180 for this interviewer. The band seemed incredibly together, with Sean embodying their passion for the future. It was a sobering announcement, a reminder that we have to check in with one another \u2013 even during an interview setting, perhaps.<\/p>\n It\u2019s note-worthy, though, that the tour is continuing, and Biffy Clyro\u2019s commitment to their fans \u2013 and to each other \u2013 endures. We\u2019re drawn to one of Simon Neil\u2019s closing remarks, just as he began to lay out the country\u2019s they\u2019ll be visiting in 2026. \u201cWe\u2019re ready,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re ready to become a real fucking band again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n \u2018Futique\u2019 is out now. Catch Biffy Clyro at Finsbury Park, London on July 3rd.<\/p>\n Words: Robin Murray<\/strong> \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So, a journalist confession: you never quite know how an interview is going to go. 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Photo Credit: Eva Pentel<\/strong><\/p>\n