Get Excited About... The return of Biffy Clyro is set to see 2016 burst into life

Take it at face value: Biffy Clyro are a band who produce absolute belters, from the erratic twangs of ‘Glitter & Trauma’ to the cinematic masterpieces of ‘Mountains’. With the band speculating that this could be their best yet, it’s big. This goes beyond the scope of being homeland heroes in Scotland - when it comes to rock music, they’re making their mark in a massive and ambitious way for everyone to see.

Working with Rich Costey (Death Cab For Cutie, Muse), the band are toying with the mechanics that have made Biffy what they are. They’re trying new things, aiming for surprising cocktails of influences and sounds. Stepping away from the cinematic nature of their past three, they outlined in DIY’s recent chat with the band their newfound approach: “We’re really trying to fuck with the sound of what we do, and we’re not trying to do it as a live band in a room. My main aim of this record is that I wanna make a record that sounds like Deafheaven meets Tears for Fears meets Death Grips.” Sounds like a musical mix we’d definitely like to hear.

They may have made us wait until the last moments of 2015 (literally) to play a show, but they gifted a tantalising look at Biffy VII, and what a look it is. Debuting ‘On A Bang’ to thousands of revellers in damp Edinburgh streets, they were furious, unrelenting and brilliant. “Why can’t you fucking do better? ” shrieks Simon Neil. We think you’re doing alright so far, lads.

While it’s only a few festivals around Europe at the moment, it’s a sign that we’ll be seeing Biffy in no time at all. They’ve moved up from humble venues to being certified festival headliners in the last few years, standing between metal pantheons Metallica and Slipknot at Sonisphere, and earmarking their tenth year at T in the Park by being a main attraction in floral glory. The Barrowlands felt like an intimate setting when they worked their way through their back catalogue in 2014, and they do generally follow the cliché of getting better with age. Big venues feel like clubs, normal venues are otherworldly.

We may not have the name or the date for their new music, nor when we’ll have them performing on our shores again. But bit-by-bit, Biffy are teasing us with everything we need to recover from our withdrawal from their prime Scottish rock.

Tags: Biffy Clyro, Get Excited About, Features