Biffy Clyro, OVO Hydro, Glasgow: bringing it home with a merciless set

Just one month into 2026, Biffy Clyro have already been on something of an adventure. The Scottish trio are currently one member down, as bassist James Johnston steps back from touring to prioritise his mental health and addiction issues; the band’s remaining two-thirds, meanwhile, are fighting back against the burnout that, last year, nearly swallowed them whole.

As they tour their tenth album ‘Futique’ with all guns blazing (along with excellent fill-in Naomi MacLeod on bass), crowds and critics alike have oooh-ed and aaah-ed over their giant arena concerts in London, Nottingham and Manchester. But none of that matters, really, because they haven’t been home: not until now.

Inside Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, the walls swell with the deafening noise of Biffy’s truest fans. There are so many people here tonight - some still littered around the foyer - that it almost feels like we can’t fit together in one room. But as soon as frontman Simon Neil storms on stage with Ben Johnston ferociously smashing his drums on a platform behind, the crowd morphs into one big, screaming pit. 

“It’s great to be back home, Glasgow,” Neil gasps after a merciless rendition of ‘That Golden Rule’; but his voice barely cuts through the ferocious roar of a crowd buzzing to witness this homecoming gig. Next, the opening riff of ‘Who’s Got a Match?’ snaps into recognition and Neil produces a beacon, teasing it across the first dozen rows. “This is what they call in the business, a torch,” he jokes. “I want to see you singing and dancing.”