That band, for me, will always be Biffy Clyro.
Taking to the Hydro stage in Glasgow tonight, there was a high level of emotion, but the same barrage of beautiful ballads coupled with riff-laden chaos.
The captivating stage show worked perfectly as the band rolled out new tunes and their biggest hits (Image: Calum Buchan)
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English punk rockers, Soft Play, did a stellar job of warming up the crowd, jumping in among them and inciting mosh pits galore.
They seem like part-musicians, part-possessed entities, as the strobes flickered with horror-flick-like violence; they’re undeniably captivating.
Strobe-heavy sensory overload that’s perfect for clearing the cobwebs of a weekday away.
Once they’d left the stage to a wall of feedback, a team of roadies meticulously began hanging an intricate white sheet, which was lifted, shielding the headliners’ walk onto stage.
Opening with A Little Love, the curtain drops as a booming chorus kicks in, revealing another web of sheets.
They finally lifted as the song reached the final chorus, and the crowd erupted as they joined in with every word belted back.
Simon Neil was on top form on the Hydro stage (Image: Calum Buchan)
Biffy continue straight into Hunting Season, also from new album Futique, which is already cementing itself as a new fan favourite.
Golden Rule and Who’s Got A Match round off the opening onslaught, the latter seeing frontman Simon Neil brandishing a torch like the Eye of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, beaming out into the adoring crowd.
“Hello, Glasgow, it’s so good to be back,” he gasps in the brief intermission between songs.
It’s worth noting that this is in the high teens of the times I’ve seen the Ayrshire rockers live.
I had the pleasure of taking a friend along to his first time seeing them tonight, and he turned to me in the gap between the first two songs to say, “I get why you’ve seen them this many times.”
As they weave between old and new songs from their immense discography, the hair-on-end goosebump-inducing Space sees my pal ask, “Does that feeling ever go away when you’ve seen them as much?”
The easy answer is – no.
As the shadows from the light show cast around the cauldron of sound in the Hydro, there’s a twinge of sadness.
Simon pauses after ballad Goodbye to say: “Glasgow, how the f**k are you doing
“It made perfect sense to end the tour here.
“This is the first time in 30-odd years that we’ve played here without our friend, bandmate, and brother James Johnstone, sending love to him.
“And please give it up to Naomi, she’s been incredible.”
James announced in December that he was taking a step back to focus on “mental health problems and addiction issues”, and Naomi Macleod stepped in for the tour.
Ben thanked everyone for their support (Image: Calum Buchan)
His brother, drummer Ben Johnston, later thanked everyone for their support and praised Naomi for filling in as well.
There’s a poignant moment between the band and fans as they acknowledge the missing puzzle piece of the trio that has shared so much with them.
I, along with the thousands who cheered in support, hope to see the trio reunited on stage again soon.
The band teased on social media that they’ll be performing in Scotland again soon, hinting that they’ll be playing in Edinburgh this summer.
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Biffy Clyro play Glasgow Hydro as they tease Edinburgh summer 2026 gig (Image: Calum Buchan)
As the set continues, there’s a maturity to the new material that’s clear, and in new tune A Thousand And One, the closing line this is how we grow,” feels like a mantra for moving forward as they support their missing bandmate James.
The cinematic Two People In Love continues this, with the accompanying piano and strings really shining in a way that makes you feel a full-blown orchestra wouldn’t go amiss; you can’t take your eyes off the incredible lighting and stage show either.
That’s the thing that keeps Biffy Clyro selling out tour after tour, somehow they keep evolving, adding new material into a setlist which they could easily show off as a greatest hits bow.
Every time I see them, it just makes sense – they just keep getting better.
After an emotional rendition of Machines, Biffy finish with a hit after hit combo of The Captain, Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies, Bubbles, and the finale staple – Many Of Horror.
As the final sing-along concludes and the confetti scatters across the crowd, I do my best to hold on to the moment.
Oh, how I wish I could bottle that feeling.
