There’s an ancient proverb, passed down from rock sages eternal: only Cheap Trick may thrill Budokan. The Biff soon gave said sages pause for thought. Opposites, released last year, heralded the Scottish alt-rockers evolutionary endgame. They were once an unsettled trio, metal-tinged and hopped up on Rush and rhyme. But The New Biff? The New Biff’s burst into arena rock superstardom.
Huge, singable choruses such as those on Black Chandelier and jangly The Joke’s On Us perfectly prove their power-pop panache. Mariachi tinged Spanish Radio fondly recalls summer and dancing. Simon Neil’s breathy brogue whispers over broken-hearted ballads such as Opposite, and puts a little mustard on rousingly anthemic Stingin’ Belle, rippling with guitar muscle.
The accompanying Live from Glasgow disc is the selling point here. Their set takes mostly from Opposites and previous LP Only Revolutions. Thankfully included is throbbing rock signature Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies from 2009’s Puzzle. Neil slow-dances with each and every reveller on a tender Many of Horror, gets them jumping with rock radio darling Mountains, and riles them shouting hammers with Modern Magic Formula, a swagger tempered by a heart which would bleed gold.
Vitality pulses through this hour-long homecoming. It’s hard to tell who’s bestowing this rock valentine to whom: Biff to the crowd, or vice versa. Slight confusion aside, it’s the disc that assures Biffy Clyro’s ascent into arena rock royalty.
BY TOM VALCANIS
BEST TRACK: Modern Magic Formula (Live)
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: MUSE, FEEDER, OCEANSIZE
IN A WORD: Zippo-friendly
