SUMMER FESTIVALS
Henry Northmore catches up with Biffy Clyro’s James Johnston ahead of a whirlwind festival summer and fi nds out just how hard the Ayrshire boys are planning to rock ‘ E X P E C T T H E U N E X P E C T E D . . . E X AND NAKED MEN’
signatures, time uncompromising
the
D espite unusual the riffs, the bizarro lyrics and the beards, somehow Biffy Clyro have become one of the biggest rock bands in the UK. Even their hits – ‘That Golden Rule’, ‘Mountains’ and ‘Many of Horror’ (rechristened ‘When We Collide’ and repainted in beige by Matt Cardle as his X-Factor-winner’s single) – are surreal journeys taken through forests of serrated guitars and syncopated rhythms.
they prepare for RockNess – their first ever headline show at a Scottish festival.
Formed in Ayr as teenagers, the band’s Simon Neil (guitar/vocals) and twin brothers James and Ben Johnston (bass and drums respectively) brought an outsider’s mentality to their love of Nirvana, setting piercing guitars against distinctly Scottish vocals and mixing up crooning and screaming styles. Melodic, but still complicated, it is these seemingly incongruous elements that make their music so arresting. 2009’s Only Revolutions, their fifth album, yielded no fewer than six top 40 singles. Even with this success Biffy never compromised. Tattooed and stripped to the waist, the band became a vital force on the live scene, supporting everyone from The Who and The Rolling Stones to Muse and Foo Fighters on top of their own arena tours and festival headline shows. With an album planned for later this year, the rise and rise of Biffy Clyro seems unstoppable. The List catches up with bassist James Johnston as
What’s unique about your music? We’re a combination of strings and skins. Simply, we say that ‘we’re a rock band’ and let the listeners make up their own mind. Why rock? Rock music always felt exotic to us and seemed to come from a different place. I guess when you’re young you’re looking for a sense of identity that is separate from the landscape around you and you want to carve out your own little space. The excitement that comes from hearing a great riff or a powerful song just makes us feel alive. All types of music have a place in the world and we do listen to a real mixture, but rock music is our first love and will never leave us.
FESTIVALS TIMELINE ☞
Our round-up of the best of the rest of the fests across the whole of the UK
24 THE LIST 24 May–21 Jun 2012
MONTROSE MUSIC
FESTIVAL
FRI 25–SUN 27 MAY MONTROSE
This music fest, spread across
TWEEDLOVE 26 MAY–5 JUN TWEED VALLEY A ten-day mountain biking festival set in some idyllic
local pubs and bars, hosts a countryside, with music at the
heavy amount of bands across
a hectic two-day schedule
featuring Sanctuary, Toke and a melee of other local acts.
Burgh Hall in Peebles on the evening of 2 June courtesy of We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit (DJ set).
KNOCKENGORROCH THU 31 MAY–SUN 3 JUN GALLOWAY
Get your tunics on for Scotland’s biannual Celtic roots festival – this year
featuring the folksy Spartan Tartan, Utah Saints and
Skatalites.