MUSIC list.co.uk/music
OPPOSITES ATTRACT A Glasgow night with the Biff before they storm the festival scene
B iffy Clyro are arguably the biggest rock band in Scotland. 2007’s Puzzle was the moment Biffy went ‘mainstream’, while Only Revolutions (2009) was the Ayrshire trio honing their skills, juxtaposing melody with their cacophonous rock roots. The likes of ‘Bubbles’ (featuring Josh Homme for extra guitar muscle), ‘Captain’ and ‘Mountains’ are instantly accessible yet satisfyingly complex. Now they have cemented their place at the top with the ambitious Opposites, an expansive take on the rock template, a soaring double album packed with contrasting shades of light and dark.
‘I find it very difficult to sum up what we do in words, but we hope it’s inventive and interesting,’ says bassist James Johnston, who along with Simon Neil (guitar/vocals)
74 THE LIST 21 Mar–18 Apr 2013
and twin brother Ben Johnston (drums) make up the Biff. The Ayrshire trio have easily stepped up to the plate as festival headliners; they played last year’s RockNess and they have already been confirmed for this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival, as well as returning to Scotland for yet another sold out SECC show. ‘I hope that it’s because we have some great songs and we really love playing them live,’ says James when asked about the perennial appeal of the Biffy live show. ‘I think if you see somebody on stage giving it their all, it can be pretty alluring and that’s something that applies to all types of music and all types of music fan.’ (Henry Northmore)
SECC, Glasgow, Mon 1 Apr
HITLIST THE BEST ROCK, POP, JAZZ & FOLK
✽ Alarm Bells, Bwani Junction and Honeyblood A triple threat of local talent,
brought to you by this very magazine, as we launch the first in a series of regular gig nights. See preview, page 84. Stereo, Glasgow, Thu 21 Mar. (Rock & Pop)
✽ RM Hubbert Fingerpicked guitar, par excellence, from
Hubby. With Body Parts, aka Jenny (Strike the Colours) & Jill (Sparrow & the Workshop), CCA, Glasgow, Sat 30 Mar. (Rock & Pop)
✽ Electric Frog An easter weekend special, with sets from Andrew Weatherall,
Todd Terje, Simian Mobile Disco, Derrick Carter, Slam DJs and more. See preview, page 49. SWG3, Glasgow, Sat 30–Sun 31 Mar. (Clubs)
Glasgow, Sat 30 Mar. (Rock & Pop)
✽ S-Type See interview, page 76. King Tuts, ✽ Hieroglyphic Being and Golden Teacher A cosmic/disco spin on classic Chicago house from Hieroglyphic Being, aka Jamal Moss (see above), plus the excellent Golden Teacher. See Exposure, page 81. Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, Sat 30 Mar. (Rock & Pop)
✽ ARIKA13 – Episode 4 Under the theme ‘Freedom is a Constant
Struggle’, the Arika team (behind previous Instal and Kill Your Timid Notion events) bring together performers, thinkers, dancers, free jazzers, poets and others for a fusion of film lectures, talks and performances. Tramway, Glasgow, Thu 18–Sun 21 Apr. (Rock & Pop)
✽ The Flying Dutchman See preview, page 96. (Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 4,
Sat 6 & Tue 9 Apr; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 13, Tue 16 & Fri 19 Apr, Classical)