Tonight’s offering was served up by Scottish rock stalwarts Biffy Clyro, with support from English Teacher and Humor.
Humor (6) took to the stage with a sense of purpose, their melodic brand of punk an energetic introduction to concert goeers that really left a mark. The Glasgow band had a real presence on stage and the crowd felt that energy, moving through each song with a confidence of a headline act.
English Teacher (7) were next to entertain the masses at the castle, starting with The World's Biggest Paving Slab, the Leeds outfit bringing a real sense of rhythm and pace, songs filled with melody, purposeful & driving baselines coupled with Staccato guitar bringing a real intensity to their melodic variety of post-punk.
Singer Lily Fontaine has a fantastic delivery, a voice so easy to listen to but also a voice that commands attention, English teacher were a fine addition to this bill and a real crowd pleaser.
And then there was Biffy, preceded by an atmospheric electronic rendition of Barber’s Adagio For Strings as well as other classical favourites, Biffy Clyro (10) takes to the stage and immediately captivate.
Anthemic is a word all too often lazily used to describe musicians who can get you singing, but I feel Biffy Clyro are the embodiment of anthemic in the truest sense, their music subtle yet brutal, complex yet powerfully accessible.
The presentation and lighting really added to the experience, artistic visuals, superb lighting and staging that allowed for movement and the energy on stage to flow with the performance.
Each member of the band showing genuine enjoyment as they begin with The Captain and effortlessly move through favourites such as That Golden Rule & Who’s Got A Match, the crowd in awe, Biffy Clyro demanded undivided attention and they got universal adoration.
A setlist that contained old and new, crafted for a stadium and certainly fit for a castle, Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies raised the energy to the next level. Black Chandelier & Mountains a fitting end to a glorious set, but we all knew there was more to come.
After the briefest of intermissions the band return to deliver the final blows, an encore that contained fan favourite Bubbles and the timeless Many Of Horror capped off an evening that will live long in the memory of all in attendance.
I have no doubt there will be many stories of when those of us recall the time we saw Biffy F****** Clyro.
