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[SIMON] There's a trust level amongst us that we just, you can't find anywhere else.
It just comes from having been through everything together.
[LAUGHING] Record this?!
[BEN] We never had these massive ambitions when we started out at all.
We were just this weird rock band that were trying to piss people off.
[JAMES] We never took advice from anybody.
We just put our hoods up and turned and faced the back.
We just kept goin.
[SIMON] But when it comes to just what makes us, us and what makes us unique,
It's got a lot to do with this part of the world.
[BEN] It stands for "Big Imagination For Feeling Young
'Cause Life Yearns Real Optimism".
That's what it stands for. That's an acronym.
-What does BIFFY CLYRO mean? -What does it mean?
It's what's keeping us alive.
It made me realize, "This is something we haven't done!"
[JAMES] Just being our own wee gaffe, no adults around.
It can remind me of how much I need this personally.
That's a good place to be after 20 years.
♪♪♪
It really feels like you've got a wee secret at that point.
A wee secret that the world doesn't know about.
It's by far the most grassroots thing we've done.
One new idea was, "Woah this is great this is new!
-"I don't know what this is but it's gonna be a treat!" -♪ Justify your reasons ♪
♪ Now it is my turn ♪
[BEN] The three of us in this bloody dairy farm.
It's a whole rebirth that's started again.
[JAMES] I don't even know if the label knew we were making an album at first.
It was literally making music for the sake of making music 'cause we love it.
It felt like we were kids again.
♪♪♪
-Hello! -Hello mate how you doin?
-How you doin? -Not bad not bad!
-Yeah. -Givin the old bit a race as well.
Thanks for coming to Bonaire, my part of the world.
If you do a wee full 180 there you'll see a beautiful view of the coast.
And uh yeah this is where I was born and raised.
It's very much a part of my identity and the identity of the band I guess.
[SIMON] This is like the first year we haven't travelled in probably 21 years.
We've always been on the move and I've found that inspiring for years
and I've been scared of stopping. In case it stops the inspiration,
but actually this last year I've felt just as inspired.
After the shock of the initial lockdown.
You know and just being able to do things like this, have a day to go do the beach.
I don't think I've ever done this.
Finally after 20 years we've made a record in Ayrshire.
You know it's like our first top to bottom Scottish record.
♪♪♪
♪ I'll be sitting on the left side, you'll be sitting on the right ♪
♪ Dying to share our problems, make everything alright ♪
♪ Then I see a darkness, you see the blinding light ♪
-BIFFY fucking CLYRO -BIFFY CLYRO!
-It's BIFFY CLYRO! -Born the BIFF!
-BIFFY CLYRO! [Crowd chanting "BIFFY"]
♪ You're not the lucky one ♪
♪♪♪ [APPLAUSE]
Hello gentlemen. Interrogation time is it? Interrogation time.
It's gonna get hot in here. [LAUGHS]
Check my hair. [LAUGHING]
Simon interview, take one!
[INTERVIEWER] So, cast your mind back mate.
It's 2019. You're recording 'A Celebration of Endings' over in LA.
What are your memories of that time out in the basking sunshine of Los Angeles?
It now feels like a long time ago. 2019 it feels... like a different mind almost.
I think back to that time, life was a lot easier.
You know we were just there making our music in LA like we've done
so many times before.
It feels like a kind of natural place for us to be.
[SIMON] For us it's always been quite an important part to kind of go as far away from home,
and feel like we're in a part of the world where anything is possible.
You know writing the songs and everything and the essence
and the soul of the music is very Scottish.
But when I'm making a record with Ben and James as well,
we don't want to feel those limitations.
[BEN] Over in LA in North America you can definitely dream
big and nobody checks you for it.
You know when you're making a record you wanna shoot for the stars so
LA's a good place to do that.
♪♪♪
[JAMES] When the band's in the studio and we get the songs to a point where we're happy
that's true elation. Like nobody can touch you at that point.
Living together like the Brady Bunch in a house is really a huge part of it for me.
It's really a big part of the comradery of giving you that fighting spirit.
That you're all in it together.
♪♪♪ ♪ Doo doo doo ♪
They're never gonna hear that coming!
-No I mean, two choruses are always better than one. -They're never gonna hear that--
We create the worst bike gang that LA's ever seen.
Us and our little push bikes. [LAUGHS]
-Like three wee guys from the west coast of Scotland. -Yeah!
And we're kind of over there living our dreams.
Those are the moments that I really cherish the most.
-What's sporty! [LAUGHTER]
[BEN] It's a wonderful part of the world, great studios.
Back to us having a really good time recording again.
♪♪♪
♪ Hey hey hey ♪
-That was amazing! -♪ Hey hey hey ♪
♪ Hey hey hey ♪
We've worked so hard on this album, we come home and,
and we're ultimately very proud of it, we think you know it's our best work to date.
So excited to let people hear it.
And then COVID hits, and the whole complexion of the world changes.
[SIMON] Like everyone else I mean it really messed us up.
You know with everything stopping and I don't think
there's a soul on the planet that hasn't felt it.
For us timing-wise with the album it was really awkward because
we literally had just announced the album was gonna come out in like May.
I think it was May. But it was like, "This isn't gonna happen."
It was physically impossible to make it happen.
[JAMES] Every bit of our energy and focus has gone into this thing that is now
to all intents and purposes taken away from us.
[SIMON] I really struggled in the aftermath of not putting it out.
I suddenly started to think like, "Is music even important?"
Is anyone gonna want to stand in a field again?
Or a venue to watch music when we're dealing with so much shit.
[JAMES] You're off the hampster wheel and you're not doing what it is you love to do,
so it was really a kind of a bit of an existential crisis.
What are we doing? What am I doing? What is life about?
[SIMON] If I don't have something activating and engaging my brain
then that's when I kinda start to go into a spiral.
I felt like I was a bike, gaping wind in my, my mind.
Not to be overly dramatic, but my soul, I just felt, I felt empty.
Yeah, it was a little dark and
had to find something to focus on basically
becasue if you've got nothing at the end of the tunnel then
its kinda what's the point type thing.
It seems crazy to sit here and moan about
that sort of thing happening when I'm lucky enough to be
in this amazing band and have this amazing life,
but, I mean, yeah, it's all relative. It was hard.
As much as its been really tough,
it's probably reinforced who we are as a band
and as friends more than ever because
actually when you rip everything else away,
that's what we enjoy. That's what makes us who we are.
But it was really hard to rememeber that.
[JAMES] I mean life is often about compromises.
When it comes down to the choice of
not puttin' the record out at all because we can't tour
or get the music out there, people can enjoy it.
Music's about helping you through life.
Everyone was stuck at home for a year so.
In some ways you could say we had a captive audience, you know?
Hello everybody. Thanks so much for taking 'A Celebration of Endings'
to number one in the offical album chart. Oh, yeah!
We miss you guys loads. We're very proud of this record.
Thanks for listening. We love you. Miss you.
We are Biffy Clyro and we'll see you soon.
[SIMON] The week fo the album release we wanted to do like a performance
from Glasgow, you know as close as we can get to playing together as a band
so that we felt some semblance of normalcy.
Anyone that knows the band knows what history we have in that room.
It's just an incredible place.
♪♪♪
[SIMON] Without that show I wouldn't even feel like
I necessarilly released an album you know?
It's like you pull the catapult back and you're ready,
but you're tensed. You're stress there,
until you let go of that it doesn't come to fruition.
♪♪♪
[JAMES] I think we took a negative situation and really turned it positive.
[SIMON] Just tryin' to appreciate they're actually live stream the camera.
That's the fans when you're right there when you're performing in that moment.
♪♪♪
♪ I've been punching rainbows since '79 ♪
♪ It's self preservation baby, I'm scorched earth you're hearts and minds ♪
♪ Fuck everybody, woo! ♪
[JAMES] I actually feel that the badlands show was one of the best things
we ever did. I say that kind of bashfully,
but that is one of the things I'm proudest of.
Well done everybody.
[SIMON] I started making a bunch of music after the album came out.
The album came out in August and in September I knew I needed to,
even though I didn't feel very creative, I knew I needed to
have a sense of purpose because it all built up
and then the album is out and then it was like, what now?
[BEN] Simon just writes all the time, you know, he's always got songs.
So I think what started this, maybe like
this is a kind of wee B sides album type thing.
It's now become a whole different beast.
One new idea was whoa, this is great, this is new.
I don't know what this is but it's going to be a treat.
I know it's going to work because the exitements there in that new
terrain. You've opened up a new landscape to yourself.
We just had to record them, but,
what do you do when you're restricted?
You can't travel. You can't go anywhere.
I don't even know if the label knew we were making an album at first.
You know, we were just doing our own thing.
It really feels like you've got a wee secret at that point.
A wee secret that the world doesn't know about.
♪♪♪
[BEN] You've got rolling fields over here. On a nice day like this
it's beautiful to come here and look at this.
It's quite inspiring. I'm sure you'll agree.
And hopefully we'll bump into a farmer.
And you will not understand a word these guys are sayin'.
This is deep Ayrshire.
Fantastic. Oh, here we go. Some friends.
Alright there, how you doing? Oh, no.
-Bit skitish. Bit skitish today. -[CAMERAMAN] Not a fan of the last album maybe.
No no, they don't like the new stuff.
It's... They're older fans.
You're a biggin' You are a biggin. Nah.
I'm not feeling pally today. Almost.
Oh Jesus, covered in slobber. Fuck that.
[BEN] It's been an eye opener. I realized how good at recording we can get.
You can be on a farm with an outhouse toilet and no running water
and still make a great album. That's great.
[SIMON] We are on a farm. We are in a working farm.
It's a dairy farm. You know, we hear the dairy trucks arrive. The cows are next door.
It's weird because when people hear we were making a record here,
even just like family and things, they go, "Oooo."
You know and that was quite exciting for me because
it made me realize this is something we haven't done.
[JAMES] We first went there 15 years ago, it was,
it was a very different place.
We got the overalls on and we got to DIY
[BEN] Grafted everyday to build this amazing dias
and to create this living room space as well
we could hang out in and also make a kitchen,
which I tiled. My first ever tiling job.
[JAMES] It's not any better soundproofed than it was so
I think the neighbors are still like...
I hope they like our music,
because, if they don't, then it's been a long 15 years. [LAUGHS]
♪♪♪
Adam Noble was our obvious choice. He's a wonderful producer.
[JAMES] Adam feels a part of the gang
so he doesn't need a lot of convincing to get involved
and that's something we're so lucky with.
[SIMON] Fortunately we got a fantastic relationship
and he trusts us as a band so he knows
even if what we're attempting is the most insane thing
everybody knows that there's purpose to it and there's a concept behind it.
It's exotic that.
You know, he laughs so much. When he starts laughing really hard,
you know that's when you've done the right thing.
♪♪♪
[SIMON] Churd has been my guitar tech for 15 or 16 years.
He's one of the sweetest humans you could meet. I mean we've grown up together you know.
We remember Churd when he was 21.
He was a classic rock guy on tour. You know.
Churd! Churd! Churd! Churd! Churd! Churd!
He's just a saint is Churd. He'll work and work and never complain.
[JAMES] We're dear dear friends. You know these are--
If you wanna see me cry let's keep talking
because these are people that we love. We've got a strong connection.
We've lived our best moments and our darkest moments together.
[SIMON] But the challenge was definitely can we record
a proper record and not a low-fi record. Not like a dusty sounding record
but like somthing that makes everyone proud and it blows
even 'A Celebration of Endings' out the water. That's part of the plan.
Just feel it building up for that last one.
♪♪♪
[JAMES] First day of recording we spent really quite a lot of time
making sure we got all the little hums and all the pops
that you get down the vocal mics and things like that
and we're just getting ready to do bass.
I looked at the computer and it's like duf, duf.
All these spikes coming from the bass channel and we're like
the sessions over. What we gotta do?
A ticking noise in the audio and it was the electric fence
to try and keep sheep in their bloody pen.
So we had to get the farmer to turn off the electric fence.
[SIMON] Even though we were entering this fight with one hand tied behind our back
it didn't mean we were wanting to do any less damage. It's still a, a hell of a fist.
I feel very cool comin' in here today with this sunshine.
[TALKING OVER EACH OTHER]
I talk a good game. I try and get it in every record.
It doesn't often make it, but there's a couple of songs
in this that are, that have real sound scaping moments
that I think I can get away with my rudimental skills.
♪♪♪ Oh yeah, I just went and made Last of the Mohicans there.
[SIMON] First song 'Dum Dum' was the key song on that album.
[JAMES] The song almost whispers its way into life.
It really starts so subtly.
It's unlike any bit of music we've recorded before.
♪♪♪
It puts you off the scent. It makes you think the album's going to be
a completely different piece than what you hear.
The fact that that felt alien to what we normally do
actually was the first meaningful song on this record.
♪♪♪
♪ This is how we fuck it from the start ♪
Cool.
Yep.
Alright. Good luck Benny.
♪♪♪
[JAMES] I think 'A Hunger In Your Haunt' is a little more classic Biffy.
It's mostly guitar based and drums.
It's just agro. Getiin' in your face.
Brought you in. We've enticed you into our world and now you're gonna get one of those.
I think that's the wake up call we're all looking for.
♪ My mind is crying out for stimulation ♪
♪ It's been dark a while so where's the fucking dawn? ♪
[SIMON] 'Hunger In Your Haunt' is about finding that fire inside yourself
during a tough time to find a reason to get up in the morning,
to find that purpose and I think musically,
especially after 'Dum Dum', it has that
straight to the point. It's pure purpose that song.
Yeah, I like that.
Could I add an extra... in this verse?
-Yeah. -One guitar doing that,
I think it might be nice to just have one more.
Yeah.
It's got some progy stabs and Simon's screamin' his lungs out.
It's just a quality Biffy track, that one for me.
[SIMON] There's some things in feel of what we do as a 3 piece band
that it's like this is who we are this identity.
♪♪♪
♪ A hunger in your haunt ♪
♪ Are you taking pleasure in this storm? ♪
♪ Brace yourself, here's a slap across your jaw ♪
♪ Can you find any hunger in your haunt? ♪
♪♪♪
[JAMES] Well now that I've done my bass I should probably
-go on to a bit of milking. -Yeah haha!
We're in there making a racket, making our noise... and there's people out here
doing real work. [LAUGHING]
This is uh, David, head of operations.
He writes all the songs, he tells us what to play. [LAUGHING]
Oh I thought you were going to say head of operations just in the farm.
-Oh no no no. -When the shit hits the fan I've gotta deal with it.
-[CAMERAMAN] Yeah that's it! Uh oh. -It doesn't stay.
-[BEN] This is cool! -[JAMES] It's not that fucking cool!
-Oh that's good! It... -What?
-Oh, it swivels! -It's got steadycam.
[JAMES] What's the story man?
[BEN] The story is... glory right now
'cause we are on top of the silos tower.
-[JAMES] Hey we're on the Simon, look at that! -Yeah!
Yo yo! [LAUGHING]
-You're very high. -[JAMES] Yeah I know. He's a tiny wee dot man! So far away!
Being here we've kind of stripped away a lot of the extraneous things that come
with recording and I think here it's much simpler.
There's a different feeling of accomplishment I think because we've got
our hands a little bit dirtier doing it and there's no everyday distractions in
-life at the moment. So it's really nice -Yeah.
to have this something to focus on.
We can just hunker down in our wee world here and...
[JAMES] The last few weeks being here together, the comradery, the vibe is really
equal importance to the music at this stage.
And I always find that when things in life don't come that easy you appreciate them
-a little bit more. -[BEN] Yeah.
[UNINTELLIGIBLE CONVERSATION]
Bit of a panic you know, running about the supermarket. [LAUGHS]
[CAMERAMAN] Not usually the most important thing when making an album.
Not usually, not for the drummer, but, this is a different album man.
You know Ben took on all the cooking with Churd for like, two months.
[BEN] Yeah, I was jumping between drum machines and the stove trying to make dinner.
And James is basically, he was the engineer backing up the producer, Adam Noble
If there's limitations to it practically, we'll figure that out.
[LAUGHS] What fuckin fuck is that?
[JAMES] But as long as you can come up with the idea and have the spark
the feeling amongst us is that we can make this work.
[PLAYING SYNTH] Yeah man, haha.
[JAMES] So we're gonna give you a little run down of dinner, right Churds?
Nice bit of salmon, we've got a medley of summer vegetables.
We're gonna eat well, we're gonna eat well.
We only started even having people in here that weren't myself, Ben and James
probably two years ago because it's such a sacred place for us and it was
all about keeping the vibe right. Because that's what we cherish
so much about this place is this place is fun.
This is like a kind of clubhouse forest to make our music.
♪ Ooh ♪ Oh, no!
Just did the job that Ben half did. [LAUGHTER]
At one time we were on holiday in France, bizzarely watching snooker.
And they're all going 'Allie McManus! Allie McManus!'
So Alan McManus is uh, is my favorite player. Is this the 'making of the making of'?
[SIMON] this is the making of the making of the making of... the making of.
I don't actually know what's happening anymore! [LAUGHING]
[SIMON] Oh fuckin hell it's the 11th wall is down! Yes!
[SIMON] Do you remember where we got them?
[BEN] All of them I believe have been thrown on stage, right, there or gigs.
-[BEN] Um there's half of Souttar. And half uh, Poland. -[SIMON] Right, okay.
-[SIMON] That's Scotland and Poland together.
[JAMES AND SIMON] Together at last!
[BEN] And there we've got Portugal, and this is amazing look at the drawing on this!
I have no idea how they've done this, but the likeness is just uncanny.
-[SIMON] It's pretty hot. -It's pretty hot, just three bored dudes.
I mean we've been having a bit of a laugh but genuinely it is so nice to have the support.
-To have the memories of these people. You know? -[BEN] Yeah.
[SIMON] As much as we felt isolated last year as everyone did, putting these things up
and the nice messages we've got from all over the world really helped us be like,
"You know there's people out there that care."
♪♪♪
[SIMON] I pour a lot of myself, my vulnerabilities into the songs
which at a point can take its toll. But seeing
people listen to your music in the right way I feel very lucky
that the people that dig our band really care about the music the same way that we do.
[ENGINEER] Would that work in the chorus?
Yeah, let me try that in the chorus absolutely!
♪♪♪
[SIMON] Satisfaction even in your darkest moment writing a really
sad song can still end up bringing you joy.
There's like a full circle that happens in that and that's why I keep making music.
Yes, nice one ain't it.
-Aya! Little motherfuckin prick! -Ah yeah that sounded good.
-So delicate! -Aaaargh! Yeah!
-[JAMES] Here we are! -[BEN] Oooh!
-This is so peaceful man! -Nice innit?
I kind of want to take a trip up to that farm sometime.
Don't know what they do up there.
-Have we been? -I wanna know what rock band's up there.
[JAMES] I think we get the best of both worlds with the travelling that we do.
And then we have the grounding... of home.
And the attitude of the people at home I think that's really important
to your... mental wellbeing.
I think 'cause we're in a job where people often celebrate your success it's nice
to come to a place where no-one really gives a shit. [LAUGHING]
And that suits us just fine.
You can't go wrong with that eh?
We've been pretty much everywhere in the world.
And that's helped get me, contextualize why this place is important to me.
And why it's really important to our band.
[BEN] This is the longest we've been home since we were actually
kids 'cause we've been touring since.
As you get older you do have this appreciation for where you come from
and how it has affected you as a person. How it's made you who you are.
[JAMES] The more we've travelled over the years, the connection becomes stronger.
The more time you spend away, the Scottishness is deep within us.
I wouldn't be comfortable being so vulnerable in my songs or...
or kind of defenseless if they didn't come from this part of the world.
[JAMES] We've come back home. We've come back home to glorious Kilmarnock.
-Kind of where it all started for us really. -Yeah.
-In the garage. -In the garage.
-The parents' garage. -Tight 8PM cutoff.
[BEN] Yeah, if it got to 8:01, the door got shut.
-Can't go over. -Stop, that's it, 8:01.
And these other neighbors that hate us.
Persona non grata right here!
Watch your head tall man!
Amps everywhere! It was like, one in one out.
-A bit of a clusterfuck. -It really was.
-To play some over the years. Biffy gigs. Oh my god. -Wow.
-There's a really old one from the paper. -Oh when we played the...
So that's us playing a battle of bands. It's gone yellow.
[JAMES] We didn't have very many plans but we did take it seriously.
Practice was about getting better.
Just that feeling when you all come together and you just make that beautiful
harmony, you make that noise. There's just nothing really like it.
You filming aye?
How we doin? Welcome to Kilmarnock!
-There's star walks further down town. -[LAUGHTER]
Where they have all the famous people. It goes on for miles.
[CAMERAMAN] Haha, a handsome man!
-Fuckin shivers. -I know haha!
A couple of venues in this square half mile that we played loads when we were younger.
Typical you know like that's- like you find the couple of pubs nearby that let you
-in underage with your fake ID. -Yeah.
Basically it was whoever had sideburns
would be the first one walkin up like,
"Hey man I've got sideburns I'm quite obviously legal!" and then they'd be like,
-"Alright, in ya come." -Yeah.
But it's just about getting your pals down to watch the show.
It's just about playing music with your friends and we've never taken it for granted.
And I think if your roots are different than ours are then
maybe you would take some things for granted.
Taa daaa!
-[JAMES] Is that what you were expecting? -[SIMON] Is that not gorgeous?
Is that not gorgeous?
This is BIFFY CLYRO. [IMMITATES DRUMMING RHYTHM]
♪♪♪
[SIMON] So this is the venue that one of our very first shows...
So I broke a string, it was literally like SOS sorry everyone.
Just need to drive home to get a spare string, so that's what we did.
There was a 15 minute delay in the gig. "We're gonna take
"a 5 minute break for 10 minutes. See you in 15!" That was--
flung that out there and I'll never forget that. What a line! It's not my line.
And then yeah we went out and literally I changed the guitar string
-in front of the whole crowd and then we carried on. -And that's that.
But you know that's the spirit of things when you start as a proper DIY band.
You know like, get in a van, make your own gigs happen. Print your own flyers and shit.
-That's what happens. -Yup. -Absolutely.
You don't want things to come too easy to you you know?
Oh it would've been nice though! [LAUGHING]
[BEN] I mean it was terrifying. I remember being so scared.
So rigid and not moving. Like that not even breaking a sweat.
But hooked, absolutely hooked, it was just the most amazing feeling.
[JAMES] We just kept going. More often than not we were unpopular.
People asking for Oasis people asking for... anything but what we were doing.
We didn't change! We did not change, we just put our hoods up and turned and faced the back.
[SIMON] I don't know it it was just arrogance or confidence.
Or whether it was self preservation.
You know like, hey, we're not gonna engage so therefore if people aren't into it
then we can-- well we didn't want you to like our band!
And that was kind of our badge of honor.
And here we are approaching what used to be...
-Arlington Birdies. -Right here? -Yeah, yeah that's it.
[OVERLAPPING AGREEMENT] It's super gone!
But this is where we played, I think it was on the 3rd set of the night.
-It was your birthday though? -It was our birthday, our 18th birthday.
And the owner came over said, "You guys better turn this down it's getting too loud!"
And Simon being the young defiant man that he was like,
"Yeah, very good!" Duh nuh nuh! Turned it up. [LAUGHING]
-And uh, I think there were a few choice words. -I'll never forget it,
"Do not make a cunt of me young man." [LAUGHING]
Which in essence is making a cunt of yourself, saying that to an 18 year old child.
-You paid 60 quid to hire out- I know! -Exactly!
"Do you want your 60 quid or not?!" [OVERLAPPING TALKING/LAUGHING]
[SIMON] It's nice to be able to honor these places which have allowed us
to then make our ridiculous new album.
You know like 2 miles that way, it's fuckin' brilliant!
You know with that it's like, you couldn't make that up.
[JAMES] In terms of where we're from being a part of who we are, it's undeniable.
Probably a slight chip on our shoulder.
Probably a slight underdog mentality.
[SIMON] Lookin back I'm so glad that myself Ben and James kind of stood alone
in our small towns because...
It gave us a strength and this identity and this gang mentality
that we wouldn't have had otherwise.
[BEN] Quite a big lable actually came up to see us play and after the showcase
he kind of said the deal hinged on us changing the name.
And so we were like "nope."
[JAMES] Even if it means you think we're going to fail.
That's out choice to make. And if we do fail, we'll go down fightin'.
[BEN] So we kinda turned down this record deal to keep the name BIFFY CLYRO.
Oh god that sounds so stupid. It's true.
No, sticking to your guns is a good thing.
And trying to see your vision out, and that's what we did.
We kept the silly name and it's haunted us ever since.
[SYNTH PLAYING]
This is fun stuff! [LAUGHING]
Listen to this, we're making music and we're breaking music today.
[SIMON] Recent BIFFY records electronics play a much bigger part you know.
For years I would just put loads of guitars on the record and actually
sometimes I find that putting a weird electronic sound or something can actually
make a song heavier. It can just take your mind somewhere else dynamically.
♪♪♪
It's really opened up the sonics of where the songs end up.
♪ You never diminish any more ♪
I think that's just what it needs, I swear!
It's always gonna have the identity of who we are.
I think as soon as Ben plays drums, James plays bass and I sing on it you know,
then it's gonna sound like our band. But we wanna kind of present it in like
almost a different part of the world each time. Like a different geography.
Terrain's probably the best way to do it, a different terrain.
[REPEATING ONE SYNTH NOTE] [LAUGHING]
Yeah, you'll hear some funny sounds on this record, that's for sure.
[LAUGHING] [BENDING SYNTH NOTE OUT OF KEY] We can do that!
♪♪♪
♪ We are trolls ♪
♪ In this universe we're trolls ♪
♪ Happy just to torch shit ♪
There's a real vibe to it you know there's something about this. It's kind of quite cocky.
Or gallus as we'd say in Scotland.
♪ That's now why we came here ♪
♪ That's not what this is for ♪
It just immediately makes you feel a bit seasick, that song.
♪ ...find an answer ♪
I just love it. I love the feeling of, "Woah, I feel a bit woozy here."
I think this song just feels beautifully woozy.
♪ In the symphony of God ♪
Trying to get that balance of something that's really quite oppressively dark
the thought behind that humans are errors in the history of God.
We often do that when the songs have the darkest lyrics, the actual melodies are quite light.
♪ ...Eager to explore ♪
♪ Even if I dream a little dream ♪
That's an important part of what we do I think is that Yin and Yang and really kind of
make people go "oh that's an upbeat song" oh no it's actually not
it's really dark or vice versa you know I love it.
♪ Errors in the history of God ♪
♪♪♪
[SIMON] It took me longer to miss the gigs than I thought it would during lockdown.
We tour, we play well over 100 shows every year,
so sometimes the last thing you wanna do is go to a venue.
But when you do go to a venue and those lights go down before
the band comes on that's what I live for.
And I try and remember that when we're prepping for a gig.
That moment of "this is about to happen" that's the magic.
♪♪♪ [UNINTELLIGABLE]
"What's tonight gonna hold?" You know and the band has that as well I think.
Even as a fan when you're there you do wonder...
"How good's this gonna be?" But your excitement level soars.
And that's how I feel when we're about to play it's like you wanna
reach the stars you wanna reach the sky.
But the bands I like, and the music that we make, I just want people to care.
[JAMES] Being one person's favorite band as opposed to 10 peoples' fifth favorite band.
That was the mantra early on.
[BEN] We were just young kids we were in hoodies and just
playing some really abrasive music. Just wanted to make a racket.
And ruffle some feathers I guess.
[SIMON] We're now at James' house. We're gonna show you a version of the van
we used to tour in back in the day. For like 5 or 6 years James and Ben
used to drive us around in a camper van.
James bought like a replica of it, but this is rock and roll.
If you can spend four weeks in a van with your two best friends
and have the time of your life stay in that band! Stay in that van!
And keep fucking doing it!
-Back to early 2000's over here with this bad boy! -I know!
-How are ya man? Feeling alright? -How ya doin? Yeah,
-feeling alright thanks man. -Good to see you man.
-Is it weird? Is it nice being in there? -It is nice.
-Hey if we tour this van would be alright! -Ha, I know!
-Cup of tea sir? -[OVERLAPPING TALKING]
Hey, cup of coffee sir?
[BEN] I still don't know where all the people went and all the gear went.
I guess we were a little bit smaller then?
[SIMON] For us it was always like having a great time in the moment.
'Cause it just felt like we were a gang from this part of the world exploring the UK.
Turning up, 3 normal folk, and we'd go in and try to make as big of a fuckin' impact
and splash as possible, and there's such an innocence and a purity to that I think.
-And I don't think we've ever lost that. -If it came down to
it now, and we had to get into the van, the three of us
and bunch of gear I would-- I'd carry the gear,
and I know the boys feel the same way and it's a really nice
-place to be. -We'll be happy for James to carry the gear.
-[OVERLAPPING TALKKING] -Definitely be alright with James carrying the gear.
[SIMON] They're the moments when you realize if you really wanna be doing what you're doing
-and you're surrounded by people you like, because -Yeah.
if it means spending 20 hours in a van
-to play that show we'll fuckin do it. -Absolutely.
And if it's not worth it to you then
hang up your guitar or your laptop
or your fuckin USB key. [LAUGHING]
Or log out of fuckin' tech talk.
[JAMES] It's a reminder to keep things kind of simple.
Because it's not much different to what we were doing then to now.
It's still getting together to play music in front of strangers.
You're with your best mate and your brother and you're kicking ass.
Your in the country and scaring folk.
[SCREAMING] Thank you.
[SIMON] In early tours we didn't always play with our shirts off.
Now after each show, you did maybe 29 shows in 30 days, so our-
we would just fling our gig shows out the back of the van
and literally after like a week we had like a chewing gum...
Massive chewing gum ball of t-shirts that were just salty and horrible discolored.
-It's your favorite t-shirt as well 'cause you've been onstage. -You think
-"I'm wearing my cool t-shirt!" -Yeah, I wear my cool t-shirt and then
-you go home and you've got no bloody clothes left. -So that's why
-we started... -We started playing with our shirts off.
It's a bit ridiculous going on stage in front of 10,000 people anyway.
And I think stripping away any kind of armor that you use in everyday life
is, it's just you're totally free, you've got nothing else to hide behind.
-It's just you and your fucking mind and your brothers -Yeah.
And we've ended up playing some sh- we've played gigs in the Arctic Circle.
Up in northern Norway, up in Tromsoø.
It was minus four degrees and we were like, "Why did we decide to do this again?"
But see once you start playing it doesn't fuckin matter so you get in that headspace.
But there has been a few times where we've been like "This is a really bad idea."
Just a terrible one. [LAUGHING]
♪♪♪
Basically we're on the road
and you're going off the road like "this is not too bad" and then suddenly
[VOCALISING] [BEN] Oh my God!
-And then at the end you're like "turn turn turn!" -Turn! Turn!
-And you fly off like Fast and the Furious and land like-- -Boom.
♪ Listen to the sound ♪ back on. -Land on in the back of the plane!
-Exactly! You've seen the movie I'm talking about! -Like "woah!"
And they just land!
Yeah! [METRONOME CLICKING]
Yeah okay.
Yeah that makes sense but without the [SNARE HITS] yeah.
Yeah!
Great. Well done.
Alright.
[PLAYING SYNTH]
[SIMON] I really wanted to have a big long intro and I thought...
'Separate Missions'? This is the song for it.
[JAMES] It's another flavor for the band.
The Cure were a band that we all referenced.
They just start and they motor along or gallop and they're setting a scene for ages.
♪♪♪
[SIMON] This one's a lot closer lyrically to what 'Celebration of Endings' was about.
Ironically even though the music is all new it's kind of about those
deteriorating relationships and how we've ended up
on separate paths and separate missions.
♪♪♪
♪ Well you kept your word but you lost every part of me ♪
[BEN] We just sit on a groove for ages and it's kind of keyboard driven as well.
We just sit on this beautiful riff.
[JAMES] I love the sound of this, I think it's such a new sound for the band.
When you're in the studio it's like for a week you'll be like
"this isn't workin this isn't workin!" and then you make one change
and you're like "it's workin!"
And that's the beautiy of music 'cause I was so excited with the whole song
and then this bridge sucks and I'm like.
You're like "no it can be perfect it can be perfect" and then it just happens one day.
"That's it! It was always meant to be like that!"
♪ Listen to the sound of the promises broken ♪
♪ Silence comes around 'cause you reap what you sow ♪
We're still trying to peel back the layers of the onion and find some new fruit.
♪ You won't diminish anymore ♪
♪♪♪
Just- don't wanna talk about it. Don't wanna talk about it. [LAUGHING]
[OVERLAPPING TALKING]
All these golden, double gold record and platinum- like honestly
just not talk about that.
-It's a musical reflection- -[SIMON] It's an eagle room!
-It's an eagle room, let's- -It's an eagle room! It's an eagle room!
Yeah I mean that's what I've been calling it is the eagle room
and that's why the blinds stay down.
Just displaying them all in a-- It's just a bit of a hangup.
-And they end up stuck in a cupboard. -The sheer amount of
them isn't it? That's why.
It's almost like it's a nice memory run
to go "look at how amazing we are!"
It's almost like motivation to move forward.
And we take great pride in the art that we choose you know.
And for us it always has to just be- harmonize with the music inside.
If there is no correlation then you're missing a trick.
Artwork should be not even an extension of it, it should be part of it.
[JAMES] Songs are always about a time and a place.
You know, mentally what you're going through, what we're going through.
And I think that's why it's important that you join those thoughts up.
[SIMON] That's a picture from our old practice room, and the 3 fuckin gumballs right there.
-They were the pictures we approved. -I know! Third album!
[SIMON] There were 6,000 limited edition copies of this.
So I decided like a pure fool.
That I was gonna personally write a line of lyrics for every single one.
So I wrote 6,000 lines of lyrics while making this record and it was...
It was a pleasure to do.
♪ Ahhhh ♪
♪ Waaahhh ♪
[SIMON] For the first 10 years of being in this band
I didn't really appreciate that the voice was a muscle.
You know when I was in my teens and early 20s,
my voice would recover like that you know.
I could scream myself all night, wake up the next day
and sing like an angel still, or my version of an angel.
♪ I bet you didn't know ♪
♪ I bet you didn't care ♪
♪ Denial ain't forever but the truth's hidden there somewhere ♪
Mentally, it helps me get in the mode.
This is part of my process now. It helps me gear up,
helps my adrenaline start to pump and my blood kinda flows
in the right way to my throat.
This is my ideal if I could do my vocal warmup like this
every single day I would be as happy as a pig in shit.
[VOCALISING]
I think I was on LSD state of mind man.
The slow-mo chorus and here messing like this is a good chorus.
♪ I could hardly believe in ♪
♪ When he didn't hit the ground ♪
♪ The fatigue started showing ♪
♪ And the doubt could be heard ♪
♪ But he had no fear, he was best of the worst ♪
Let me, let me do that last line.
Yep. Yep. Let me do that last line brother.
♪ And the doubt could be heard ♪
♪ But he rode into eternity, forever the best of the worst ♪
♪ We rise ♪ Yeah.
Thanks. Good.
♪♪♪
[SIMON] This album is like defined by the fact that we made it in a farm
you know and it's sonically, you can hear the farm.
Clear that the big fucking bit.
[BEN] I just went 'round the farm smashing things with sticks and sampling cows making noises.
What do you do with the drum sticks?
Yeah! [UNINTELLIGABLE]
And then I take all the samples back, put them into our drum machine and make a loop.
I think that'll be good. We'll make it a subscription
service so you get new farm sounds every month.
Fucking brilliant.
I think being as well, you can spend a day
experimenting and it maybe doesn't lead somewhere
but you don't feel that you've lost a day just quite so much.
♪ All electrical ♪
That's why I say when people start a band, it's so important that you get on
because technical proficiency you can make up for
but you can't learn to always get on
and you can't learn to have fun. That's a chemistry thing.
That is some of the best music we have ever fucking made.
[LAUGHTER]
[BEN] Today we're getting our traditional album band tattoos,
which we've been gettin' since
2001 I think was the first time we got one. This guy here. Hands on the wheel.
And we've been getting tattoos pretty much every album ever since.
I kind fo think of it as you know people get tattoos of loved ones
names on them. I guess that's to signify that
you're going to love them until the end of your life.
That's how important this band is to us.
-Yo yo. How we doing? Good, good. -Good.
These paperclips are from an artist called Richard McGuire.
I just love this because it kinda describes myself, Ben and James.
These are paperclips keepin' everything together
and, yeah, this long as being a band
I think it's important to celebrate the fact that we do keep things together.
Yeah. Sure.
Who's next? Who's brave?
Okay.
That was really quick.
It's always a realyl nice way to comemerate
such an important part of our lives.
Just to have it there forever. There's just no better feeling.
One. Two. One, two, three, four.
♪♪♪
[SIMON] Brings me joy. It brings me joy as soon as I hear that song start.
Witch's Cup is almost like a showtune or
somethin' from a movie soundtrack.
I still can't put my finger on what it is.
♪ We're drinking from the witch's cup ♪
[BEN] This is like a crazy carnival song. It really is.
It's like you've taken acid at a carnival,
but it's mixed with a lullaby.
That's the thing. It also sounds a bit like a lullaby,
which I think is beautiful.
♪ Death of an original ♪
Shows the genius of Simon because to write a lullaby is a fucking difficult thing to do.
♪ To all the adorded, there's just before and after ♪
It makes me feel good to hear it and play it
and I don't know if I would've been brave enough
to work in this song again if I was thinking about how we would present it live.
♪ Give this up ♪
♪ If I can even see it or feel it ♪
♪ 'Cause oh, I just hope when we go ♪
One of the songs where if we could've we would have had a massive
brass band but we ended up having to sort of do synth brass,
but musically it does make you feel good.
♪ I won't deceive at all ♪
♪ Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, where to begin? ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm scared to believe it ♪
♪ Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, can you dare believe it all ♪
We journey through this big great day where the song completely changes again
and the rocks pool and is this the same song?
Not necissarily a lot of Biffy songs make me wanna smile
and that one does, so I hope it does for people when they listen to it too.
♪ Believe it ♪
-Do gangs. We're doing-- -Gangalang. -The baddest gang in town.
We're near the end of the record and we start ganging.
-Ganging style. -Wish you were here. Sort of wish you were here isn't it.
Wish we had a bigger gang.
I wish we had a smaller gang.
♪ Smmooooahhh ♪
I think ben and I being twins,
we have to in some ways extend the same courtesy to Simon.
It has to be a brotherhood. The three of us.
♪ Woahhhhh ♪
I've known the boys from when they were 7 and they're twins
so we're almost like a 2 piece in that regaurd because
Ben and James and are so close.
Being twins in the band has kind of forced
us and Simon to get closer as well.
I think it would be weird if you had such a tight connection
between just 2 and there's 1 person who's not involved in that.
♪ Brace yourself, here's a slap across the jaw ♪
♪ Can you find any hunger in your haunt ♪
♪ A hunger in your haunt ♪ [LAUGHING]
We've been through our toughest moments in life together.
There's just no doubt about it. The things happened in the past
we never ran away from. You know, we never ran away from each other.
-Get in here boys. -Get down!
-We're nearly there. -Last couple days getting these vocals.
The cherry on top of the ice cream on top.
This is the shit on top of the cherry.
If you don't like each other, respect each other, that ain't going to last, you know.
[JAMES] Everyone should join a band. See if you get a chance to go and join a band
with your brothers or your sisters.
People who you consider to be a brother or a sister.
That's probably the best years you'll ever have in your life.
♪♪♪
Denier, yeah this song actually started as a bit of a
folk song. It was a bit of an acoustic song
[BEN] And then Si he was like, right,
let's rip up the notebook on this one. Let's change this song
and it's just become this fucking juggernaut.
Ben's drumming on it is, it's so dynamite. It's so relentless.
♪ Draped like her dress on the floor a different shade of blue♪
♪ I hope you don't choke ♪
It's a hell of a lot of fun to play.
I can't wait to get that one on the stage.
It's going to be a great one live.
♪ You broke your own rules ♪
Watchign Ben like and animal and watchign Simon singing
I'm like they're my fucking boys.
♪ I need somebody to love ♪
♪ I need somebody to care for and it's you ♪
♪ It's always been you ♪
It's like a slab of guitars and keyboards and bass and drums.
It's probably the least subtle song on the record.
♪ Of course, you didn't know, of course, you didn't care ♪
♪ Denial ain't forever 'cause the truth's hidden there somewhere ♪
♪♪♪
[SIMON] You don't get this at a normal studio.
Fucking delivery blocked the way in.
Two can play that game Jack. Final day. Turning the cameras on you.
Are you feeling positive? Feeling good?
It's always weird. It's a weird sensation, um, happy
that we're almost there. I'm terrified that we're almost there.
There's always a big gaping chasm, chasm
in my life once we finish a record, so I'm anticipating that a little bit.
But I'm really proud of what we've made.
You know, I think, I don't think any other place in the world
at any other time in our lives we couldn't have made this record
so it feels very much now and I just can't wait for everybody
to hear it but yeah I'm fucking charred.
Ready for a week off mother fucker.
Hey. Hi!
Roads were busy. Everybody in the world is out of the house.
Enjoying the sunshine. What a day! What a day!
It's become as important as 'A Celebration of Endings',
but yet couldnt have existed without 'A Celebration of Endings'.
To be making that record at home,
one of the best times we've ever had as a band.
I feel slightly tearful even thinking about it.
I think being forced to stay at home
gave us this kind of new love for it.
It's a beautiful thing.
[BEN] The three of us in this dairy farm.
It's remarkable that we've made this record in these circumstances.
I'm just, I'm really full of pride.
♪ Together into the unknown ♪
[OVERTAKING]
Yeah, that's dynamite!
[SIMON] If I bring in a tune and the boys smile or the boys love it,
that's where my joy comes from you know.
It comes from us creating things together.
We don't need all the bells and whistles
for us to be fullfilled and happy.
We just have to be making music together and have that vibe in a room
and that's what keeps our hearts beating.
It was litrally making music for
for the sake of making music cause we love it.
It really felt pure. It felt like we were kids again.
Ba ba ba bom.
[SIMON] Barbecue in the Scottish sun.
Just the right amount of great and just a lovely way to end a record.
It's Ben and James' birthday in a couple of days
so I got them a couple of cool presents.
Finally we can celebrate.
-Big boys. -Oh my God.
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
♪ Happy birthday Ben and James ♪ -Yo!
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
-Woo! Woo! -Make a wish!
-Yeah! -Hip hip, hurray!
Hip hip, hurray! Hip hip, hurray!
-Get in folks. Step back. -Woah!
-I gotta clean something! -That is so beautiful!
-Woah! -Look at that!
-Oh Simon, thanks so much. A work of art man. -Pleasure!
Fucking brilliant!
-Thanks so much for ... -Happy birthday boys.
-Well done. Well done. -Cheers! Cheers!
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[SIMON] Everything we normally do points towards a live show you know.
One satisfying aspect is always when I first hear the songs
come together like wow I still can't believe it when I hear things happen like wow!
The conclusion of that is when we play on the stage.
[JAMES] Just about the most important, the highest moment you get.
The most out of body experience you feel you're elevating.
not much else in life can get you to that place.
[BEN] Ther'es certainly no better place than Glasgow to be getting back at it.
So many lovely memories from playing there before.
Even as kids kinda kickin' about because the love is real and it's going to be loud.
I just can't wait. I cannot wait for that.
♪ Step out to the unknown ♪
♪ I'll catch you on the way down ♪
♪ Aim high, look out below ♪
♪ We're on our way together into the unknown ♪
[JAMES] I believe it's going to be the first show in Glasgow.
The first outdoor show, so it feels like quite a lot of responsibility.
[SIMON] We're less than 20 minutes away from where we'll play to 35,000 people.
This is where we made our new record, 10 miles away.
It's where we live, where we grew up, there's something really beautiful
in this moment in time. It's such a questioning period of time for everyone.
It's happening in our part of the world.
[BEN] It's not just going to be emotional for us, but for the fans as well you know
that everyone's been cooped up. Just to get to put a smile on their faces
is going to mean the world to us.
[SIMON] I can't wait to feel that sense of joy
and that sense of we're back. You know we've made it back here together.
[BEN] It's gonna be a seminal moment.
It's a whole rebirth. It's starting again.
I hope we can do it.
[JAMES] We can power the country for a year off that one night
casue there's going to be a lot of energy. I really can't wait to feel it.
[BEN] I'm already nervous thinking about it.
Without a doubt there's going to be a lot of nerves.
I'll be lucky to have steady legs. I think I'll be like Bambi on ice.
[SIMON] Taking my nerves, my anxiety and try to put it into
the purpose and the power and the passion of the show, you know.
[JAMES] Just try not to brakedown in the first 5 minutes.
Just could be floods of emotion.
-Woo! -Yeah, I love you boy.
[BEN] It will be super emotional when we finally get on a stage.
We've missed it so much.
[CHEERING]
That'll be the moment where it could go one of two ways.
It'll either be really emotional
or it will be like let's go.
♪♪♪
[BEN] We never had these massive ambitions when we started out at all.
We were just this weird rock band tryin' to piss people off.
There's a weird look Simon will give me sometimes that says all that.
Just one look that says, "Yeah, we're doing this. This is actually happening."
You just about made me cry because I guess
it's everything. It's everything in our life. It's everything that we focused on.
Everything else in your life feels like its got to fit around this.
♪ Don't you waste your life ♪
[SIMON] It feels like it has kinda come full circle.
Its a shame it takes something so dramatic and tramatic
for it to happen but I'm really pleased
that we are reconnecting with where we started.
[JAMES] So much has changed, but yet so much hasn't.
It's still just us in a room tryin' to make each other deaf.
♪♪♪
This only further hit home how much we fucking love
and need to do what we do.
It couldn't mean more. Is that a good way to put it?
It couldn't mean more to me.
♪♪♪
[SIMON] In the same part the world is our home our very first song as we were making
this record and there's something really pure about that
and you know what, we're having as much fun as we ever have.
I think we're better than we ever have been so
long may it continue Jack.
We are Biffy fucking Clyro!!
♪♪♪
♪ Creative burns, creative burns, creative burns in a dick show ♪
♪ Cultural sons, cultural sons, cultural sons of Scotland ♪
♪ Spread by a whirl, spread by a whirl, spread by a whirlygig so♪
♪ Goddamn you all, you bastard sons ♪
♪ Forgiveness is gone, you'’re hanging on ♪
♪ Cradled that heart, my sister'’s son ♪
♪ Forgive me father, I have sinned ♪
♪ Forgive me father cause I'’ve carried all these sins ♪
♪ Up hills and down in holes, it'’s where I'’ve always been ♪
♪ Business is done, our business is done ♪
♪ They ask, so I made them burn but I saw the sun ♪
♪ Forgive me father cause I'’ve carried all these sins ♪
♪ Up hills and down in holes, it'’s where I'’ve always been ♪
♪ Business is done, our business is done ♪
♪ They ask, so I made them burn but I saw the sun ♪
♪♪♪