With an appearance at Soundwave earlier this year, Scottish trio Biffy Clyro are returning to Australia for a headline tour in September.
“We can’t wait,” bass player James Johnston says, “it’s the highlight of our year. Australia’s a great country and we’ve been waiting for such a long time to come back for this album, so it’s really nice to make the most of it and come back again so soon.”
After playing nearly every major festival in both hemispheres, the band is particularly excited about putting in some quality time with their Australian fans. “It’s always nice to do your own show; it’s really great being part of a festival but there’s nothing like playing an hour and a half set, being on-stage a little bit longer and having that intensity with the fans.”
As well as a longer setlist, James promises the group’s trademark high-energy performance — which has earned the Ayrshire lads a cavalcade of awards including being voted NME’s ‘Best British Band’ in 2013 (even though they’re Scottish) — will be on display. “We always bring a lot of energy to our shows; we’re very passionate about what we do and we really care about putting on a good show. There’s so many great bands out there and people have a choice to go see any band and we always feel it’s up to the band to put on a good show.
“Hopefully there’ll be a lot of sing-alongs, that’s something we really enjoy and encourage. There’s something about having the audience involved so that they’re getting excited, I think that makes a better atmosphere. We feel the band and the audience should work together, sort of joined at the hip, that’s what we’re going for at these gigs and when that happens it’s really kind of magic.”
The upcoming Australian tour will also be the first time Biffy Clyro play in New Zealand after pulling out of shows scheduled there last year due to medical reasons. “That was a really difficult decision because we had been looking forward to that show for quite a while and we just couldn’t wait. Then eventually, as it got closer, I’d had a little problem with my finger and I had to get a small operation.
“It wasn’t anything major but if I didn’t get the operation my finger would become really sore to play and maybe one day, even in four or five years’ time, I’d have to stop playing. It was very worrying … I had just a little lump in the joints of one of my fingers so I had that removed and, touch wood, it seems to be okay now but it was a very worrying time, really strange.”
Biffy Clyro Tour Dates
Thu Sep 4 - The Tivoli (Brisbane)Fri Sep 5 - Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
Sun Sep 7 - Palais Theatre (Melbourne)
Tue Sep 9 - HQ (Adelaide)
Fri Sep 12 - Metro City (Perth)
