Biffy Clyro: Cultural Sons of Scotland

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.

Record this?!

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.

We never took advice from anybody.

We just put our hoods up and turned and faced the back.

We just kept goin.

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.

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!"

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!"

The three of us in this bloody dairy farm.

It's a whole rebirth that's started again.

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.

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.

- BIFFY fucking CLYRO. - BIFFY CLYRO!

- It's BIFFY CLYRO! - Born the BIFF!

BIFFY CLYRO!

Hello gentlemen. Interrogation time is it? Interrogation time.

It's gonna get hot in here.

Check my hair.

Simon interview, take one!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

- 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!

It's a wonderful part of the world, great studios.

Back to us having a really good time recording again.

That was amazing!

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.

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.

Every bit of our energy and focus has gone into this thing that is now

to all intents and purposes taken away from us.

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.

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?

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.

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.

The week to 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.

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.

I think we took a negative situation and really turned it positive.

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 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.

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?

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.

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. - 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.

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.

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.

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.

Grafted everyday to build this amazing dias