'The Thought of Playing on Stage Can Intimidate Me...

When Biffy Clyro made a triumphant return to the stage, frontman Simon Neil felt that he had rediscovered the meaning of life. Now, as part of TG’s 2022 Guitar Workout, he presents his guide to the art of rock guitar. How to make a Strat sound heavy. How to write in odd time signatures. How to prepare for playing live. And why there is still one pedal he can’t live without...

- By Jonny Scaramanga. Photographs by Glen Bollard and Euan Robertson

'The Thought of Playing on Stage Can Intimidate Me, but As Soon As I Put The Guitar Over My Chest I'm Like, 'Right, This Is Me!'

Dropping an a surprise album is the kind of thing you expect more from Taylor Swift than hard-working Scottish rock trios, but that’s what happened when Biffy Clyro’s The Myth Of The Happily Ever After arrived at the end of October 2021. As guitarist/vocalist Simon Neil says, “There’s part of you feels like it’s total baller - ‘Hey man here’s our new album!’ Like Beyoncé or something. But it’s also extremely terrifying.”

He needn’t have worried, as Biffy fans made it the bands sixth consecutive Top 5 album. The Myth... has big hooks and huge sonics that belie its rapid creation. And in contrast to the band’s embrace of pop that peaked with 2016’s Ellipsis, this album also features complex riffs in odd time signatures. “Moving back to stranger, more esoteric ideas”, as Simon describes it.

Making music in times of crisis made the band consider their relevance. “When you’re seeing people going through proper heartbreak every day, you start to wonder ‘Am I contributing to the world? Is this something that needs to exist?’” Simon reflects. But, he concluded, “It’s about trying to bring a sense of joy and togetherness to me and my friends. Just to find that focus and joy was remarkable at this stage of being in a band.”

As well as finding joy in creating music, Biffy Clyro made a life-affirming return to the stage last summer with enormo-shows including headline slots at the Reading and Leeds festivals. They also completed the aptly named ‘Fingers Crossed’ tour at the end of the year.