Biffy Clyro talk the joys of household chores, MTV Unplugged and insomnia
The band's new acoustic album relaunches the MTV Unplugged series
THEY are known for their bare-chested, energetic rock shows so it’s a surprise to hear Biffy Clyro enjoying the mundane chores of everyday life when we speak.
“It’s not very rock ’n’ roll but I’ve been getting our windows replaced at home,” says singer Simon Neil from his home in Ayr, Scotland.
While bassist James Johnston is busy doing some gardening. “I’ve just been mowing the lawn” he laughs down the phone. “With this sunny weather, it’s finding that balance between the hectic lifestyle and getting the barbecue on.
“After a couple of weeks of touring, it’s the little things that people take for granted that we really long for.
“When I get home I just want to make myself a piece of toast.
“So, today with the sun out in Glasgow, it’s the chance I get to cut the grass so I’m in heaven.”
House maintenance is a side of the Scottish trio that fans might not expect. With the lads just back from playing in Australia and New Zealand, we are on the phone to talk about their new acoustic album which relaunches the famous MTV Unplugged series, made famous by the likes of Nirvana, R.E.M, Pearl Jam, George Michael and Oasis.
It was Nirvana’s legendary and intense performance for the show, filmed in New York in November 1993, that inspired Neil to say yes to MTV. It was the first Nirvana album released following the death of frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994.
When I get home I just want to make myself a piece of toast
James Johnston (Bassist)
“I am a kid of the Nineties so this series is a big deal for me,” says Neil. “It’s easy to forget that when Nirvana got asked to do it they were like a noisy rock band.
“It wasn’t an obvious thing for them to do. Kurt was on drugs and in tatters in that show and it was the Nirvana one that really changed my life in a lot of ways.
“Neil Young did a beautiful one, and Springsteen did a nice one as well. I also remember the Oasis one where Liam was heckling Noel from the balcony.”
Biffy’s show, filmed at North London’s Roundhouse last November, was a proud moment for singer and guitarist Neil, bassist Johnston and his twin brother, drummer Ben, as it shows another side of the band who formed as teens in 1995.
Kurt was on drugs and in tatters in that show and it was the Nirvana one that really changed my life in a lot of ways
Simon Neil (Lead) on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged
“As we play with our shirts off and scream a lot, some people think ‘They are so angry’. But this show gives our songs the chance to breathe and people who don’t know our music well may be surprised by the songs’ fragility.”
Johnston, aged 38 like Neil, agrees and says: “Maybe people will hear the songs without having to look at our ugly bodies. It’s a great chance to show the songs in a different light, not the absolutely exhausted different light.
“And it was nice that they chose us. The toughest thing for us was picking which songs to play.”
One thing the band weren’t expecting after their MTV performance was a bout of insomnia. “I didn’t sleep for two days after the show,” laughs Neil. “After a normal show, you are physically exhausted with all the running around stage.
“It’s so strange to come off not sweating. It’s like I could play another ten hours.”
Johnston admits there was more pre-show anxiety this time and worrying about what could go wrong.
He says: “There are less places to hide if we make any mistakes.”
“In a big show, you can hide behind the lights and turn your back on the audience.
“We couldn’t do that because they were all around us, everywhere you looked there were people staring at you and smiling. What a beautiful experience it was.
“We were a bit more nervous because there is a little bit more of the unknown.”
In a big show, you can hide behind the lights and turn your back on the audience
Simon Neil (Lead)
“The nerves were rife,” says Neil. “But I felt a real wave of relaxation when I saw the front row was singing along. I am really critical of our performances and I don’t watch myself afterwards.
“Fortunately, on the night I was able to feel chilled especially when I saw faces of people who have seen us play for years from many parts of the world, waving flags.”
The two songs that the pair remember most from that night are Bubbles, from their album Only Revolutions and their cover of The Beach Boys’ God Only Knows.
“We were a little bit cautious of playing Bubbles to start with,” says Johnston.
“Ben had suggested we gave it a go so we did. It had a different energy to it and was the one song that we haven’t played acoustically before. It was a challenge and we had to re-record that one but we did it.”
Performing God Only Knows had an emotional attachment for Neil.
I was able to feel chilled especially when I saw faces of people who have seen us play for years from many parts of the world
Simon Neil (Lead)
“It was the first dance at my wedding (to Francesca) and the first tattoo I had on my chest.
“I really wanted to make sure it was a song that in five, ten years would be just as important to me as it was the week we were recording it.”
This year marks Biffy’s 23-year anniversary and Neil says nothing much has changed goal-wise for him.
“It’s all about being on stage playing songs. I’m no use for anything else apart from picking up a guitar and making a racket for a living,” he says.
“It is the best feeling in the world and that’s why bands go through a period when they try and replicate it with drugs as it’s pure chemistry in your body.
“It’s like anxiety. A lot of people suffer with it on tour and it’s not always your enemy, it’s how you deal with it and we all struggle to deal with it at points in our lives. I have days when I just want to close the curtains and not do anything.”
In 2013, Neil had a breakdown while in America and the band were forced to cut short their North American tour and return to the UK immediately.
I have days when I just want to close the curtains and not do anything
Simon Neil (Lead)
Today he says he is in a good place and has learned to deal with any stress.
“My life changed when I discovered meditation,” he says.
“All of us worry too much and get anxious — we just remember that we are all in it together then we start panicking less. Our friend Scott (Hutchison) from the band Frightened Rabbit died recently (after battling depression). It’s so heartbreaking that he ended up in the wrong place in his mind.
“A lot of people confuse being successful with being happy. Really success is a different thing than it is made out to be.
“We need to realise that it’s the smallest things in your life that make you happy.”
For Johnston, he says it’s helped having family and close friends working with Biffy and he thinks it is important to finding balance in your life.
“Biffy and our whole team are a brotherhood. And that helps. We all talk and know when anyone is suffering.
“Not everyone suffers from depression, but everybody, at times, has mental health issues.
“I chose this life so don’t want to moan about it but it’s about making sure you have enough time at home and with family as well as being on the road.
“When Scott died I was aware of this little community we’re in. I had a lot of people reaching out just to say they were there and that they were thinking of everybody else. It’s so sad that such a tragic situation would make people come together.”
MTV Unplugged isn’t the only project Biffy Clyro have been involved in. They’re also working on two new albums — a movie soundtrack plus their eighth studio album.
Neil says: “You can’t ever call us lazy. We are the opposite of a lazy band — even when we are off, we’re still working on something. We are recording 12 songs for the movie and the director Jamie Adams is coming to my house for a chat about it. That has taken our focus for the next couple of months but then we will be back on the new album.”
It’s so sad that such a tragic situation would make people come together
Simon Neil (Lead)
Johnston adds: “It’s a great opportunity for us to do something that has got our name on it, but it’s not a Biffy Clyro record. We can take a few risks.
“It’s not going to be songs that are played on the radio or live. It’s really quite exciting. We are not even halfway through it, but already I am definitely thinking about it every time I go to sleep.”
The band are planning for their next actual Biffy album to be released early next year.
“We will be working on that one from August. We are always writing songs, we’ve got a bunch already and are working through it,” says Johnston.
“It’s interesting to see where it’s going to go. We are a guitar rock band and we are going to remain that — but we are not resting on our laurels. We are not just going to turn off and make another album, man. We just want to keep making music and having more ‘pinch yourself’ moments — like the Unplugged night was.”
Neil adds: “We are still growing as a band and not a lot of bands are still doing that after 23 years. Our gigs are getting bigger and playing live is when I feel most liberated, I feel like a teenager. I don’t want that to change and as soon as that does change, then it’s probably over.
“Some people just go through the motions and that’s wrong.
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“I’ve got friends that have been playing music for as long as we have and they aren’t as big, but they still love doing what they are doing. If you’re not still excited you shouldn’t be doing it.
“A lot of people feel they are entitled to the feeling and that annoys me. I just want to punch them in the f***ing face.”
- MTV Unplugged: Live At Roundhouse London is out today.