Entertainment
Biffy Clyro Kicks Off London Residency, Performing ‘Blackened Sky’ in Full and Rarities
Last night (October 20), Biffy Clyro played their entire debut album, Blackened Sky, during a special show in London. The Scottish band captivated fans with this exclusive performance. You can check out fan-filmed footage, photos, and the setlist below.
The event marked the start of a three-night residency at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Biffy dubbed the series A Celebration Of Beginnings. During this residency, Simon Neil and the band are playing their first three studio albums in full. They will repeat this unique set at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom later in the week.
On the opening night, Biffy Clyro performed all 12 tracks from Blackened Sky (2002) in their original order. This show included the first live rendition of Solution Devices since 2005, according to Setlist.FM.
Tracks such as Joy. Discovery .Invention, 27, Kill The Old, Torture Their Young, The Go-Slow, Convex, Concave, Hero Management, Stress On The Sky, and Scary Mary made their first live appearances in 10 years. Fans were thrilled by the rare setlist.
In their second set, Biffy treated the audience to the Blackened Sky-era B-side, Hope For An Angel. This track hadn’t been performed live since 2014.
Before Hope For An Angel, they played A Whole Child Ago (2007) and Modern Magic Formula (2013), both of which hadn’t been played since 2017. Additionally, they performed Howl and Fever Dream for the first time in five years.
Simon Neil returned for the encore, performing a solo acoustic version of Break A Butterfly On A Wheel from Biffy’s 2014 compilation album Similarities. This song hadn’t appeared in their set for a decade.
The night concluded with the first performance of Stingin’ Belle in five years.
Biffy Clyro shared official photos from the concert on social media with the caption: “Blown away by you London #BiffyACOB night 1 – Blackened Sky.” The post, along with additional fan-shot footage, can be viewed below.
Biffy Clyro played:
‘Blackened Sky’
1. ‘Joy.Discovery.Invention’ (first time live since 2014)
2. ’27’ (first time live since 2014)
3. ‘Justboy’ (first time live since 2018)
4. ‘Kill The Old, Torture Their Young’ (first time live since 2014)
5. ‘The Go-Slow’ (first time live since 2014)
6. ‘Christopher’s River’
7. ‘Convex, Concave’ (first time live since 2014)
8. ’57’
9. ‘Hero Management’ (first time live since 2014)
10. ‘Solution Devices’ (first time live since 2005)
11. ‘Stress On The Sky’ (first time live since 2014)
12. ‘Scary Mary’ (first time live since 2014)
Set two
13. ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt’
14. ‘Howl’ (first time live since 2019)
15. ‘Fever Dream’ (first time live since 2019)
16. ‘A Whole Child Ago’ (first time live since 2017)
17. ‘Modern Magic Formula’ (first time live since 2017)
18. ‘Space’
19. ‘Hope For An Angel’ (first time live since 2014)
20. ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’
21. ‘The Pink Limit’
22. ‘Witch’s Cup’
23. ‘Bubbles’
Encore
24. ‘Break A Butterfly On A Wheel’ (Simon Neil solo acoustic, first time live since 2014)
25. ‘Stingin’ Belle’ (first time live since 2019)
Biffy Clyro’s remaining ‘A Celebration Of Beginnings’ tour dates are:
OCTOBER
21 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (‘Vertigo Of Bliss’)
22 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (‘Infinity Land’)
24 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow (‘Blackened Sky’)
25 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow (‘Vertigo Of Bliss’)
26 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow (‘Infinity Land’)
The band’s ninth studio album, The Myth Of The Happily Ever After, was released in 2021. In March, while announcing the Celebration Of Beginnings shows, they hinted at their upcoming 10th album, teasing the title “Biffy X.”
Additionally, last week saw the announcement that Biffy’s first three albums will be reissued as limited-edition vinyl records.
Biffy Clyro returned to the live stage for the first time since 2022 this summer, headlining The Piece Hall in Halifax. They also headlined Victorious Festival 2024 in Portsmouth shortly after. Next summer, Biffy is slated to perform at major festivals, including Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Hurricane Festival, and Southside Festival in Germany.
In the past few years, Simon Neil has kept busy with his grindcore side project, Empire State Bastard. The group, featuring Oceansize’s Mike Vennart, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, and Naomi Macleod from Bitch Falcon, released their debut album, Rivers Of Heresy, last year.
In a 2021 interview with NME, Neil discussed The Myth Of The Happily Ever After. He said, “Some songs focus on forgiveness, others bring hope for the future. At times, I embraced a nihilistic approach, reflecting on how we’re damaging the world.”
