When you say time off, you think curling up with a hot chocolate and Netflix, probably binge watching House of Cards. When you’re Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, it means writing three albums – the new Biffy album, a ZZC solo album, and another fourteen track Biffy album for the back pocket, just for good measure.
“As much as it was a year off from touring, we spent the whole year just trying to make music and trying to feel inspired,” he explains. “It took me a wee while to get going after touring ‘Opposites’, I didn’t really feel incredibly creative so to speak, so it took a couple of months to get going. It seems likes a quieter year than it was!”
To get going, he headed over to LA. “I’ve got a lot of friends over there and most of them are musicians, so it was nice to work with people who aren’t in bands and who write music for a different reason. That was really liberating. I wrote three songs in one day when I came home, and one of them was ‘Rearrange’. That was when I realised that the album was on track.”
He, Ben and James Johnston were going for something different this time, and it was about keeping the core of Biffy while going wherever the process took them – it helps explain why a country song made its way onto ‘Ellipsis’. “On all our previous albums, we basically just tried to record the sound of our band and document what we do. On this record, we wanted to make it more of a studio record, less of a three piece rock band album. The songs led the way, which is why I think this album – there’s quite a lot of sharp left turns, it’s probably our most eclectic. That stems from just wanting to have the best songs that we had.”
The result is an album that they believe to be their best yet, and a labour of love and exploration of the studio. Next, they take it to the stage. A few songs have had their live airing, but from their point of view, the focus is on not mucking up for the first half a dozen times before being able to really take in the audience. “When you play a new song for the first time it’s weird because you’re figuring out how to play it live yourself, you get all excited and your adrenaline’s pumping, so you forget how to play it a little. I almost don’t notice what the crowd think because I’m just worried about doing it right.
[sc name=”pull” text=”We’re going to pull out all the stops. So bring it on!”]
“Normally when people hear a song for the first time there can be a level of excitement but also all good music takes a couple of listens. It’s a weird one; I think I probably denied to myself that even the crowd’s there. Now that we’ve played [‘On A Bang’] about half a dozen times at shows I feel that the new songs have been going down an absolute treat.”
And what better place to showcase these new songs than in their headline slot at Reading & Leeds, with a one-off Glasgow date in the middle? The festival is one that’s been integral to the band, both as fans and musicians, and the title of headliner isn’t one they take lightly. “I can’t wait,” says Simon. “We were worried if we could do it last time, and I think we’ve got a lot more confidence. We know we can do it this time and I’m just so excited. I want it to be the best shows – I want that weekend in Leeds, Glasgow and Reading to be the best three shows that anyone sees all year. That’s my fucking mission.
“We’re going to pull out all the stops. So bring it on! I can’t wait to see a sea of thousands of people swinging their shirts over their heads and singing at the top of their lungs. It’s truly a wonderful, wonderful moment. It’s hard to describe – it’s as close to God on earth as anyone will see.”