Saturday 9.18
Biffy Clyro @ The Studio at Webster Hall
125 E. 11th St. 212-353-1600. $10-$12. 7 p.m.
with O’Brother and The Static Jacks
Biffy Clyro – That Golden Rule [audio:ThatGoldenRule.mp3]
Scottish post-emo trio Biffy Clyro is, like, incredibly huge in the U.K., but in the States, they are totally unknown. To wit: The band’s last album, the amazing Only Revolutions, was nominated for a Mercury Prize—the U.K. equivalent of, say, a Best Album Grammy. Meanwhile, half their albums were never even released in America. In England, they headline festivals. Here? Well, this is the first time they’ve ever headlined an American tour, and they’re playing two of the smallest venues in the region. Two things: (1) That is depressing, and (2) THAT IS A GIFT. And to squander it would be a huge mistake. Biffy’s massive, melodic, arena-ready guitar anthems are like some unholy and endlessly awesome combination of Queens of the Stone Age, Frightened Rabbit, Foo Fighters and Muse (but better than what that probably conjures up) and, frankly, the band should be the face of mainstream rock right now, so the fact that it continues to be some cute curiosity from across the pond (especially while Muse are somehow packing stadiums) is insane. Exactly what is keeping Biffy Clyro from conquering the States? Unless it’s the band’s name, in which case: You may have a point.
