Last night was the finale of the four day Biffy Clyro end of year gigs at King Tuts and what a finish it was.
Arriving at the venue a little later than previous days, it was, again, quieter than the night before. Apparently we missed an early support act of a piper but were in time to see the main support act: comedian Phil Kay. As frantic and manic as always, he amused the crowd for the most part, even if he waned a little towards the end. Jamie Lenman (from Rruben) and Phil Kay could both be seen wandering around the upstairs bar, among other, harder to spot band members.
At 10pm, as was their custom, the band took to the stage for the final time. This time, rather than known material, the set largely comprised material from their unrecorded fourth album. What an eye-opener. In places the new stuff is heavier with less screaming, and in others more melodic; a very wide selection. So as to keep things going, every two new songs was followed by a Biffy classic. The finale of “57” was immense, the fan picked to sing “A Day Of…” was surprisingly tuneful, and new track “9/10th Prayer Of Bombidimor” was mind-blowingly complex. How Ben kept up the drumming in that, I have no idea.
As a thank you to everyone, on the way out the band gave out Christmas cards (all hand-signed) and mince pies to all.
So, 4 nights, 58 tunes, many poor renditions of Christmas tunes by the crowd, and some truly bizarre support acts later and the four days of Biffy end. Worth every penny.