Biffy Clyro, Wembley Arena, Saturday 4th December 2010.

When: 4th December 2010
Where: Wembley Arena
With: Holy State, The Futureheads

As tonight’s openers Holy State pause between songs, frontman Rob Jarvis takes a moment to boldly state that they’re “the best band you’ve never heard of”. A deluded declaration or the sign of a band with the sheer determination and confidence to become something greater? It’s certainly true that their live performance is hard-hitting, tight and fast-paced (an indication of the many hours that have surely been spent rehearsing for this life-changing show) but is their music really deserving of the ‘best band’ status? Well, it has a quirky sort of swagger about it with a solid backbone in the form of drummer Maximillian Applin and attitude in Rob’s rambling, although limited vocal range. They’re almost like a British version of Cage the Elephant but sadly lacking the fun or ironic lyrics. Not exactly ‘best band’ worthy then. As their set closes, Rob plunges his guitar through Maximillian’s drum kit to a failed response from the crowd; proof if any that there is still a long way for this band to go before they themselves become headliners of the legendary Wembley Arena. An enjoyable half an hour or so, proving that this band have strong grounding to become something good, but not necessarily great.

The Futureheads on the other hand stir up a more enthusiastic response in the crowd and with their seemingly genuine friendliness and upbeat, positive music, they completely own the stage tonight with a flawless performance. ‘I Can Do That’ and ‘Heartbeat Song’ are particular highlights; it’s the guitarwork on these two extremely catchy tunes that make them so entertaining. Meanwhile, Barry Hyde’s strongly English vocals flow effortlessly with the instruments to create music that, put simply, just works. Not wanting to rely solely on their infectious music, The Futureheads top off their performance with a mighty sing along, showing that interaction with the crowd works wonders and by the time they leave the stage everyone in the arena is grinning from ear to ear. A job well done.

The appearance of two billowing sails and an ornate mirror mark the arrival of Biffy Clyro. Clearly not wanting to be outdone by their supports in terms of entertainment factor, they’ve put on one heck of a show tonight with a dazzling light display and a cleverly constructed hologram during ‘Diary of Always’. However, it’s their choice of setlist which makes this particular show so memorable for the thousands of eager Biffy fans with its perfectly balanced combination of old and new, poignant and aggressive. At first it appears as though Biffy will follow the norm as they open with ‘The Captain’ and a whole lot of fist-pumping but this is surprisingly followed by a series of Biffy classics taken from the entirety of their back catalogue including ‘57’, ‘Joy.Discovery.Invention’, ‘All the Way Down: Prologue Chapter 1’, ‘There’s No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake’, ‘Glitter and Trauma’ and ‘Justboy’. Simon Neil takes to the stage alone to perform an unexpected acoustic version of ’Folding Stars’ which makes for a particularly touching moment and is only eclipsed by the acoustic ‘Machines’ which sees the 12,000 strong crowd turn to mush in an emotional sing along. In contrast, the crowd are whipped into a frenzy for ‘Who’s Got A Match?’ and ‘That Golden Rule’ while a brutal mosh pit is sustained throughout the set by a group of unruly, rowdy and seriously sweaty men each trying to prove that they’re more manly than the others. As for the band themselves, they retain their quiet, humble disposition; choosing to focus their energy on the music rather than conversation but this is no letdown to the show. Watching Biffy play to a sold out Wembley Arena, it seems that after years of hard work and brilliant song writing, they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve.