Live Review: Biffy Clyro, Architects | First Direct Arena, Leeds | 05/11/2022
A better value arena gig in 2022 you will not find as two of Britain’s heavyweights coalesce in Leeds for a night of anthems and celebration.
Architects
Hot on the heels of their tenth studio album the classic symptoms of a broken spirit, Architects haven’t presided over a release as divisive as this since 2012’s The Here and Now and that division is felt in the crowd tonight as they take a step down from headlining arenas themselves to lend support on this run.
A patchy crowd awaits in the standing area as Architects burst onto the stage to the crunching riff from ‘deep fake’, the opening track to their aforementioned tenth studio album. It is clear from the outset that this is far from a home crowd for Architects and they have 50 minutes to captivate the masses as best they can. Another new track ‘tear gas’ follows and the sound in the First Direct Arena tonight is fantastic. Whilst divisive, it cannot be denied that this new material takes on a whole other life in the live setting and Sam Carter sounds as fantastic as ever as he belts the chorus from centre stage.
Back-to-back tracks from last year’s brilliant For Those That Wish To Exist (a first UK #1 album for the band) are served up next in the form of ‘Little Wonder’ and ‘Black Lungs’ and whilst they are both delivered passionately, that passion is not returned by vast swathes in attendance, highlighting that much of the crowd aren’t quite taking to Architects as perhaps expected. The anthemic ‘Dead Butterflies’ follows but it is the inclusion of ‘Doomsday’ that garners one of the most positive reactions of the set and underscores how there are pockets of long-time fans in this crowd for sure. The decision to play only one song released pre-2020 proves disappointing as perhaps the band have neglected to indulge their long-term disciples whilst focusing on preaching to the unconverted masses.
The familiar thumping chug of ‘Animals’ brings an end to a mixed bag of a set. Architects have become accustomed to commanding sizeable venues (as recently as May of this year, in the case of this very arena) and whilst they displayed that at points throughout the set, a showcase of their unrivalled, unbeatable best this is not.
Score: 7/10
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are one of the most supremely talented live acts on Planet Earth and the opening night of their first UK arena jaunt since 2016 does not buck that trend.
As the lights go out, deafening chants of ‘MON THE BIFF’ echo around the First Direct Arena; it is no secret that Biffy’s fan base is a passionate one. Opening with the atmospheric ‘DumDum’ from last year’s #1 album ‘The Myth of the Happily Ever After’, singalongs of the songs main refrain build into a crescendo as the band launch into the angular riff of ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt’. The intro to ‘Who’s Got a Match’ sees Simon Neil orchestrates the crowd into frenzied chants of ‘HEY HEY’ as attendees are treated to the first airing this evening of material from 2007’s breakthrough album Puzzle. The frantic ‘That Golden Rule’ inspires pandemonium at the front of the standing area before the most worrying moment of the night arrives as the band are forced to temporarily halt their set due to an injured fan (whose good health has since been conformed on social media, thank goodness). Fear not, for there are few bands who have toured as routinely and relentlessly as Biffy Clyro over the last two decades and they know how to navigate their way through unforeseen circumstances like this with aplomb (pun very much intended).
The next ten minutes sees old skool fans rejoice as the band flex their improvisational chops by breaking into an acoustic rendition of 2003 classic ‘Questions and Answers’ and a stripped back version of ‘Christopher’s River’ from 2002’s debut album Blackened Sky. This trip down memory lane is followed by a short absence from the stage before they return with the 21st Century standout that is ‘Mountains’. The next part of the set sees the band explore six albums in quick succession with highlights including acoustic classic ‘Machines’, ‘Blackened Sky’ standout track ‘57’ and the booming ‘Wolves of Winter’ from 2016’s Ellipsis. Crowd favourites ‘Biblical’ and ‘Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies’ cause the volume in the arena to increase to unparalleled levels before the main set is brought to a close with the sprawling ‘Cop Syrup’ from 2020’s ‘A Celebration of Endings’ and ‘Only Revolutions’ classic ‘The Captain’.
The band re-emerge for an encore that includes acoustic track ‘God and Satan’, along with the now-rarely performed ‘Glitter and Trauma’ and it is this one-two punch that perfectly encapsulates the juxtaposing sonics that Biffy have built their career on better than any other moment of the night. The finale is punctuated by a couplet of undisputed anthems in ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Many of Horror’ and it is clear that Leeds has been treated to something special this evening: a truly career spanning set which highlights the unrivalled quality of a back catalogue that goes toe-to-toe with any band that you can name.
Score: 10/10