Scottish rock titans Biffy Clyro delivered a thunderous and triumphant performance at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena on Monday, 12 January 2026, marking a powerful statement of renewal after a challenging period for the band.
A Band Reconnected and Renewed
Opening with the anthemic A Little Love from their 2025 album Futique, frontman Simon Neil's declaration that "with a little love, we can conquer all" felt like a heartfelt mantra. The gig came after a well-documented rough patch for the trio, who are celebrating three decades and ten albums. The band had experienced major burnout, internal disagreements, and the tour absence of founding bassist James Johnston due to mental health and addiction struggles.
The new material, however, radiated a sense of reconnection and purpose. Neil paid direct tribute to his absent bandmate during the urgent, driving track Friendshipping, an ode to the vital importance of maintaining close bonds. While Futique was recorded in Berlin with inspirations from Bowie and Iggy Pop cited, the live presentation in Nottingham was pure, rousing Biffy Clyro.
Mastering the Blurred Lines of Genre
The band's singular ability to merge pop melody with metal's heft and rock's energy was on full display. New song Goodbye built from a slow-burn ballad into a soaring, arms-aloft anthem. Shot One perfectly embodied their knack for combining sugary hooks with meaty, distorted riffs, comfortably occupying the blurred middle ground between genres they have made their own.
The setlist generously wove in classic fan favourites. That Golden Rule was electrified by dual violins, their tense stabs synchronising perfectly with the crowd's air punches. Mountains transformed the arena into a seething mass of pogoing bodies and screaming voices, while a stripped-back, acoustic rendition of Machines provided a moment of gentle, whispered respite.
A Potent and Confident Finale
At their most eruptive, the volume was brutally loud. Their skill in making taut riffs explode into something enormous was piercingly demonstrated on a thunderous Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies. While the near two-hour set occasionally risked feeling familiar, the closing one-two punch eradicated any fatigue.
The finale of Bubbles and Many of Horror served as a potent, triumphant sign-off. As huge confetti cannons exploded, the band and audience roared in proud unison: "We are Biffy fucking Clyro!" They left the stage having decisively conquered Nottingham, their renewed spirit and purpose clear for all to see.
Biffy Clyro continue their tour at the O2 Arena in London on 14 January, before further UK, European, Australian, and New Zealand dates, alongside summer festival appearances.
