Words and pictures by Tania Graham-Brown
Eight years is a long time to keep a crowd waiting. But they walked out onto Sydney’s Roundhouse stage Wednesday night and made it feel like they’d never left. The UNSW venue, compact and notoriously unforgiving, proved the perfect setting.
Scottish band Biffy Clyro were back in Australia intent on pleasing fans by playing gems from their triple-platinum discography, as well as tunes from their newest album Futique. One change from last time we saw the band was the inclusion of bass player Naomi Macleod, replacing regular bassist James Johnston, who’s taking some time out. Laying down a solid foundation, Naomi covered the spot perfectly.
The sold out room had the particular electricity of a debt being repaid. These weren’t casual punters. These were the faithful, the ones who’d kept ‘Mountains’ in their running playlists for the better part of a decade (me included). You could feel it in the first thirty seconds and it never left the room.
Touring off their recent Futique material, the newer songs slipped in seamlessly with fan faves. Kicking off with two newbies, ‘A Little Love’ and ‘Hunting Season’, the band proceeded to slot most of the new record into the night’s show.
Simon Neil is a front man who earns every inch of the stage, shirtless, the sweat, a direct reflection of the energy he brings to his whole performance and the kilt a beautiful reminder of where they’ve come from. Biffy Clyro filled every cubic metre of that room for the whole of their set.
Visually, the show was stripped back compared to their arena productions, with no elaborate staging or theatrics to hide behind and it worked in their favour. It was all about connection, not spectacle. Even so, the performance still carried that sense of “event” the band are known for, with a tightness and professionalism honed over decades on major festival stages.
While Biffy Clyro devotees have now had ample time to indulge in the 2025 release it was still the Biffy big guns such as ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Mountains’ that had the crowd moving and singing along. But the show contained much pathos as well. Armed with an acoustic guitar, Neil delivered a powerful version of ‘Machines’, tugging at the audience’s heartstrings.
If anything, this show confirmed that Biffy Clyro’s real strength in 2026 isn’t just their catalogue or their volume, it’s their ability to make thousands of people feel something deeply personal at the exact same time. In a room like this, that’s impressive.
I just hope they don’t wait another 8 years!
Set List:
A Little Love
Hunting Season
That Golden Rule
Who’s Got a Match?
Shot One
Space
Wolves of Winter
Tiny Indoor Fireworks
Goodbye
Friendshipping
Biblical
A Thousand and One
Different People
A Hunger in Your Haunt
Black Chandelier
Instant History
Two People in Love
Mountains
Machines
The Captain
Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies
Bubbles
Many of Horror
