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Biffy Clyro, Astoria, London

Live Reviews

The venues get bigger, the egos remain the same. Biffy Clyro, casual as ever, stroll onstage and rip straight into new set opener 'Toys Toys Toys Choke Toys Toys Toys'.

First act on, Lucky 7, fresh from playing the 'Talent Stage' at Rock AM Ring, inform us that they will be supporting Something Corporate at the Astoria next week. The plucky foursome entertain us with their dynamic pop-punk, but to be totally honest they don't really stand out from any other bands of the same genre - although it must be said that their lead guitarist bears more than a passing resemblance to Tim Wheeler. With better tattoos.

Second support band, Instruction, confuse us by using a drumkit with Lucky Thirteen emblazoned on it. They proceed to rock our socks off with their angular, guitar-driven, pedal-to-the-metal rock, and then take the piss out of Lucky 7, by dedicating a song to them which tells of their hate for pop-punk, garage rock, and so on. Embarrassingly, we've forgotten its title.

The venues get bigger, the egos remain the same. Biffy Clyro, casual as ever, stroll onstage and rip straight into new set opener 'Toys Toys Toys Choke Toys Toys Toys'. Highlights of the set include 'Joy.Discovery.Invention', which gets the biggest cheer of the night (and the best crowd singing), 'Hero Management', which makes a welcome return to the set after far too long, and 'A Day Of...' which reduces the crowd to mindless pawns, lost in a decadent wave of thrash-rock. They take every opportunity to plug their new album, and it's endearing to see James blush when someone shouts "Jimbo, you're a fucking legend!" Everything seems complete when their one song encore - the totally perfect 'Hope For An Angel' - takes its final stab straight through your heart, and the band leave the stage, leaving you breathless and begging for more. Rating: 8/10