On This Day 13/06/2002 Biffy Clyro

On this day, 13 June 2002, Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro played Cardiff’s Barfly on their Vertigo of Bliss Tour.

Formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals).

Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have released nine studio albums, six of which (Puzzle, Only Revolutions, Opposites, Ellipsis, A Celebration of Endings and The Myth of the Happily Ever After) reached the top five in the UK Albums Chart, with their sixth studio album, Opposites claiming their first UK No. 1 album.

The first incarnation of what would eventually become Biffy Clyro was formed in 1995, when fifteen-year-old Ayr-based guitarist Simon Neil started playing his songs with friend Kilmarnock-born Ben Johnston. Ben's twin brother, James Johnston was soon brought in, and the three spent the next two years rehearsing, writing and covering songs.

On 31 January 1995, they played their first gig under the name "Skrewfish" as the support for a band called Pink Kross at the Key Youth Centre in East Kilbride, now known as Universal Connections East Kilbride. In 1997, the trio moved to Glasgow, where Neil went to the University of Glasgow, and the Johnston twins went to Stow College, studying Electronics with Music and Audio Engineering, respectively.

After playing gigs around Glasgow and receiving positive and enthusiastic reactions from audiences, the band were spotted by Dee Bahl, who soon became their manager. Bahl offered them a chance to release an independent single on Aereogramme's Babi Yaga record label: "Iname" was released on 28 June 1999, with Northsound Radio's Jim Gellatly (later of Beat 106 & Xfm Scotland) giving the band their first radio play.

This first release led to the band being chosen by Stow College's Electric Honey record label to release a record: thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow was released on Nerosa on 13 June 2000, receiving airplay from BBC Radio Scotland DJ Vic Galloway.[16] A few days prior to the release of thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow, the band were spotted at the Unsigned Bands stage at T in the Park 2000 by a Beggars Banquet representative, and were signed to the independent Beggar's Banquet soon thereafter.

On this day 12/07/2002 Biffy Clyro

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On this day, 12 July 2002, Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro played Cardiff’s Barfly.

In March the band had released their debut album Blackened Sky. The album reached number 78 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned four singles.

Critical reception to Biffy Clyro's debut album was generally mixed. John Murphy of independent music website musicOMH, writing at the time of its release in 2002, claimed that Blackened Sky was evidence of Biffy's status as "the most exciting new band in Britain", drawing comparisons to influencing band Nirvana and praising elements such as the consistency in the vocal performances.

The band have never disclosed where the name 'Biffy Clyro' originated, and Simon Neil has said that it was "a stupid name" that was often "awkward" to explain its origins when the band started and when not many had heard their music.

Whilst being interviewed on Soccer AM, the band said that they make up stories about how they are named because they are bored with being asked the same question. Among the conflicting answers the band have given are:

In a Soccer AM interview, the band stated that they named themselves after a footballer named Biffy Clyro who played for South Ayrshire football club Ayr United,

Another story is that the band members were thinking about manufacturing Cliff Richard merchandise and they thought about the Laszlo Biro pen and thought of "Cliffy Biro" that was then accidentally spoonerised on a drunken night out to 'Biffy Clyro'.

Another interview claims that the name Biffy Clyro comes from an acronym for "Big Imagination For Feeling Young 'Cos Life Yearns Real Optimism".

The band stated in an interview for BalconyTV that the name was that of a Finnish footballer from the 17th century.

On Off the Ball in August 2011, Ben Johnston said "Well it's a marriage of two words: Biffy is in fact the nickname of the spy who the James Bond novels were based on and Clyro is a village in Wales where both our families … used to go on holiday …"

In an episode of Music Choice's Pop Quiz, Simon Neil said that Biffy Clyro is the name of a Scotsman that built his own rocket and was the first man in space.

"'Mon the Biffy!" or, in more recent times, "'Mon the Biff!", are well known chants among Clyro fans,[42] usually shouted in between songs at gigs, or before the band comes on stage.