Biffy Clyro + Moving Mountains @ La Sala Rossa

It was a mighty cold evening on February 15th, so let’s just say that I was shocked beyond belief when I entered La Sala Rossa to see Biffy Clyro.  Why, you ask? Well it was weird seeing two guys sporting nothing from the waist up.  Then I remembered: ah yes, Biffy Clyro almost always come on stage topless for almost every show.  However, unlike Biffy Clyro, these guys should have covered it up – eeeesshhh.

When I came out of seeing that nightmare, I settled in and waited patiently to see the Scottish lads hit the stage. I suppose it might have been the cold, but, as I looked around, the charming La Sala Rossa looked and felt uneventful. There was no feeling of anticipation at all.  Even the opening act, Moving Mountains, did nothing to get the crowd, as part of their name says, moving.

It wasn’t until the Biffy Clyro lads hit the stage that the crowd awoke from their trance.  It might have been their opening song choice.  That being their number 1 hit on the UK Rock Singles Chart, “The Captain”, from their most recent album Only Revolutions.

Regardless of the arctic weather outside, these Scots did not disappoint. They came out shirtless, showing off their beautiful bodies and tattoos, to the delight of the ladies in front of me, who oohed and aahed at the lads.

There is no doubt that they love what they do. This was plain to see as they blew right through four songs without taking a breath, at which point the lead singer Simon Neil showed off his French with a, “Merci beaucoup,” to the crowd.

Biffy Clyro puts no airs on during their performance. This was evident when looking at the stage. Actually, if it weren’t for the 10 electric guitars to the left of the stage, you might have thought it was someone’s garage, but a garage band they are not.  They are true blue rockers, wailing on their guitars and banging hard on the drums. It wasn’t until they played  “Born on a Horse” that one of the twins, James Johnston brought out a keyboard, which made the crowd go wild.

La Sala Rossa was a tad less than packed. It could have been due to the deep freeze outside, or the fact that this Scottish band, although hitting number 3 on the UK charts, is not all that well known here.  All the same, those that were there showed their love and passion for Biffy Clyro as they sang along to almost every song.

Near the end, the lads changed gears and slowed it down with a nice acoustic set, ending with “Many of Horror” from Only Revelations, which was the last song from their regular set. They then came back to play a three encore set to end it all with “Mountains.”

Biffy Clyro may not be that well known here in Montreal yet, but if you caught a glimpse of them last night, you will most probably never forget these bonnie lads from (now here’s one to Google) Kilmarnock, Scotland.

-Rebecca M hosts Canucks Kick It every Wednesday from 5-6pm