So, the night before I witnessed loud music performed by men in suits, so did Jennifer. And then she witnessed loud music performed by half-naked men. Sounds like a good night to me.
This is Moving Mountains; they are from Purchase, New York, and, while they might be wearing suits and grandpa sweaters, their music is like an oncoming freight train. I seriously was not expecting the periodic bursts of James Hetfield-style ogre roar that I heard Saturday evening, but I assure you I enjoyed them tremendously. Also they sound very different live then they do on MySpace, much heavier, and the drums and bass combine into a tidal wave of percussive power. If you aren’t headbanging during their set, I think you might be dead inside.
And this is Biffy Clyro, of Kilmarnock, Scotland. They’ve been around since 2000, but I only learned about them this year, via the unlikely agency of UK TV show The X Factor, when contestant Matt Cardle covered their song Many of Horror and won, and the UK portion of my Internet got very cranky. Having now heard the song live, I can see why. It’s a little bit like if someone on American Idol decided to cover Patience and somehow contrived to make it sound like disposable elevator music, and then renamed it and sold it as a single.
Simon Neil
Note: Biffy Clyro sounds absolutely nothing like Guns n’ Roses, but the song is a gem of a hard rock ballad, the kind of thing audiences can (and did) sing back to the band. All I can say is, I’m glad no-one involved with televised talent shows has yet gotten their hands on one of Biffy Clyro’s other slower songs, the spare and lovely Folding Stars, which they also played on Saturday. (Equivalents in emotional punch: Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day and Helena, My Chemical Romance.)
James Johnston
Anyway, naturally after that I had to know more, so when their name floated up on one of my concert alerts, I made plans to go. I also did some digging into their back catalog, though I only got as far as Puzzle (2007) and their more recent Only Revolutions. So I went into the show not quite cold, but not quite totally up to speed, either.
I can now tell you that going to that show was among my finer decisions, in terms of random acts of concert-attendance. Like Moving Mountains, Biffy Clyro are heavier live than on the internet, and they are not like anything else I have heard recently. Especially notable is the way their drums and bass have complex conversations that sound like the oncoming apocalypse, and that their ballads are distinctly lacking in excessive sentiment and schmaltz. Their back catalog is deep and I recommend you explore it.
Meanwhile, their tour with Moving Mountains is slowly wending its way west. Looking at the schedule they seem to be stopping mainly in smaller clubs – the Gramercy Theatre is tiny – and while it may be a function of them being less known here than at home, it’s also truly a treat for anyone who is able to see them.