Live review: Biffy Clyro (support: Manchester Orchestra, Pulled Apart by Horses), O2 Academy Leeds, 06/11/09

BIFFY CLYRO (Support: Manchester Orchestra, Pulled Apart by Horses), O2 Academy Leeds, 06/11/09

Biffy Clyro are probably the quietest noiseniks in the world. The Scottish trio have been minding their own business for the better part of fourteen years, making colossally addictive rock music without really causing a fuss. The Biff don't bother themselves too much with anything other than their deeply ingrained work ethic: it's heads down, nose to the grindstone, just get on with it. This attitude seeps through into everything they do, and, refreshingly, even with the eyes of the Zeitgeist trained on them, they still haven't changed one bit.

Live, this approach makes for quite the thrill ride. From the moment they shuffle onto the stage, bereft of fanfare, there's an inexplicable intensity in the air, a palpable energy that threatens to rip through the walls of this converted cinema and tear apart its foundations. As soon as the spinetingling reverb of opener 'That Golden Rule' begins, it kicks into gear; the venue surges forward, the band go full throttle and the insanity commences. Bodies fly everywhere, devotees scream every word, Simon Neal acts like a man possessed, hacking and slashing at his guitar, climbing the speakers during 'Who's Got A Match?', leaping and bounding across the stage with spasmodic glee.. and it never stops. The aggression is unrelenting: one wall of noise bleeds into another and the singalongs just keep getting bigger and better. 'Living Is A Problem' is an even heavier and faster beast than on record and 'Glitter and Trauma' sounds like it's about to knock you to the floor, so infuriated are its guitars. This is no frills rock indulgence, a show that knows better than to let you stop to catch your breath... and even when it does, during an achingly tender 'Machines' and equally as moving 'God and Satan', the physical intensity just gives way to an emotional one, with the poignancy of Neal's cracked delivery threatening to choke you up.

Thankfully, the handful of tracks that are played from long-awaited 'Puzzle' follow-up 'Only Revolutions' bode very, very well. 'Bubbles' has hit single written all over it and a ludicrously catchy hook, 'Born on a Horse' introduces keyboards to the Clyro arsenal without compromising their sound and current single 'The Captain' has to be the pop song of the year, brash, bold and bloody magnificent.

As if all this wasn't enough, we are also treated to two wonderful support acts: Leeds' very own Pulled Apart By Horses are a cacophonous amalgam of choppy guitars and hardcore sensibilities, and while tonight, they seem a little more subdued than usual, there's no denying the addictive ferocity of their music. It's Manchester Orchestra that practically steal the show though. They play a meagre five song set, all from current album 'Mean Everything to Nothing', but every pained, melancholic note is just superb. Lead singer Andy Hull spits and snarls the confrontational lyrics to 'Shake It Out' while his keyboardist convulses in the corner; 'Pride' is as aggressive a dirge as you can possibly imagine and 'The River' washes over you with the force of a tsunami, so powerful is the music. By the end, you're converted, desperate to see more and resolved to invest in everything they've ever produced.

With two outstanding support acts and one blitzkrieg of a performance, this gig, ladies and gentlemen, can only be considered a triumph. They don't come much better than this.