Photo by Rachele Johnson

I was pretty hesitant to head over to see Biffy Clyro headline the main stage at Sonisphere last night.  I didn’t think anything could top the intimate, mainly acoustic performance I’d been lucky enough to witness at the Bootleg Theater in L.A. back in March.  Nonetheless, I followed about a trillion other Sonisphere goers through a mud clad field that now served as a makeshift runway for this season’s best wellies.  There we all were, anxiously awaiting what I will now call my hands down favorite Sonisphere performance yet.  In fact, I’d venture to say it will be my fave performance of the entire festival.

To say they started out with a bang is a bit of an understatement, belting out “captain” accessorized with pyrotechnics and a whole lot of contagious energy that spread throughout the crowd quicker than a raging pandemic.  With people next to me in the crowd spanning the ages of impressionable tweens to ready and willing to rock midlifers, it was evident that Biffy’s appeal is nothing short of impressive.

Photo by Lauren Novik

They not only busted out tracks from their famed album Only Revolutions, they brought a few new tunes that they successfully serenaded the soaked sonisphere crowd with.  The most shocking aspect of the main stage show was the no frills “we’re all about the music” attitude.  They didn’t waste time talking nonsense, they simply sang their hearts out.  On top of that, at the end of their insanely wonderful performance, Biffy modestly apologized, confessing that they know it’s a metal fest, and they we’re more than anything simply honored to be involved and a part of it.  With what Biffy put out yesterday- I think they’re far more hard rock than they give themselves credit for.  I’m going to go ahead and say that statement is completely validated by the fact that all I heard this morning (totally guilty of accidental eavesdropping- but what else are you supposed to do to entertain yourself in a damn tent?) was press and media admitting they’d been shocked and awed by Biffy’s performance.  Rock on, Biffy.  Rock on.