Photos and words by Dod Morrison Photography https://www.dodmorrison.com/
On 15 December 2025, James Johnston announced that he would be absent from Biffy Clyro’s upcoming tours in order to seek treatment for addiction issues caused by mental health problems.
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To fill in on bass, the band invited Naomi Macleod, who has also played with Empire State Bastard — Simon Neil’s other band alongside longtime Biffy Clyro touring guitarist Mike Vennart. The set was packed with a mix of new tracks and old favourites. It all started with A Little Love and Hunting Season, both taken from Futique, the 2025 album for which the tour is named.
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For the opening song, the band performed behind a large white curtain, with only their silhouettes visible. When the curtain dropped, they were revealed behind red drapes, which stayed in place for most of the set. The band only fully appeared for the final 20 seconds, sending the crowd into a massive roar.
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Simon told the crowd, “The last time we played Aberdeen was 2017 — thank you for remembering us.” Coincidentally, the last time I saw them live was also in 2017, at the Stade de France in Paris.
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Biblical had the venue rocking, with Simon standing on top of a set of stairs higher than the rest of the band. Black Chandelier followed and immediately had the crowd singing along.
“Aberdeen, how the fuck are you doing?” shouted drummer Ben Johnston. “We’ve been coming here for years — thank you.”
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Mountains brought the second massive singalong of the night, with arms waving throughout the crowd. Then came Machines, a more intimate moment, with Simon sitting on the stairs, Ben leaving his drum kit to sit there as well, singing along, joined by the violin player.
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Old classics The Captain, Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies, and Bubbles were played before Simon addressed the crowd once more:
“Aberdeen, it’s been such a pleasure to play for you tonight. Thank you for putting up with such a long show. We won’t leave it ten years until the next time — we are Biffy f***ing Clyro.”
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And it really was a long show — two and a half hours nonstop, with no breaks, and a great lighting display from the very start. They saved the best for last. As soon as the opening notes of Many of Horror hit, the noise level raised the roof. “Let’s sing it together,” Simon said, and “we collide together” was sung loud and proud by the crowd, with Simon on stage wearing a huge grin.
A great ending to a great show.
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