Glasgow trio Biffy Clyro are one of the UK’s biggest rock bands, with last year’s Futique their fourth number one album – and this month they’re in Cardiff for the second time in 2026. In a break between bumper European and US tours, Joshua Williams caught up with Biffy drummer Ben Johnston to whet our appetites for their Cardiff Castle show.
A few weeks into 2026, this writer witnessed Biffy Clyro smash it at a sold-out Utilita Arena in Cardiff, with the Glaswegian group in town off the back of Futique, their 10th album. Just over six months later, they’re set to upgrade: the 10,000-capacity Cardiff Castle is a whole different kettle of fish.
Looking ahead to his band’s late July appearance there, Biffy Clyro drummer Ben Johnston says, “We cannot wait. Cannot wait! We’ve been lucky enough to gig the Castle before, many, many moons ago [ageing editor’s note: Ben is likely thinking of a 2005 Biffy show in the adjacent Cooper’s Field]. It’s just one of the most splendid venues in the whole of the UK. I remember the first gig we ever played in Cardiff, at the Barfly – which was just opposite the castle – so we used to kind of stare over at those big castle walls and think ‘One day we’ll get to play in there…’
“We have great memories of Clwb Ifor Bach as well – back in the day it was always a hotspot for us. Our first tour manager was from Swansea, so we’ve been in the seas in Swansea late at night, drank spirits along the beach. Too many memories to mention really. We’ve spent a lot of time in Wales; it’s a country very close to our hearts.”
You can assume that plenty of Biffy’s fanbase who were there in January will be back for this one – so what will the band change up this time? Ben promises a “somewhat” revamped setlist, and the absence of a roof exploited as best they can.
“There will definitely be some fireworks, some pyrotechnics – some gags, as they call them in the industry. It will be a hell of a lot of fun, and a lot less closed than the winter tour.
“I’m not entirely sure what we’re going to change [on the setlist]. I haven’t thought that far ahead! Simon [Neil, guitarist and lead singer] is the one who gets that job. It’s not a job that I envy at all, but we will definitely change it up just to keep things fresh.”
Though Biffy’s last 12 months have been one of their most successful yet, not all has been smooth sailing for the trio. In December, bass player James Johnston – Ben’s brother, and a founder member alongside Ben and Simon – announced he was stepping back from live duties, citing mental health and addiction-related reasons. Naomi Macleod, who features in Empire State Bastard alongside Simon Neil, stepped into James’ gigging shoes for the January tour.
“It’s been strange, you know,” says Ben of the situation. “Obviously, as an adult, my working life has been beside James the whole time, so it’s been odd. Naomi is a fantastic player, though, and a good presence to have around. She keeps me woke, as it were, because she’s a bit younger than us. So that’s been good fun, getting schooled on how to speak properly. She’s a consummate professional, and she’s great on the stage.”
Asked if there’s a chance James will be back for the summer shows, Ben demurs. “These things don’t have a definite timescale on them. But he’s getting well. We’ll wish him back as soon as he’s able.”
Amidst all of this, the band were also processing the reaction to Futique, which was released in September. “You can’t be unhappy with a number one record!” Ben says. “Live, the songs have been working extremely well, and that’s the important thing. I look forward to playing every single one of them in the set, especially Two People In Love and A Thousand And One.
“There’s a couple we haven’t done yet, like Woe Is Me, Wow Is You. We’ll probably fling those ones in the Cardiff set, actually – the ones we didn’t do on the most recent run. I am extremely happy though. I think it’s our best album.”
With around 25 years of songs to draw on, how does Futique compare to playing the old stuff for Ben? “It’s strange,” he says. “We’ve been asked a lot of times if playing the likes of [2010 single] Many Of Horror has become boring – and it never is, you know. We’ve been finishing the set with Many Of Horror and I’ve been loving it. In any given venue, the song takes on its own kind of life.
“So the old songs still feel fresh alongside the new ones; it’s just… there’s always something amazing about playing new material live. You get such a buzz, and you have to be a little bit more switched on because it’s not quite in your muscles as much as the old ones. But I’ve always loved doing new beside old. It’s what keeps the set fresh.”
Are there any old Biffy classics Ben misses playing? “Not really. We’ve got so many songs – 10 studio albums, B-side albums, soundtrack albums, all these things – I don’t even have time to think about songs that I’m missing. That’s how busy we are. I’m sure there’s people who come to the shows and really want to hear old songs and they miss them but there’s only so many hours in the day I’m afraid.
“We get Jaggy [2004 album track There’s No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake, a fan favourite] shouted at every single show! It’s great, you know, but sometimes we don’t have time.”
Speaking of old favourites, next year will mark two full decades since Puzzle – the fourth Biffy Clyro album, and their effective commercial breakthrough. The likes of Machines, Who’s Got A Match?, and Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies remain staples of the group’s present-day setlist – with scope for a 20th birthday revival of the rest, it seems. “I think we’ll try and find a special way to commemorate that and probably play that in its entirety all over the UK – fingers crossed. That’s crazy that that album’s that old – in some ways it feels like yesterday, and also it feels like a lifetime ago.”
Some topics of conversation are more or less evergreen, some carry time-sensitivity. The World Cup is an example of the latter. Full disclosure: when I spoke to Johnston, it was back in spring, and Wales had just missed out on qualification to the tournament – with Biffy’s home nation already through. Rumours had even circulated that the band might record a song to commemorate the milestone…
“We’re just busy!” the drummer told me. “So busy. Like, we would love to do a song for it. I’m sure half of Scotland are trying to write songs at the moment for it but we haven’t quite got one together yet. We’ve got an idea, it’s about finding the time to actually record it and get it all done.” Alas, it seems Biffy did not in fact have the time; still, if it doesn’t take 30 years for Scotland to qualify again, maybe they can keep that idea in their back pocket.
Biffy Clyro, Cardiff Castle, Thurs 30 July
Tickets: £78.35. Info: here
words JOSHUA WILLIAMS
