Record Label: 14th Floor Records

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The first thought that springs to mind about Biffy Clyro is ‘Didn’t they have an album with a girl doing the two finger shuffle on the cover?’ Then comes ‘So what does their name actually mean?’ closely followed by ‘Hey, these guys kind of rock, don’t they?’ Just in case you’re the pub quiz type, the correct answers are ‘Yes’, ‘Fuck knows’ and ‘Yes again’. Leaving aside the exciting fields of onanism and etymology for the moment, it’s fair to say that Biffy Clyro’s new single ‘The Captain’ from the upcoming ‘Only Revolutions’ does indeed rock – but not in the way that I expected. In fact, this reviewer was deeply unprepared for the Ayrshire three-piece’s hearty yell of ‘WOH!!!’ followed by around three minutes of ridiculously over-the-top, anthemic bombast. With added horns. Now, I’m pretty sure the group will catch some flack from the fans over this song – at heart ‘The Captain’ is fairly mainstream, radio-friendly rock. There’s going to be accusations of selling out and tears before bedtime, I can tell. Point one: this is Biffy Clyro we’re talking about: it’s not as if Godspeed You Black Emperor! had just announced they were doing a Christmas single with Elton and Mariah. Point two: even if it is selling out, ‘The Captain’ is still a heapin’ helping of fun. It’s an explosive, infectious, energetic, vaguely defiant whoop to the heavens. It ends with a chorus of “Let’s lock Death away”, for God’s sake. It is like a few hundred dramatically moustachioed hussars snuck inside your head and threw all their hats in the air at the same time. And seriously, who wouldn’t want that to happen?

Atlanta’s Manchester Orchestra have announced two headline shows to run alongside their confirmed dates as special guests across the UK to Biffy Clyro this Autumn. The band will play their biggest UK show to date at London’s Heaven venue on 17^th November.  These shows follow on from their recent triumphant headline tour & slots at Reading/Leeds & Latitude. As ever with Manchester Orchestra, expect to be blown away in the wake of their immense live show, recently dubbed by Kerrang! Magazine as “one of the best live shows you will see all year.” Their second album Mean Everything To Nothing was released fully on Columbia Records earlier this month having received significant critical acclaim.

The dates are as follows:

28^th October       Belfast, St Georges Market (with Biffy Clyro)

29^th October       Dublin, Olympia (with Biffy Clyro)

30^th October       York, Duchess (Headline) www.wegotickets.com 08444 771000

1^st November    Dundee, Caird Hall (with Biffy Clyro)

2^nd November   Glasgow, Barrowlands (with Biffy Clyro)

3^rd November    Glasgow, Barrowlands (with Biffy Clyro)

4^th November    Newcastle, Academy (with Biffy Clyro)

6^th November    Leeds, Academy (with Biffy Clyro)

7^th November    Manchester, Apollo (with Biffy Clyro)

8^th November    Nottingham, Rock City (with Biffy Clyro)

9^th November    Birmingham, Academy (with Biffy Clyro)

11^th November Norwich ,UEA (with Biffy Clyro)

12^th November London, Brixton Academy (with Biffy Clyro)

13^th November Brighton, Dome (with Biffy Clyro)

15^th November Cardiff, University (with Biffy Clyro)

16^th November Southampton, Guildhall (with Biffy Clyro)

17^th November London, Heaven (Headline) www.gigsandtours.com 02074033331 / 08712200260 / tickets £11

Already picking up massive support in the US across rock radio, Mean Everything To Nothing, is everything you want a rock record to be: raw, urgent, emotional, and 100 percent authentic. “There is nothing fake about this record,” says frontman and lyricist Andy Hull. “There’s not one fake sound on it. We recorded it live because we wanted it to sound live and loud!”

Inspired by the pounding, primal assault of Weezer’s Pinkerton, Nirvana’s In Utero, and Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape, this young band has created its own version of what a classic rock album should sound like, complete with fiercely beautiful melodies, shifting guitar and keyboard textures, loud/soft dynamics, and an urgency in each band member’s performance, especially Hull’s cathartic vocals.

A fully realized album, Mean Everything To Nothing is the sound of a band coming into its own after spending 300 days on the road in support of their debut album, 2007’s I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child. After more than a year of touring with such artists as Kings of Leon, Brand New, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Say Anything, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, as well as performing their own headlining shows, Manchester Orchestra has become a powerful and well-oiled machine.

“Manchester Orchestra have cemented their position as one of the most enthralling bands around. Full of vitality and honesty that blows away the cobwebs and once again underlines America’s current indie rock dominance.” Rock Sound

BIFFY CLYRO ANNOUNCE RELEASE OF NEW SINGLE

‘THE CAPTAIN’ ON 26 OCTOBER, 2009

NEW ALBUM ‘ONLY REVOLUTIONS’ ON 9 NOVEMBER

“They combine physical force with a cerebral dimension” – The Times

“Their songs pack a punch, but are full of light, shade and sophistication” – The Guardian

Biffy Clyro, one of the foremost and influential rock bands in the UK right now, have announced that they will be releasing their new single, ‘The Captain’, on 26 October through 14^th Floor Records.  The single is taken from their highly anticipated forthcoming new album Only Revolutions, to be released on 9 November 2009.  ‘The Captain’ follows on from Biffy Clyro’s recent massive top 10 single ‘That Golden Rule’, which was put on the Radio 1 A list a full 5 weeks upfront; and ‘Mountains’, which was released in August 2008 and became their biggest single chart success to date, entering the UK chart in the top 5 and selling over 100,000 copies.

‘The Captain’ launches like a stomping military march before it descends into a euphoric explosion of gigantic riffs, powerful pop melodies and exhilarating horns. This coupled with one of their most anthemic chorus to date makes ‘The Captain’ a real statement of intent from the Ayrshire trio.

In November 2009, Biffy Clyro will be playing a twelve-date tour of the UK.  The tour will see the band return to London’s Brixton Academy on 12 November after their triumphant sell-out gig at the venue last December, as well as two home-coming shows at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on the 2 and 3 of November.  This will be the first series of live dates for Biffy Clyro after the release of their impending new album.  The album, the band’s fifth and second with 14^th Floor Records, is being recorded in LA, once again with Puzzle’s producer GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers), and mixed by Andy Wallace (Coldplay, Nirvana, Faith No More) and is set to be a vital and monumental record.

Biffy Clyro have experienced a phenomenal couple of years since the release of the lauded Puzzle in June 2007, seeing them become one of the most celebrated live bands in the country. Not only have they toured across the world in America, Japan, Australia and Europe, but also they have played two sold-out headline tours of the UK and clocked up high-profile support slots with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Queens of The Stone Age, Linkin Park and a colossal Wembley Stadium show with Muse.

November tour:

Sun 1                Dundee Caird Hall

Mon 2               Glasgow Barrowland

Tues 3              Glasgow Barrowland

Wed 4              Newcastle Academy

Fri 6                 Leeds Academy

Sat 7                Manchester Apollo

Sun 8               Nottingham Rock City

Mon 9              Birmingham Academy

Wed 11            Norwich UEA

Thurs 12         London Brixton Academy

Sun 15             Cardiff University

Mon 16             Southampton Guildhall

Tel: 0844 576 5483 (24hrs) or buy online at Livenation.co.uk

Record Label: Red Bull Records

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Glasgow quartet Twin Atlantic release their new single ‘You’re Turning Into John Wayne’ with their new mini album imminent. Written about how American culture has polluted the thoughts of many and integrated itself into our commercial markets, Twin Atlantic really have a bee in their bonnet.The thing is this band purvey to step away from this blueprint, yet, if it wasn’t delivered with a Scottish twang, this would sound like the dirge of shitty American rock bands that keep those spotty American kids on the skater parks. With lyrics like; “now here’s a great Scottish theory, have you lost your latitude and longitude?” not quite a theory boys, is it. This befuddled mix of contradictions and insipid lyrics only equates to a wholly repugnant single! A driving guitar chorus does its best to resurrect this song and for a band that has recently supported Biffy Clyro, we expect a whole lot more.