On a cold drizzly Wednesday evening, 2026 gig season kicked off.

Shortly after 4pm, Boy Child and I set off towards Glasgow, opting for the back road instead of the M8 due to an insane amount of ongoing road works. After a further detour due to yet more road works, we finally arrived at the science centre car park. Having parked the car, we set off on foot for our venue for the evening – Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena.

Doors were an early 6pm and as we walked across towards the outdoor security booths, it was surprisingly quiet. When we were security we were surprised to discover that there was barely a queue and this was at 5.40pm for a sold-out show…bizarre…

So, who had been given the honour of being my first headliners of the year?

Kilmarnock’s Biffy Clyro!

Once indoors, we divided and conquered. I went to visit the merch stall (No queue there either weirdly) and Boy Child headed into the arena to secure our spot for the night. Boy done good and got a great spot just one row off the rail. Happy Days!

There were two support acts on the bill. ( I have a sneaky suspicion that word about those had spread and that that may have contributed to the late arrival of the majority of the crowd)

First out at 7pm were The Armed, a hardcore punk collective from Detroit, according to their Wikipedia page. There were nine of them on stage at one point. Words fail me! Thumper Principle duly applied.

Next out were Softplay, a punk/rock due from Kent who sounded decidedly Cockney. Think if the Artful Dodger had decided to pursue a career in music instead of pick pocketing. I am not a fan of punk nor am I a fan of bands throwing the “C-word” around the stage so I almost applied my Thumper Principle for a second time but Softplay got the growing crowd going and brought some much-needed energy into the room. While their music and angsty delivery are not for me, their set was entertaining enough.

By the time Biffy Clyro’s giant “midgie net” was raised along the front of the stage, the Hydro was full to the rafters.

At 8:50pm the houselights dimmer and amid swarming red lights, set opener A Little Love began behind the “midgie net” much to the delight of the crowd. A few seconds later, the front curtain dropped to reveal a second tented layer that was finally raised a couple of minutes later to finally reveal Biffy Clyro. Dramatic start to their twenty-three song set.

A Little Love – Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/01/26

Hunting Season, also from current album Futique followed before the opening trio was rounded out by the awesome That Golden Rule from the classic Only Revolutions.

That Golden Rule- Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/01/26

This was the final show of the tour and also a home show for the band so they were on a high right from the get-go. With bassist James Johnston absent due to medical reasons, bass duties for the evening fell to Naomi MacLeod from Simon Neil’s side project Empire State Bastard.  The multi- level staircase stage set added some dramatic flair to the evening and also gave Simon, Naomi and the two violinists a workout as they transitioned the levels throughout the two-hour show.

I’ll confess that I had sneaked a peek at setlist FM earlier in the day so had an insight into what delights lay ahead.

There truly wasn’t a bad song on the extensive set. Although Biffy Clyro were touring current album Futique and five songs from it had made the set, there were also five from Only Revolutions in there too. There was no shortage of fan favourites in the mix.

A third of the way through the set, the arena was plunged momentarily into darkness before a few seconds of bright flashing strobes were followed by Simon declaring “You are no exception!” Wolves of Winter from 2016’s  Ellipsis was definitely a set highpoint for me.

Wolves of Winter – Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/1/26

A few minutes later, with Simon now standing at the very top of the stage, he introduced Biblical to the crowd. This was clearly a fan favourite judging by the reaction before he had even played a note.

Biblical – Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/1/26

Black Chandelier was another high point for me and many thousand others a few songs deeper into the set. What’s not to love about this one?

Black Chandelier- Biffy Clyro @OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/1/26

There was only one acoustic song on the set. With Simon perched, feet dangling over the edge at the top of the stairs and drummer Ben Johnston sitting halfway down, they delighted the fans with a beautifully raw and haunting version of Machines, from 2007’s Puzzle album. The Glasgow rock choir did not disappoint during this one.

Machines- Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/1/26

Machines was followed back on ground level by the iconic anthem The Captain. Simply awesome stuff!

The Captain- Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/1/26

The penultimate song of the night was the amazing Bubbles. Love this one! Glasgow did as they were told and bounced their way through to the final song of the night Many of Horror, complete with patriotic blue and white confetti cannons.

Bubbles- Biffy Clyro @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 21/1/26

What a show!

Wearily, 14000 Scottish fans headed back out into the night to the strains of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. For the previous two hours all eyes had most definitely been on Biffy F**King Clyro!

Till next time, guys.