Biffy Clyro Launch ‘Futique’ Tour Amidst Bassist’s Personal Battle
Biffy clyro kicked off their highly anticipated ‘Futique’ UK and Ireland tour on Friday, January 9th, at the SSE Arena in Belfast, marking the beginning of a significant year for the Scottish rock band. The tour supports their tenth studio album, ‘Futique,’ released in September, and promises a dynamic live experience for fans across nine shows.
The opening night saw an emotional backdrop as the band addressed the temporary departure of bassist James Johnston. Having publicly revealed a long-held struggle with addiction, Johnston shared last month that these issues had “led to addiction issues” that he had “kept concealed for a long time” and had begun to create “significant problems for myself and everyone around me.” Filling his role for the duration of the tour will be Naomi Macleod of Bitch Falcon and Empire State Bastard.
The Belfast setlist blended new material with beloved classics.Seven tracks from ‘Futique’ were featured alongside fan favorites like ‘Mountains,’ ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies,’ and ‘Many Of Horror.’ The stage design itself mirrored the angular aesthetic of the new album’s artwork, creating a cohesive visual experience. A complete list of songs performed included: ‘A Little Love,’ ‘Hunting Season,’ ‘That Golden Rule,’ ‘Who’s Got A Match?,’ ‘Shot One,’ ‘Space,’ ‘Wolves Of Winter,’ ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks,’ ‘Goodbye,’ ‘Friendshipping,’ ‘Biblical,’ ‘A Thousand And One,’ ‘Different People,’ ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt,’ ‘Black Chandelier,’ ‘Instant History,’ ‘Mountains,’ ‘two People In love,’ ‘Machines,’ ‘The Captain,’ ‘Living Is A Problem As Everything Dies,’ ‘bubbles,’ and ‘Many Of Horror.’
Here is a fan-captured video of the Belfast show.
Another fan shared their experience on X.
A short clip of the performance can be found here.
This tour is just the beginning of a busy year for Biffy Clyro. In July, thay are slated to play what frontman Simon Neil describes as the “biggest gig of their lives” at Finsbury Park in London, with a lineup including nothing But Thieves, Don broco, and Marmozets. “We’ve put together a fucking amazing bill,” Neil told NME. “We wanted to lean into British rock bands and be proud of where we come from… Magic will happen.”
Beyond the London show, the band has confirmed festival appearances at Sziget 2026 alongside Florence + The Machine, Lewis Capaldi, SOMBR, and Twenty One Pilots, as well as a headline performance at Noches del Botánico in madrid.
Critical reception to ‘Futique’ has been largely positive,with NME awarding the album four stars. The publication praised the record as “one of their most personal and definitive records to date,” noting a “vulnerability met with a forward motion” and a renewed sense of purpose. As NME wrote in September, “You can holler “‘Mon the Biff!” for a long while longer, it truly seems. A little love and a lot of noise goes a long way.” Neil himself described the album as “arms-wide-open,defenceless,for better or worse,here it is.”
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