In Los Angeles, a Monday night during festival season usually feels like a ghost town. With crowds split between weekends in the desert and recovery mode back home, most shows struggle to feel essential. But inside The Belasco, Biffy Clyro turned an in-between night into something that felt fully alive. Even during the opener’s mic check, the crowd reacted like the show had already started, cheers echoing through the room before a single song had been played. It was clear early on this was not going to be a passive crowd.
The audience leaned older, but the energy felt intentional rather than subdued. People were there because they knew what this band could do live, and they were ready to meet it.
San Diego duo Raue opened at 8 p.m., with frontwoman Paige immediately cutting through the nerves: “y’all got me nervous…happy Monday.” The honesty worked. Paige cycled through multiple guitars while drummer Jax kept things grounded, giving the set a steady backbone. Their performance lived in that space between vulnerability and urgency, with moments like the repeated lyric “give it to me without a warning” landing with a raw edge that felt earned rather than forced.
Between songs, they reflected on how “all of our talking happens over the phone now,” adding that nothing on stage can be faked. It was a simple statement, but it framed their set in a way that made every moment feel more direct. Above them, small spotlights hovered like soft glowing bubbles, creating a visual contrast to the grit of their sound that made the set feel more layered than expected.
By 9 p.m., the room had fully locked in. A chant built as red lights flashed over a slow piano intro. Simon Neil appeared elevated on a platform at the back of the stage, isolated in a single spotlight before stepping down and pulling the crowd into the set with him.
The opening stretch moved quickly from restraint into impact. The band eased in just enough before snapping into something heavier, establishing a dynamic that would carry through the night. Early on, a haunting string section crept in, drawing the crowd into rhythmic clapping as the lights pulsed in sync. Then, almost without warning, the band surged back into full force.
From there, the set unfolded in waves. Instead of individual highlights, the songs worked together to build momentum, each shift in tempo or tone feeling intentional. By the middle of the set, the back of the room had opened up completely. Fans who had started the night standing still were now moving freely, fully immersed in the rhythm of the performance.
“Biblical” marked one of the night’s first emotional peaks. When Neil delivered “I’m a sinner, I’m a saint,” the line came back instantly from the crowd, loud and unified. It felt less like a lyric and more like a shared release. Not long after, “Black Chandelier” pushed things in the opposite direction, erupting into one of the loudest singalongs of the night, the hook stretched out and thrown back at the stage with force.
Visually, the show leaned into contrast without overcomplicating it. At one point, the stage split into red and blue halves, reinforcing the tension in the music, while later moments softened into clean white spotlights that drifted slowly across the band. The lighting moved with the tempo rather than against it, adding to the sense of control.
Even without bassist James Johnston on stage, the sound never felt lacking. It remained full, grounded and precise, a testament to how tightly the band has honed their live presence.
The encore carried a different kind of weight. “Machines” slowed the room down just enough to reset, creating a brief moment of stillness before the final stretch. “Bubbles” followed with a wave of nostalgia, its melody cutting clean through the noise, before the night closed with “Many of Horror.” When the chorus hit, the entire room carried it together, voices blending into one, loud enough to blur the line between band and audience.
On the Futique Tour, Biffy Clyro are not simply revisiting their catalog. They are shaping the room in real time, balancing chaos and control with precision. And even on a Monday night, The Belasco felt completely alive.
Full Setlist:
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
Different People
A Hunger in Your Haunt
Black Chandelier
Two People in Love
Mountains
Encore:
Machines
The Captain
Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies
Bubbles
Many of Horror
Biffy Clyro
Raue
Photos by marv watson
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