Review Summary: Less talk, more play...
Live at Wembley is like the jock guy that is all hammers and nails, but then defies his friends expectations by expressing his sensitive side in such a way that everyone stops and stares. An absolutely monstrous effort by the Scottish lads, with more than living up to their reputation as an ecstatic live band, they leave you with a live sound so dangerous it leaves you beaten and bruised, yet gives you air to breathe with the welcoming of acoustic and dynamic tracks old and new.
Biffy’s live sound is so huge I sometimes wish it was captured better in the likes of Puzzle and Only Revolutions, which both displayed incredible composition and musicianship, though perhaps lacked in enormity of sound. Slightly weak to be harsh, however Live At Wembley is a different story. It feels sober and polished to an ideal sound but it doesn't lack in the stab wounds it leaves you. Live At Wembley has it’s fun, loud, ecstatic and enormous moments, but it can also get thousands of drunk people to just shut up and listen. It breathes and grunts like a being until the immortal "Mountains" fires confetti and flames into a privileged audience. It seems like a gift to the long time Biffy fans with the inclusion of the blossoming "All The Way Down" and "Diary Of Always". A little wink to the guys who've witnessed their growth through the likes of a place like King Tut's.
Live At Wembley is Biffy's audiobook of their biography. Less talk, more play I guess. The most memorable chapters include when Simon plays the wondrous ‘Machines’, where you can hear his voice tremble after hearing thousands of fans sing back the lyrics from what was a broken man after the passing of his mother. A subtle moment too personal to analyze deeply amongst its colorful surroundings of ‘Diary Of Always’ and ‘Who’s Got A Match’. Beautiful.
Having experienced a Biffy show myself, there is nothing on Live at Wembley that masks the real live performances of the Scottish trio (or live five piece). It’s raw, dynamic, bloody, beautiful and simply massive. Big songs sound bigger, the beautiful is more personal and with the addition of crowd interaction that can be heard loud and clear in ‘Bubbles’, ‘Who’s Got A Match’ and ‘Machines’, this album only leaves Biffy with one issue; topping it with their second live album. Mon the Biff.
