Biffy Clyro + Raue @ Beanfield Theatre▪

“Rue-Ay.” I never would have guessed that’s how you pronounce tonight’s opener Raue. The NorCal duo are in Montreal for the first time, but own the stage like they live here, which is even crazier when you realize that singer/guitarist Paige Kalenian is just 18, and drummer Jax Huckle is only 17! Their sound is somewhat ’90s grunge, with Veruca Salt / Hole vibes, but with Paige looking more like Hayley Williams with a Kim Gordon voice.

For just 2 people, their sound is big. Come Around is grandiose, leading into Karma, which is the punkiest ballad you’ve heard in a while. Weak Blood is a thunderous snarl to close out their first 30 minutes on a Montreal stage; hopefully it won’t be their last.

Raue Setlist

Escape
Are You Bored Yet?
Maize
Poor Kid
Come Around
Karma
Ruby Glow
Weak Blood

And then, the phones come out, and a huge chunk of us whip out our phones for the final 8 minutes of the Habs Game 7. It’s painful, it’s stressful, but somehow, our boys pull it off, and the room erupts into a chorus of “olé olé olé.” I start a “Go Habs Go” myself, which lands pretty well too. It creates a pretty euphoric atmosphere before Biffy Clyro even arrive on stage, so when they finally do, it sets up for a triumphant show.

It’s just over 9 years since their last visit to Montreal, at the tiny Cafe Campus, and while Theatre Beanfield represents a sizeable upgrade on that tonight, it’s still a fraction of the size of the stages they usually play. This is a band accustomed to arenas and festival headline slots on the other side of the pond!

It was announced recently that bassist James Johnston is sitting out this tour to work on some personal issues, so only frontman/guitarist Simon Neil and drummer Ben Johnston of the band are here, alongside 3 touring members, but it doesn’t impact the show in any way; it’s absolutely incredible. And after seeing them 3 times in Montreal now (2011, 2017, and tonight), this crowd is unquestionably the best, singing along fervently at the top of their lungs at every possible opportunity, and the front floor section heaves almost relentlessly from start to finish! Finally, it feels like Biffy are getting the Montreal crowd they always deserved!

After the blaring strobes of Hunting Season, the pit absolutely explodes on That Golden Rule as green and red lights alternate while that stop-start outro stutters along. Who’s Got a Match? gets a huge singalong, the crowd roaring “BURN BURN BURN!!!” at every chorus. It’s euphoric. Shot One is mellow in comparison, and lets us all catch our breath for a second!

Simon is clearly feeling the love too; on at least 3 occasions, as a raucous singalong fades away, he effuses: “beautiful, thank you!” With a Habs jersey on the amp behind him, he jokes “ya f**ked over Tampa Bay, huh?!” Just when you thought the crowd couldn’t get any louder, it promptly does! A thunderous Biblical follows, and unsurprisingly, it’s biblical. By the time A Hunger in Your Haunt comes around, even I am bouncing around in the circle pit! The anthemic Mountains closes out the main set.

The encore is about as good as an encore can possibly get too. The stirring Machines sees just Simon on an acoustic guitar under spotlights at the back of the stage, with Ben joining midway through the song to add the “take the pieces…” harmony. The delicate mellow vibe is duly obliterated on The Captain, strobes blaring and boots kicking across the stage, and is followed by the apocalyptic Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies, its disjointed rolling intro coordinated perfectly with flashes from the strobes. It’s an incredible visual. Touring bassist Naomi McLeod sprinkles on an angelic vocal to make the song truly feel like the end of the world. Just wow.

Bubbles draws a huge clapalong as it breaks down, drawing another frantic circle pit, and after Simon thanks every single one of us, a triumphant Many of Horror closes out the set, Simon dropping off the mic entirely to let the crowd sing the first chorus in its entirety. It’s an absolutely perfect 90 minutes, the best show of 2026 so far, without a doubt!