MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London

MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London is the third live album and second video by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro. Recorded at the band's one-off acoustic show on 8 November 2017 at the Roundhouse in London as part of MTV Unplugged, it was released on 25 May 2018 by 14th Floor and Warner Bros. Records. The video was directed by Sam Wrench, produced by Sian Larkin & Executive Produced for MTV by Jeremy Davies. The show won Best Live Concert at the 2018 UK Music Video Awards. Four recordings from the release were issued as digital download singles.

MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London
Live album by
Biffy Clyro
Released25 May 2018 (2018-05-25)
Recorded8 November 2017 (2017-11-08)
VenueRoundhouse (London, England)
GenreAlternative rock
Length62:57
Label
DirectorSam Wrench
ProducerSian Larkin (video)
Biffy Clyro chronology
Ellipsis
(2016)		 MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London
(2018)		 Balance, Not Symmetry
(2019)
Singles from MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London
  1. "Many of Horror"
    Released: 13 April 2018 (2018-04-13)
  2. "Black Chandelier"
    Released: 4 May 2018 (2018-05-04)
  3. "Mountains"
    Released: 18 May 2018 (2018-05-18)
  4. "Medicine"
    Released: 24 May 2018 (2018-05-24)

Upon its release, MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London debuted at number 2 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 4 on the UK Albums Chart – the highest positions of the band's live releases to date. The acoustic show and subsequent album release received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the rearrangements of certain songs but noted a lack of dynamism in others. The show marked the debut of Balance, Not Symmetry track "Different Kind of Love".

Background

Biffy Clyro performed a one-off acoustic show on 8 November 2017 at the Roundhouse in London as part of MTV's "Music Week" event under the MTV Unplugged banner.[1] The band were inspired by Nirvana's 1993 performance for the show, which they reportedly rehearsed during their formative years.[1] In an interview with RTÉ.ie, the group's bassist James Johnston recalled that "Nirvana's MTV Unplugged opened the world for us in terms of listening to acoustic guitars ... it taught us to open our ears a little bit".[2] Frontman Simon Neil also cited the appearances of Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Oasis as highlights of the show's history, while Johnston highlighted those of Pearl Jam, George Michael and R.E.M. in addition to Nirvana.[2] Speaking to Music Week, Neil explained that "our main aim was not to play the songs more than once ... I wanted us to capture that feeling – where if your voice breaks, if something goes wrong or you don't play the note right, that's it, that's the version".[3]

In addition to tracks from Puzzle, Only Revolutions, Opposites and Ellipsis, the set also featured a cover version of The Beach Boys song "God Only Knows", which was Neil's first dance with his wife and the lyrics of which are in his first tattoo, as well as a new track called "Different Kind of Love", which was later recorded for Balance, Not Symmetry.[4] The album was made available to pre-order from 13 April 2019, with all purchases accompanied by a digital download of the performance of "Many of Horror".[5] A video for "Black Chandelier" was released as the second preview of the album on 4 May,[6] followed by "Mountains",[7] and later "Medicine" the day before the album's release.[8] The full concert footage was premiered in the UK on the MTV channel on 25 May 2018, the same day as the album's physical and digital releases.[9] In promotion of the release, the band later embarked on a short acoustic tour of the UK and Europe, with 14 shows between 15 September and 3 October 2018.[10]

Reception

MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London debuted at number 2 on the Scottish Albums Chart, behind only Snow Patrol's Wildness.[11] It also registered at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart,[12] number 11 on the UK Album Downloads Chart,[13] number 4 on the UK Albums Sales Chart,[14] number 3 on the UK Physical Albums Chart,[15] and number 1 on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart.[16] Outside of the UK, the album reached number 5 on the German Albums Chart,[17] number 7 on the Irish Albums Chart,[18] number 11 on the Swiss Albums Chart,[19] number 14 on the Austrian Albums Chart,[20] number 37 on the Spanish Albums Chart,[21] number 46 on the Italian Albums Chart,[22] number 152 on the Belgian Albums Chart in the Flanders region,[23] and number 167 on the Dutch Albums Chart.[24]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Simon Neil except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Captain" 4:35
2."Biblical" 4:33
3."Re-Arrange" 4:10
4."Drop It" 2:46
5."Black Chandelier" 4:15
6."Folding Stars" 3:58
7."Different Kind of Love"
3:22
8."Mountains" 4:10
9."God Only Knows" (The Beach Boys cover)
2:23
10."Opposite" 4:15
11."Small Wishes" 3:16
12."Bubbles" 5:50
13."Medicine" 4:43
14."Many of Horror" 5:35
15."Machines" 5:06
Total length:62:57

Personnel

Jeremy Davies - Executive Producer for MTV

Chart positions
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[20] 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 152
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 167
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 5
Irish Albums (OCC)[18] 7
Italian Albums (IRMA)[22] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] 2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21] 37
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 4
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[13] 11
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[14] 4
UK Physical Albums (OCC)[15] 3
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[16] 1

References
  1. Pell, Mike (9 November 2017). "MTV Unplugged: Biffy Clyro Take Us Into The Woods For Incredible Stripped Back Set". MTV. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  2. Guerin, Harry (27 May 2018). "Biffy Clyro resurrect MTV Unplugged". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  3. Garner, George (25 May 2018). ""I was obsessing about the setlist": Simon Neil opens up about Biffy Clyro's epic MTV Unplugged performance". Music Week. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  4. "Biffy Clyro share new track and video for "Balance, Not Symmetry"". The Rockpit. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  5. Trendell, Andrew (13 April 2018). "Biffy Clyro announce huge UK acoustic tour and 'MTV Unplugged' album". NME. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  6. Wilson-Taylor, James (4 May 2018). "Biffy Clyro Drop New 'MTV Unplugged' Version Of 'Black Chandelier'". Rock Sound. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  7. Bambridge, Fred (20 May 2018). "Biffy Clyro share video for "Mountains" shot for MTV Unplugged". It's All Indie. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  8. Graff, Gary (24 May 2018). "Biffy Clyro Shares 'Unplugged' Version of 'Medicine': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  9. "How To Watch Biffy Clyro: MTV Unplugged". MTV. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  10. "MTV Unplugged Album and Tour Announced". Biffy Clyro. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  11. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100: 1 June 2018 - 7 June 2016". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  12. "Biffy Clyro Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  13. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100: 01 June 2018 - 07 June 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  14. "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100: 01 June 2018 - 07 June 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  15. "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100: 01 June 2018 - 07 June 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  16. "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40: 01 June 2018 - 07 June 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  17. "Suchen nach "Biffy Clyro"" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  18. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50: 01 June 2018 - 07 June 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  19. "Biffy Clyro". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  20. "Discographie Biffy Clyro" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  21. "Discography Biffy Clyro". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  22. "Discography Biffy Clyro". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  23. "Biffy Clyro". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  24. "Discografie Biffy Clyro" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
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