The Northern Echo:

Matt: When you were making 'Opposites' were you quietly confident about the way it would be received?

James: All we knew whilst recording opposites is that we liked it a lot. You can’t really spend time thinking about how the album will be received by others. Of course we all hoped our fans would enjoy our creation, but to make honest music you have to be a bit selfish and please yourselves first and foremost.

Matt: It's your sixth album, but first to go to No1, did you approach it differently to what had gone before?

James: Not really. Every album has be the same in that respect, Simon writes the songs at home on a quiet guitar and brings them to our practice space where we make them loud(in very basic terms) When it came to the recording, we just pushed everything a little further. More drum kits played in various rooms, lots of different bass’, and a bunch of varied guitar setups were used also. That’s all before exploring the many instruments you hear on the album, be it bagpipes and kazoos, to tap dancers and mariachi.

Matt: How did working in close proximity with each other again impact on you as people? Listening to the record, it would sound like it was a very positive experience.

James: It was exactly that, a positive experience! It had been a good few years since we had lived together and we bonded as brothers like the old days. I guess with all the touring we were doing, the last thing you want to do with your spare time is see each other, but living in a house making a double record rekindled that teenage spark. I guess sometimes you forget that we are all best friends regardless of Biffy.

Matt: Was the plan always to make a double album, or was it simply the tracks were just too good to discard?

James: It was really was a case of having so many songs that we felt were too strong to not put them on a record. In the space of about two months, Si (lead singer Simon Neil) had written 45 songs, which we recorded at our practice space, and cutting that to 20 was not easy. On listening to them all we realised that lyrically they naturally fell in to two camps, one negative and the other positive, hence the double album concept.

Matt: How do you think the album should be listened to? Can the tracks be played in isolation or are they better as a whole?

James: We feel that all the songs are great individually, but we’d always suggest experiencing the entire double if you have time. For us it’s a complete work of art that takes take you on a journey. We’re not big fans of the play list culture and would love for the public to embrace the album form once again.

Matt: It was recorded over a period of five months, that suggests patience and a very methodical approach to the production, would that be true?

James: Very true indeed. If you had told us back when we started this band that we’d spend five months recording an album, we’d say you’re off your head, but to create something of this scale does take a lot of time and effort. The main thing we’ve learned through working with (producer) Garth (Richardson) is to be patient. On our earlier albums we would fire out the takes as quickly as possible and move on, but with Garth it’s all about aiming for the right mix of vibe and perfection. It can be frustrating at times when things aren’t moving as fast as we’d like, but the results are worth it.

Matt: Storm Thorgerson is, among rock fans, as famous as some as the bands he has designed covers for. How important is the artwork that appears on the album? How closely was the band involved in its development?

James: Artwork is extremely important to us. It’s your introduction to a record, even before you’ve heard a note of music, you’ve seen the front cover, which already gives an idea of what the record might contain. Artwork should in some way mirror what’s inside and Storm is THE master of achieving this. He requests copies of all the lyrics before anyone else. He has demo recordings of all the songs before anyone else, and immerses himself and his team in biffy land for months. He’s never off the phone asking Simon about the origins of certain lyrics and after a wee while he’ll present us with a few visual options. We’re always blown away by his talent and feel privileged to have had the chance to work with the legend that is Storm Thorgerson.

Matt: You were asked to collaborate with Leona Lewis and Robbie Williams not so long back, but declined. Was this for reasons of artistic integrity or, all things being equal, would you be happy to work with people who are more mainstream than yourselves?

James: We’re not scared of the mainstream at all. If you can infiltrate it whilst remaining true to your music and retaining artistic integrity, then that’s a massive result. Simon declined simply because we were too busy making Opposites, plus we’re not sure if Robbie Williams really needs our help.

Matt: You recently picked up the NME's Best British Band award and joked you were "better than all English groups". That should make life interesting when you tour with Muse in the USA shortly?

James: Ha Ha. What you are unaware of is that after winning the award the journalist said “so this means you’re better than all the other Scottish bands” so of course we replied with said retort. It was all in jest and no malice was intended at all. Muse are lovely guys and we get on well, but there might be some competition on the football field.

Matt: Headlining Reading and Leeds must give you a buzz. I imagine there are few better things than performing outdoors in the British summer. If it were possible, where would you rather be on the stage or in the audience?

James: Festivals are a great place to watch one of you favorite bands. You really want them to play a blinder and gain a bunch of new fans in the crowd, so it’s almost like watching your sports team play. That being said I’d always choose playing to watching, there’s no buzz like it, both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

Matt: This tour will be your biggest so far and the dates are selling out. It would be easy to get carried away with such success, so what keeps your feet on the ground?

James: For starters, we all still live in Scotland, and close to our childhood homes, so life for us hasn’t changed all that much. We still practice in a barn on a working farm and we’ve kept pretty much the same team around us from the start. Our touring party is made up of close friends and family, so that all helps to keep us grounded.

Matt: Finally, the tour is launched in Newcastle and as opening night gigs are often, but not always, the best, what should we expect?

James: Expect an arena rock show!! We’re coming out all guns blazing. You really have to make your live shows extra special these days and we certainly are. You’ll see **** loads of passion, energy and Scottish sweat, but there will be some tender moments too.