Biffy Clyro explain origin of band name

Biffy Clyro have finally revealed the origin of their band name.

The Scottish trio had previously refused to explain the reasoning behind their moniker, but frontman Simon Neil has now let slip that it was intended as a surreptitious nod to Cliff Richard.

"There's a famous British musician called Cliff Richard," Neil told Spin. "And when me and [drummer] Ben [Johnston] were 13 and bored in our little Scottish town of Ayr, we'd think up imaginary Cliff Richard merch products.

"We thought of things like Cliff Richard coat hangers and Cliff Richard Jesus dolls - he's a big Christian singer. In the UK there's a cheap kind of pen called a Biro pen and we thought about making Cliff Richard Biro pens.

"We'd call them Cliffy Biros. Somehow that turned into Biffy Clyro. Bizarrely, we weren't high at the time. There's just not a lot to do in Ayr. The weather is terrible."

However, Neil went on to say that he does not think the group's name is as bad as several others, adding: "The other night in Switzerland I saw a sticker for a band called Coleslaw. That's an even worse name than Biffy Clyro. Arctic Monkeys is pretty atrocious, but I'm a fan of the band."

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