Never underestimate the power of TV singing competitions. Scottish alt-rock band Biffy Clyro has been putting out successful music since the mid-’90s, but the band achieved one of its highest chart placements thanks to a cover by a contestant on The X Factor in the U.K. The show’s 2010 winner, Matt Cardle, hit the top of the British charts with his version of “Many of Horror,” which bumped up Biffy Clyro’s version to just a few places below it. That’s not the only top 20 single the band has scored in the U.K., where songs including “Mountains,” “That Golden Rule” and “Black Chandelier” have made it to the upper reaches of the singles charts.
In the U.S., Biffy Clyro is still a bit under the radar; the band didn’t even release a U.S. single until 2007 album Puzzle, and has yet to have a breakthrough hit here. That means that fans can see one of the biggest bands in the U.K. in an intimate venue like Vinyl, when overseas audiences have to catch them headlining at huge outdoor festivals. It might just take one reality-TV performance for Biffy Clyro to get that big in America, too.
Hard Rock Hotel, 9 p.m. March 24, starting at $25 plus tax and fee. 888.929.7849
