Simon Alexander Neil (born 31 August 1979) is a Scottish vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for his work in the bands

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have ...

and Marmaduke Dukeand also new band with Mike Vennart, Empire state bastard.

Career

Biffy Clyro

Born in Irvine, North Ayrshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, Simon Neil formed Biffy Clyro in 1995 at 15 years old recruiting Kilmarnock-born Ben Johnston and someone known only as Barry on drums and bass respectively, calling themselves Skrewfish.Biffy Clyro Biography
on Beggar's Banquet USA Barry was soon replaced by James Johnston, Ben's twin brother, and Biffy Clyro was effectively formed. In 1997, the trio moved to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

, where Neil studied Electronics with Music at the University of Glasgow. He also Studied Film and TV for a year before leaving to pursue music full-time. By then, Simon's musical tastes had expanded; In 2000, the band were spotted at the Unsigned Bands stage at T in the Park by a Beggars Banquet representative. Soon after, the band was signed to the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

Beggar's Banquet. Biffy Clyro have since released nine albums, signed to a major record label, and toured relentlessly. Neil has stated that Biffy Clyro lyrics often come from phrases he writes down in a notebook he keeps by his bed.

Marmaduke Duke

Neil plays with JP Reid of fellow Ayrshire group Sucioperro in Marmaduke Duke, under the pseudonym "The Atmosphere", which released their first album, ''

The Magnificent Duke ''The Magnificent Duke'' is the debut studio album by Scottish conceptual rock duo Marmaduke Duke Marmaduke Duke are a Scottish conceptual rock duo from Ayrshire, Scotland, comprising Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro and JP Reid of Sucioperro. Wit ...

'', in 2005. It was announced in late 2008 that the Duke was to make a return in 2009 with the follow-up album and second in the trilogy, '' Duke Pandemonium''. The first single from the second album, "Kid Gloves" was released on 9 February 2009.

Solo career

Neil performs under the name ZZC. His debut single, "To the Bone", was used in the BBC's ‘ Radio 1 Rescores: Drive (curated by Zane Lowe)’ project. In 2017, Neil released a 7-minute instrumental track entitled "The Myth" under the ZZC moniker. Two tracks from an unreleased ZZC solo album, "Plead" and "Fever Dream" were released on the 2019 Biffy Clyro soundtrack album

Balance, Not Symmetry ''Balance, Not Symmetry'' is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Jamie Adams. The film stars Laura Harrier with Bria Vinaite, Kate Dickie, Tamsin Egerton, Freya Mavor, and Shauna Macdonald in major supporting roles. The film is about Ca ...

Personal life

Neil lives in Ayr with his wife Francesca, whom he married at St. Columba Church in Ayr on 5 January 2008. The song " God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys was used for their first dance, and Neil has the song's chorus, "God only knows what I'd be without you", tattooed on his chest.''Ayshire Post'', 9 January 2008
Sweet music
/ref> In 2021, he presented a series of shows on

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scotland, Scottish radio station, radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same na ...

Musical equipment used

The following is a list of musical equipment used by Simon Neil:

Guitars

''Electric'' * Fender Standard StratocastersBiffyTabs Equipment – Simon
– Various different Mexican models, including White, Red, Sunburst (with neck pickup & controls removed), Black, and Metallic Blue. * Fender 1960 Custom Shop Stratocasters – Fiesta Red, Frost Metallic, Lake Placid Blue, and White. * Fender 50s Stratocaster Relic * Fender Telecaster Standard – USA model, owned by James Johnston, three tone sunburst, can be seen in the music video for " Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies". * Fender Telecaster '62 Custom – Japanese model, three tone sunburst, can be seen in the music video for "Only One Word Comes to Mind". * Fender Telecaster Custom 1972 reissue, black. Can be seen in the music video for "Mountains". * Squier Simon Neil Signature Stratocaster * Patrick Eggle New York – Red. * Gretsch White Falcon Used live for the song "Diary of Always" and is seen in the music video for "

Folding Stars "Folding Stars" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro from their 2007 album, '' Puzzle''. It was released as the third physical single from ''Puzzle'', on 16 July 2007 and reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Overview "Folding Stars" was ...

" * Gibson ES-335 – used live for "God & Satan" * Gretsch G2420T – used for music video of "Howl".

Effects pedals

* BOSS TU-2 Chromatic Tuner * BOSS MD-2 Distortion * BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone * BOSS DD-6 Digital Delay x2 * BOSS LS-2 Line Selector * Origin Effects Cali76 Compressor

Previous effects pedals

* BOSS DS-1 Distortion * BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal * Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Wah * Electro Harmonix Micro POG

Amplifiers

* Peavey Delta Blues Combo * Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 Combo * Marshall 1959SLP Head * Peavey Classic Head and Peavey Classic 412 Cabinet * Hayden MoFo 30W tube head with Hayden 4x12 * Fender Super Sonic 100 BLK Head * Kemper Profiling Amplifier PowerHead

Discography

Biffy Clyro

* '' Blackened Sky'' (2002) * '' The Vertigo of Bliss'' (2003) * ''

Infinity Land ''Infinity Land'' is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released on 4 October 2004 on Beggars Banquet. Overview The album saw the band move into darker territory, in terms of both sound and lyrical content. It also furt ...

'' (2004) * ''

Puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...

'' (2007) * ''

Only Revolutions ''Only Revolutions'' is an American road novel by writer Mark Z. Danielewski. It was released in the United States on September 12, 2006 by Pantheon Books. It was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction. Plot summary The story ...

'' (2009) * '' Opposites'' (2013) * '' Ellipsis'' (2016) * '' MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London'' (2018) * ''

'' (2019) * '' A Celebration of Endings'' (2020) * '' The Myth of the Happily Ever After'' (2021)

Marmaduke Duke

* ''

'' (2005) * '' Duke Pandemonium'' (2009)

Other appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neil, Simon 1979 births Biffy Clyro members Living people People educated at Prestwick Academy People from Ayr People from Irvine, North Ayrshire Scottish rock guitarists Scottish male guitarists 21st-century Scottish male singers Scottish rock singers Scottish songwriters