In July I learned that one of my favorite bands, Biffy Clyro, were scheduled to play Stockholm this November. With all the traveling I’m doing this fall, I probably wouldn’t have made a special trip down for this concert, but the date coincided with a time I was to be in Uppsala — less than an hour’s train ride from Stockholm — so I bought a ticket.

The show was this past Wednesday and after seeing them live, I will assuredly make a special trip to see them next time they’re in Sweden. In a repeat of my experience when I saw the Pet Shop Boys in June, I was able to situate myself in the front row, this time only slightly to the right of center stage, and I could scarcely tear my eyes away from Simon Neil. His stage presence is simply electric (and that Scots accent doesn’t hurt a bit, either).

Probably the only real downside was the drunk guy and his equally drunken date who decided late in the show to muscle their way up to the front to bellow out a request. Security fairly quickly got on top of the situation and removed them, but not before they’d managed to shove a number of us around a bit. I noticed the next morning that I have a big bruise on my elbow from where I was pushed against the metal fence, but it’s nothing major. It’s maybe also a little fitting, seeing that one of the lines from what is probably Biffy’s most well-known song is “I’ll take a bruise, I know you’re worth it.”

Worth it, indeed.