Biffy Clyro and Vennart side-project Empire State Bastard announce intimate UK tour

Empire State Bastard, the "grindcore extreme metal" band featuring Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro) and Mike Vennart (Vennart, Oceansize, Biffy Clyro live guitarist), have announced details of an intimate UK tour which will take place in late March.

“I like putting myself in these positions where I’m like, ‘I should never be doing this, so this is what I’m going to do’," Simon told the NME of the duo's new project. "I don’t just want to do the same shit. Every time between records, I want to do something that’s fucked up and off the wall. It brings me back to Biffy and I’m more in love with it now than I’ve ever been.”

The band recently posted a gloriously sludgy 16-second riff on February 24 through their social media accounts.

The three-date run of shows will feature Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Fantômas) on drums and Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) on bass.

The band will play:

Mar 26: Glasgow Cathouse
Mar 27: Manchester Rebellion
Mar 28: London Underworld

Tickets for the Glasgow show will go on sale here, while Manchester and London tickets will be made available here from 10am GMT on Friday March 3. It is advised to set your alarms and prime your browsers.

The band recently confirmed a handful of summer festival appearances which include Download on (June 9), Hellfest (June 18), 2000 Trees (July 7) and ArcTanGent (August 17).

To be kept up to speed with all Empire State Bastard news and releases, sign up for updates from their official website empirestatebastard.com, or if social media is your thing, follow them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Empire State Bastard UK tour — (Image credit: Empire State Bastard)

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Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty-six years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.