Getty ImagesBiffy Clyro bass player James Johnston has announced he will not join the band on their upcoming UK and European tour because of mental health and addiction issues.
The 45-year-old wrote to fans on the band’s social media pages, saying he had concealed his issues for a long time.
James Johnston recently began receiving professional help and reassured his fans that there is hope for recovery.
The Kilmarnock rock band are due to kick off their tour on 9 January in Belfast and will continue to perform over the summer with dates in Australia and New Zealand.
Many of their UK dates, including a performance at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro at the end of January, have sold out.
Johnston wrote, “I am heartbroken to let you know that I will not be joining the band on the upcoming tours.
“For some time, I have been struggling with mental health problems that have resulted in addiction issues, which I have kept hidden for a long time.”
“This has caused significant problems for myself and everyone around me – the time has come to properly address my illnesses and deal with them.”
He said he was extremely sorry to frontman Simon Neil and his twin brother Ben – the band’s drummer – and thanked them “for their continued love, patience, support and understanding throughout this time”.
Session bassist Naomi MacLeod will step in for the band in the meantime.
The post prompted an outpouring of support from fans.
One said, “Thank you for putting yourself first, James. The hardest part is accepting that you need help. We’re here when you’re ready to come back.”
Another added, “Sending loads of love, brother. You’ve done the hardest thing, which is facing it. We’re all rooting for you.”
Getty ImagesJames Johnston (centre) apologised to bandmates Simon Neil and Ben Johnston
Biffy Clyro recently announced the biggest show of their career – headlining London’s Finsbury Park in July 2026.
Biffy Clyro recently announced the biggest show.
The trio have been one of the UK’s biggest rock bands since their formation in the early 2000s, with eight top-five albums – four of them number one – amassing over a million sales.
Their international breakthrough came with 2009’s Only Revolutions, which went platinum in the UK and received a Mercury Prize nomination.
The album contained two of their biggest hits – Bubbles and Many Of Horror, which later became a number one hit for X Factor winner Matt Cardle (under the title “When We Collide”).
Futique, released in September, is the band’s first album in four years – following a hiatus.
The record received rave reviews, with the NME calling it one of Biffy’s “most personal and definitive records to date”.
Mojo magazine said the trio had found a renewed sense of purpose.
