“The time has come to properly address my illnesses and deal with them”: Biffy Clyro bassist James Johnston steps back from band to address mental health and addiction issues

Biffy Clyro bass guitar player James Johnston has announced he’ll be taking a step back from the band to deal with ongoing mental health and addiction problems.

Johnston – a founding member of Biffy Clyro, who formed the Scottish alt-rock giants alongside frontman Simon Neil and twin brother Ben Johnston – made the announcement via a statement posted to social media.

“I am heartbroken to let you know that I will not be joining the band on the upcoming tours,” he wrote. “For some time, I have been living with mental health problems which have led to addiction issues that I have kept concealed 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 continued, “I am extremely sorry to Simon & Ben and thank them for their continued love, patience, support and understanding throughout this time. I have recently started to receive the professional help I need and would like to reassure you all that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Johnston also confirmed that Biffy Clyro had selected a stand-in to fill his place for the upcoming tour.

“To all our fans, your support means so much to me and in the meantime, our dear friend Naomi MacLeod will be taking care of bass duties, and I cannot think of a better person for the job,” he revealed.

The appointment sees Neil reunite with MacLeod, with whom he worked in his extreme metal side project Empire State Bastard alongside Dave Lombardo and Mike Vennart.

The band are set to begin their upcoming UK and Europe tour in Belfast on January 9 in support of their recently released record, Futique. A full list of dates can be found on Biffy Clyro’s website.

Neil sat down with Guitarist earlier this year to discuss the making of Futique, during which he revealed the album’s sound was defined by an oddball, pint-sized Japanese Fender from the 1980s that had a built-in speaker.