Glasgow Caledonian University today honoured rock royalty as Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil received an honorary degree.
The Ayrshire-born vocalist, guitarist and songwriter received a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from the University for his continued inspiration to all creatives the world over.
Biffy Clyro has a career spanning 25 years and include three No 1 and platinum-selling albums in the UK and beyond.
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The band has received countless awards, including Best British Band from Kerrang! and NME, Best Live Band from NME and Q, three BRIT award nominations for Best British Group, and a Mercury Prize nomination for Album of the Year for ‘Only Revolutions’.
Neil was individually awarded Kerrang!’s Classic Songwriter Award, as well as the inaugural Fender Play Award at the 2018 Q Awards. The music magazine described him as a “frontman who possesses the perfect blend of raw emotion and rock’n’roll charisma, the sort of figurehead who inspires the next generation to pick up a guitar”.
He said: “To receive this doctorate is an honour I could never have expected. To receive it in Glasgow, a city which has featured so long and so supportively in the band’s story, is the stuff of dreams. I am also proud to be connected to such a forward-thinking an institution as Glasgow Caledonian University, and accept this honour with gratitude and respect.”
Neil was to be honoured along with eight other notable personalities, including former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who was due to receive a Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of her outstanding commitment to the advancement of gender equality and access to education.
At the up and coming ceremonies, graduates will hear messages from the University's leadership team, including Chancellor Dr Annie Lennox OBE and Vice Chancellor and Principal Professor Pamela Gillies CBE.
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