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Biography
Catfish and the Bottlemen formed in Wales in 2008 and are currently made up of Ryan McCann, Johnny Bond, Benji Blakeway, and Bob Hall. McCann is originally from Australia, but moved to Wales at a young age. The 1st configuration of the band featured McCann as lead vocalist, McCann’s best friend Benji Blakeway as the bassist, and Blakeway’s brother Bill Bibby as lead guitarist. Bob Hall joined the group as the drummer in 2010 and in 2014 Johnny “Bondy” Bond replaced Bibby as lead guitarist.
Early recordings form the group showed a strong influence from early American pop legends like Elvis Presley and cheeky brit-pop rockstars like Oasis. Perhaps the biggest inspiration for Catfish and the Bottlemen were the Beatles, especially as the group frequently threw in cover songs of the “fab four” into their setlist.
The band continued to refine their writing techniques and before long were trying out their material in front of an audience, albeit most of their early shows took place in car parks. After one of their shows McCann ran into Kasabian lead singer, Sergio Pizzorno and to no avail tried handing him a demo. These early recordings of the band are now highly sought after and are worth small fortunes on the internet. Their early singles were independently released in 2012 and are exemplary of the groups raw youthful sound.
Their next single “Homesick” was issued in 2013 by Communion Records and was followed up by the single “Rango”, which was also released that year. The singles continued to pour out of the band in 2014. The four they released that year are as follows: “Kathleen”, “Pacifier”, “Cocoon”, and “Fallout”. In addition to these singles the band also put out the EP “Kathleen And The Other Three” as well as their studio debut album “The Balcony”. Their 1st album was a hit in the UK making it to no. 10 on the album charts. It also did fairly well in the US debuting at no.121 on the US Billboard 200 and no. 8 on the US Independent Albums chart. This album featured “Kathleen”, a single which was produced by Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian) and likewise rose to no.1 on the MTV’s hottest tracks.
Apart form their studio work, Catfish and the Bottlemen are equally loved for their live performances. In 2014 the band went on an extensive tour to support “The Balcony”, playing at over 30 festivals in the UK, Europe, and United States, including Readin & Leeds, Governors Ball, and Latitude.
Live reviews
catfish and the bottlemen themselves were incredible! if you're a fan of their music already seeing them live just makes their music even better than it was already, van the lead singer was lovely and i thought he came across really well talking especially as it was in a big arena.
we got there ten ish minutes before the gate opened which was really late i thought and we went through a good amount of security before actually getting into the motorpoint, we bought standing tickets and ended up right in the middle of the crowd which i don't recommend, the cue wasn't particularly great unless you were on your tip toes and used your phone to see, but unfortunately a few minutes into the support act i fainted, i think it was the heat and the fact we'd been standing their for and hour or two. the medical team at the arena were lovely and really helpful, in the end we stood at the front but out of the crowd so we were on the side and we had a better vue and it was much more comfortable.
my only complaint about the night and it's nothing that the band had done wrong, lots of the audience was teenagers like myself who were fans of the band but there were a few groups of older lads who were a very footbally type crowd, shouting, swearing and throwing (plastic) beer bottles. so in a way i'm glad i got out of the middle of the crowd to get away from them.
the show itself was so good, i love catfish and the bottlemen so much and even more now. GO!!
cccattttt
Bought the tickets as a present for my kids. They had a totally amazing night! Said it was one of the best gigs they've been to.
That's the good bit, the bad bit was the totally inept ticket company See tickets. Was a totally bad experience and will never book with them ever again. As tickets were bought as I gift I asked the name to be changed and they were willing to do so - well at first! I spoke to an adviser who told me yes that was fine as long as the name it changed to had photo ID which she hadn't at the time. I left it as it was until I got something sorted and then got in touch again to be told that they don't change names in tickets and wont change it. I sent them the emails I recieved to say that it was okay to change it and they said id been misinformed. To cut a lo g story short they were totally unhelpful and uncooperative and I basically had change my daughters name just to get her in. It was the most stressful few weeks of my life so never again!!!!!
Rachxx
Catfish and the Bottlemen are one of those bands that have made such a splash in the indie rock scene this last couple of years, with their hipster image sporting leather jackets and 70s haircuts. Their songs are huge, with magnificent choruses, driven by well played guitars.
They launch into “Kathleen” which is such a fresh sounding song, with some absolutely fantastic vocals on, with so much grit and feeling, over a four to the floor beat that just makes you want to dance all night long. They are a band like their contemporaries The 1975 who cater to such a mainstream audience whilst maintaining their dignity. They even perform their version of “I Will Never Let You Down”, originally by Rita Ora and Calvin Harris, which when they perform it, it sounds like they wrote it. It is so well performed, and you can tell that this band are humble and fun dudes, who just want to have a good time and play great music together.
Lannistaar
The best live performance I have ever seen, hands down!
Supported by another one of my favourite bands, Little Comets, this duo made for an awesomely memorable night! The first thing that struck me was how much both bands appreciated the crowd, at multiple occasions they paused to give thanks and mention how they felt humbled to have such loyal fans which I thought was a great show of affection for the crowd.
On top of that the atmosphere was intense! Catfish played their repertoire of songs from their album The Balcony, including Kathleen, Tyrants and my personal favourite Business, they were charismatic and enthusiastic, the crowd responded brilliantly, the mosh pits were fantastic!
Although they played a relatively short set, an hour, it was worth every last second, I would go again immediately and I would easily pay triple what I paid originally! One of the best nights of my life, highly recommended!
josh-weaver-3
These guys are so great live. They are humble, appreciate their fans & play good, solid, rock music!
This is the second time I've seen them play & they don't disappoint. Must be so gratifying for them as a band to hear their fans singing along to their fab songs.
O2 Brixton is a super venue for live music, only downside are the fans who insist on recording for not just a minute, but every song in the set. Look up & live people! All you are going to get is a crap recording with loads of flashing lights & other people's devices in the shot! I pay money to see a band play awesome music live, not to see the length of your arm recording a shitty quality video. Consider those around you, stop being selfish & stay at home and listen to the Catfish in the comfort of home!
kerri-cook
I’ve been wanting to see Catfish and the Bottlemen for a while and I finally got to see them in Sheffield and it was everything I expected and more! The lead singer Ryan has such good stage presence and he was great at hyping up the crowd, not that they really needed it as everyone was so happy and dancing and screaming the words at the top of their lungs and it was amazing to be apart of. There were a few songs where Ryan would stop singing and let the crowd sing on their own and hearing the whole arena sing the same song was beautiful. It was such a good show and I definitely want to go see Catfish again, and anyone who is thinking about it - do it! You won’t regret it!
hollyberry9
The night started off OUTSIDE, I lost my tickets so I looked everywhere and I thought ANYTHING could have happened to them, so I asked the security guys if they could POSTPONE the event, he said "sorry mate, it's none of my BUSINESS" by this point I thought we was going to FALLOUT. When we got inside I met a girl called KATHLEEN, she told me she was 26 but she only looked about 7.. I had to ask her TWICE if she was really 26. We just about got in there for SOUNDCHECK. I got into an argument with a guy who I told to put his PACIFIER back in because he was acting like a child. After the event I was asked to RANGO a taxi because my friend was feeling a little HOMESICK.
bradbaker153
Amazing! I went to the Toronto show on May 4th, and loved every minute of it. The opening act, The Worn Flints was amazing and created a lot of energy in the crowd. Catfish and The Bottlemen came on, and had so much energy that even after waiting in line for 8 hours, I was still pumped and full of energy for every song. They go hard during their guitar solos and Van uses the whole stage to his advantage which is amazing as you can get a close up look at him from whichever side of the stage you are. I have been to many, many concerts and can safely say that Catfish and the Bottlemen will not disappoint! They are worth seeing for every penny.
CanadianxGirl87
I saw Catfish and the Bottlemen live this May for my birthday, was SOOOO worth it! I've loved their music for the past couple years, and I was really bummed when I missed their show in Toronto in October.
But once I heard they were back in May, I just had to see them! And OMFG was it amazing! I didn't expect so many people to know them and sing all the songs like I did. Everyone was jumping and singing loud, majestic experience!
I brought a friend, and she's now converted to a C&TB fan herself. Can't wait to see them again in August, when they open for Green Day! Hope to meet them!
Mercelina12
Go see this band if they are near you or you will regret it! They're on their way to big things.
The talented opener Jamie N Commons smashed his set and now has a new fan! He has a beautiful voice. He is super kind and asked fans to stay and say hi after the show.
Catfish killed it as per usual. High energy and perfect sound. They played every song off The Balcony as expected and even shared a part of a new song. Also had the pleasure of meeting them after waiting in the cold for a long while, but it was worth it. Such humble lads! I would recommend their music to anyone!
sydjustsayin
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