In the past few months, you may have heard more and more about a particular band called Catfish and the Bottlemen, they have been all over the media and I’ve found it nearly impossible to get away from them, wherever I may be! Now you may have no idea who they even are or what type of music they play, so let me help you out, right from the start.
Catfish and the Bottlemen are a four man indie rock band from Llandudno, North Wales. The band formed in 2010 when Van McCann (lead vocalist) teamed up with guitarist Bill Bibby – the elder bother of his best friend – band bassist Benji Blakeway. The band began playing covers of The Beatles songs, before beginning to create their own songs from the comfort of their own homes. They promoted themselves in a fairly unusual way by playing in car parks before gigs of other artists, most notably, Kasabian.
In 2013 after signing to Communion Records, the band released their first three singles: “Rango”, “Homesick” and “Pacifier”. They soon changed record companies in 2014 when they signed for Island Records, and they released their first single on March 17 called “Kathleen” produced by Jim Abiss, who has worked with certain artists such as Adele and Arctic Monkeys. All of the singles that they released, premiered on “Hottest record in the world” presented by Zane Lowe and were instantly playlisted on BBC Radio 1.
In the summer of 2014, Catfish and the Bottlemen would begin to draw in some serious attention. They played at over 30 festivals across the UK, Europe and even the US, including the likes of T in the Park, Reading and Leeds and incredibly, the Governors Ball in NYC. In June 2014, the band proudly announced the release of their debut album titled “The Balcony” which was finally released on 15 September 2014. In the week ending 27 September 2014, the album charted at No.10 in the UK Albums Chat, thatfigure may not seem incredible on paper but for a debut album for a band as small as them, it’s no mean feet.
Catfish and the Bottlemen’s most notable achievement came in late 2014 when they won the BBC Introducing Award at the first ever BBC Music Awards where they performed a stunning performance of Kathleen. So far their debut album “The Balcony” has been awarded a silver certification.
In terms of their music style, they are fairly unique but they fit in perfectly with stereotypical indie music. I found that their album “The Balcony” was the perfect album for listening to during long journies such as commutes or flights and left me wanting to hear more once I was finished. If you are into bands such as the Arctic Monkeys or Stereophonics then they will definitely be up your street and are definitely worth listening to.
The thing I love most about Catfish and the Bottlemen is not their music but how they have showed to everyone, particularly aspiring musicians, that it is possible to go from zero to hero. They have come from performing in car parks to headlining some of the biggest festivals across the UK. Expect to hear more and more from Catfish and the Bottlemen in the next months and even years, as they are set to explode.
