Catfish and the Bottlemen
Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British indie rock band formed in Llandudno, Conwy, Wales, in 2007.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The band's debut album, The Balcony, reached number 10 in the UK Albums Chart and achieved Platinum status on 30 December 2016.[9] The band have toured in South America, Japan, Europe, North America, and Australia performing a wide selection of festivals including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Latitude, Falls Festival, Community Festival, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, Governors Ball, All Points East, Bonnaroo, Splendour in the Grass, and TRNSMT. They won a Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act on 24 February 2016. On 27 May 2016, they released their second album, The Ride, which reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and has sold 300,000 units in the UK since its release. On 26 April 2019, they released their third album, The Balance, which reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart. The band will be headlining the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK in 2024.
Catfish and the Bottlemen
Llandudno, Conwy, Wales
2007–present
- Van McCann
- Benji Blakeway
- Jon Barr
- Billy Bibby
- Bob Hall
- Johnny Bond
History[edit]
2007–2013: Formation and early years[edit]
Catfish and the Bottlemen, formerly known as "The Prestige",[10][11] were founded in May 2007,[12] when Ryan Evan "Van" McCann and Billy Bibby began playing guitar together at Bibby's parents home, a bed and breakfast in Llandudno, Wales.[13] McCann's parents also ran a bed and breakfast in Llandudno.[14] Van was a friend of Bibby's younger brother Stephen, which is how McCann and Bibby met.[15] McCann and Bibby were joined by Benji Blakeway on bass as the third founding member of the band. Schoolmate Jon Barr followed shortly thereafter on drums.[16] Bibby, who had been playing guitar since age 10, taught both McCann and Blakeway how to play.[17] In an interview with Sound of Boston McCann noted his dislike for playing covers because of the way his music career began: "When I was a 15 year old and we first started a band, our job Monday to Friday was to play at clubs, playing Beatles covers and Oasis covers. We spent seven years writing our own songs, making our own albums, and people are like ‘play Kanye West!’ We’re like ‘no man, are you crazy?’"[18]
They promoted themselves by playing in support slots to friends' bands, such as Northwich's The Shallow Call,[19] and by playing in car parks after other artists' gigs, including bands such as Kasabian.[16] Steve Lamacq first played an early demo on BBC Radio 6 Music in March 2009.[20][21] During 2009, Catfish were runners up in the 'North Wales Battle of the Bands', run by Gareth Thomas, having been beaten to the post by another local band The Fides who later closed the Conwy River Festival.
Original drummer Jon Barr was replaced by Bob Hall in 2010. Hall was introduced to the band by North Wales-based producer Russ Hayes who was working with the band at the time.[22]
McCann met future band member Johnny Bond at Ravenstonedale festival in 2011, when the latter was a member of the band Symphonic Pictures. Bond would later joined the band in 2014.
The band derives its name from McCann's first childhood musical memory: that of an Australian street busker in Sydney, playing beer bottles strung to a wire who goes by the name Catfish the Bottleman. He was called "Catfish" because of an unusually styled spiky beard he had when he first began playing in 2000.[23][24] McCann was reunited with Catfish the Bottleman in January 2015 at the studios of Triple J radio in Sydney.
2013–2016: The Balcony[edit]
The band signed to Communion Music[25] in 2013,[1] and released their first three singles "Homesick", "Rango", and "Pacifier" the same year.
In 2014, the band signed to Island Records and on 17 March, released the single "Kathleen",[26] produced by Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Adele). All the singles were premiered by Zane Lowe and added to the playlist on Radio 1. "Kathleen" ranked at number one on MTV's hottest tracks in April
In the summer of 2014, Catfish and the Bottlemen performed at a number of festivals in the UK and Europe, including Reading and Leeds,[27][28] Latitude, Kendal Calling, Y Not Festival, Strawberry Fields Festival, T in the Park, Pinkpop, Bingley Music Live, and Ibiza Rocks. They also played at New York's Governors Ball.
On 19 June, the band announced they were to release their debut studio album, The Balcony, in September.
Founding lead guitarist Billy Bibby suddenly and unexpectedly ceased performing with the band in the summer of 2014.[29] He was replaced by Johnny "Bondy" Bond.[30] On 25 July, the band cancelled three festival appearances due to "unforeseen personal circumstances".[31][32] On 13 August, the band posted on Facebook: "Some of you will have noticed that we have been playing with a different guitarist over the past weekend. Unfortunately, due to some personal circumstances, Billy won't be touring with the band for the foreseeable future."[33]
When asked about leaving the band, Bibby commented, "Well to be honest after Catfish I had no plans. I didn't know what I was going to do. I just started writing songs and it took off from there..."[34] and "I'm proud of what I did in Catfish and what I achieved and everything that came with it, but I'm just looking into the future now with my band and that's all I'm focused on".[35] He later founded a new band, Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles, in 2015.
The Balcony was released on 15 September 2014. Shortly afterwards, the band also announced a UK tour. The album charted at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart in the week ending 27 September before being certified Silver in the UK on 9 January 2015, Gold on 20 March and ultimately Platinum on 30 December 2016.[36]
They won the BBC Introducing Award at the first BBC Music Awards in December and performed "Kathleen".[37]
The Balcony was released in the US on 6 January 2015. The following day, the band performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.
In an interview with WOW247, McCann said that the band have "three albums written already". He continued to say that "I'm more excited for the second album than the first, because the workload is done now".[38]
At the 2016 Brit Awards, the band won in the British Breakthrough Act category.[39] They then went on to headline Liverpool Sound City in May, their first headline slot at a festival.
Musical style[edit]
When reviewing The Balcony, Scott Kerr of AllMusic likened the band's sound to that of Johnny Marr, The Cribs, Feeder and Mystery Jets.[63] According to Ben Homewood of NME, McCann's vocal style is similar to The Kooks' frontman Luke Pritchard.[14] With respect to the musical approach to The Ride, McCann has stated, "I feel like everybody started thinking too outside the box trying to be arty and different. We wanted to stay inside the box."[64]
Following the release of The Balance, Catfish and the Bottlemen came under some criticism for having a "formulaic" approach to songwriting.[65]
Personal life[edit]
Ryan Evan "Van" McCann was born in Australia.[66][15] McCann, Benji Blakeway, guitar tech Josh “Larry” Lau, and former members Bob Hall and Billy Bibby grew up in Llandudno, North Wales.
Bibby, Blakeway, Hall and McCann originally hail from Accrington,[67] Chester, Sheffield[68] and Widnes,[69][70] respectively. All of which are located within the North of England. They all moved to Llandudno when they were "kids at the age of about 2 or 3".[15]
McCann, along with former member Bibby, attended Ysgol John Bright in Llandudno. Drummer Bob Hall attended Rydal Penrhos School.[71][72]
Johnny Bond is from North Shields in North East England.[73]
McCann calls himself Van after his and his father's musical hero Van Morrison.[74]
McCann is a supporter of Manchester United,[75] whilst Blakeway supports rival side Liverpool FC.[76]