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Catfish and The Bottlemen

“They dragged the Vaccines to see them, whilst they were hanging backstage at an Arctic Monkey’s gig”… and if I didn’’t love them by reading that sentence alone, I was definitely hooked after a single YouTube viewing of their latest single ‘Kathlee. Front man Van McCann has the kind of voice that makes the hearts of teenage girls everywhere melt, but in a definite anti-mainstream kinda way, of course. Catfish and The Bottlemen are sexy and keeping it undeniably fresh in the ever evolving UK music scene.

McCann says: ‘someone told me ‘you need to have a wall of sound behind you’, and that really resonated with me. We used to be all about the hooks, but now it’s about crafting choruses that can pin you to a wall… I want our sound to be cinematic’. Their high energy and attitude is infectious, and definitely conducive to enjoying good music. The catchy guitar riffs and lyrics are predictable in their embodiment of the indie-rock vibe that the aforementioned teenage girls go nuts for. But at the same time, these guys manage to provide a completely distinctive sound. Their old school feel and quintessentially UK noise separates them from the rest.

catfish and the bottlemen

Photo by SaraJane Fhotography

Yeah, teen girls go nuts for a British accent and an indie-pop twang. So here you go girls, the new guys to stick on your walls – Catfish and the Bottlemen.

The four piece, although considered Welsh, were all born in different countries. Van McCann on vocals and guitar, Billy Bibby on lead guitar, Benji Blakeway on bass and Bob Hall on drums met at school in Llandudno, Wales, before signing with Communion Records, joining the company of Ben Howard, Gotye and Half Moon Run.

They released their debut single for the label on the 17th June last year and have now performed over 100 live shows in the last 18 months. They popped their European festival cherry at Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival in 2012, played a gig on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds festivals, sold out shows in London and toured with fellow teen heartthrobs The 1975, who are currently playing at the infamous Californian festival, Coachella. Bloody hell. These guys have ‘success’ stamped all over their pretty little faces. Gis a kiss!

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