Catfish and the Bottlemen

(PS: Sorry for the shoddy camera work. CATB finishing "Kathleen" at The Firebird in St. Louis)



So...

It's been awhile! Sorry gang! A lot has changed in this past year, including my move to St. Louis, getting settled in and doing some soul searching. And a lot has happened musically while I was away. One of the things I love about St. Louis is how available shows are. Amazing artists come through all the time and my modest paycheck can't quite keep up with them. 

But a few months ago, a friend recommended I check out Catfish and the Bottlemen. Their name sounded familiar, I believe I had seen them on the line-up for Governor's Ball (which was absolutely fantastic and too long of a tale for this post) but I had never heard them. Hailing from a small town in Wales their EP "Kathleen and the Other Three" hooked me in from the first listen. It made me nostalgic for my high school days of listening to obscure indie Brit-pop like The Kooks and The Answering Machine, a more mature-harder sound, but all that British finesse and slang I love so much. (I may or may not have started interjecting the word "deffo" into my everyday vocabulary, sans their song "Pacifier.")

Their LP, The Balcony, implemented all four songs from the EP and rounded out the album with catchy riffs and profanities, even slowing down a notch in the middle to find the soft acoustic treasure  that is "Hourglass," amongst all the ruckus. When I found out they were coming to The Firebird, I bought tickets immediately.

After grabbing a shirt, a free packet that the merch girl was handing out (there were condoms inside) and dancing like a fool to the music they were playing in between sets (apparently no one there knew Earth Wind & Fire's, "September" because we were literally the only ones getting down) the lights went down and the four lads from Llandudno took the stage.

The show was small, but lacked neither intensity, nor performance. The entire crowd knew every word a little to the astonishment of the lead Van McCann who could utter almost nothing but thanks to us. They played only an hour, but with high energy, and with a feeling that they were really enjoying themselves in this little bar near downtown St. Louis, where everybody knew their name.

They finished the set much like their album, with the wailing "Tyrants." A personal favorite of mine and one that did not disappoint live. After Van hung his guitar from the rafters, the band walked off and through the crowd, no doubt to go sell out another venue. They've completely taken England by storm and aren't far behind on the US horizon. With album two confirmed to be on the way, I would jump on this band before only the yard seats are available.

Catchy tracks you should catch:
Homesick
Kathleen
Cocoon
Pacifier
Rango
Tyrants