Catfish and the Bottlemen played at the House of Blues San Diego to a sold out crowd. But first…
Did you know that Catfish and the Bottlemen were originally called, “The Prestige?” The band started in April 2007, when Van and Billy started playing guitar together. They started playing shows all over Wales, opening up for their friends bands, as well as other gigs. The band had an early demo played on BBC Radio 6 Music in March 2009. They ended up changing their name to Catfish and the Bottlemen, which comes from Van McCann’s first childhood musical memory. This memory was watching a street busker in Australia who went by the same name. They continued to play gigs, and in 2013, they signed to Communion Music, and managed to release three singles. The next year, they signed to Island Records. On this record label, they released their debut album “The Balcony.” One single, “Kathleen,” ranked at number one on MTV’s hottest tracks in April 2014. Since the release of their first album, they have been constantly touring, playing festivals and shows all over the world.
The last time I had seen Catfish and the Bottlemen was in 2017, in Toronto, Canada, at the Rebel. They were still on tour for their second album “The Ride,” which has been described as, “just blistering, swashbuckling tunes.” The venue was humongous, and with a sold out crowd of 2,500 people, it was an insane show. It had been the first time I had seen them live and the performance was astonishing. I have been to way too many concerts to count, and that Catfish and the Bottlemen concert is still one of my favorites.
Flash forward to Catfish and the Bottlemen at the House of Blues…
This time, seeing Catfish and the Bottlemen was a whole new experience. It again was a sold out show, but this time at the House of Blues San Diego. With a capacity of only 250 people, it was destined to be a much more intimate show. The Worn Flints opened up the show, playing for about thirty minutes. Catfish and the Bottlemen went on at 9, and I got to shoot the show from the photo pit for the first three songs, which were “Longshot,” “Kathleen,” and “Soundcheck.” While I was in the photo pit, every time I would turn around and look at the crowd, I could see pure joy on everyone’s face. After shooting the first three songs, I went into the crowd and joined my friends. The atmosphere at the show was just pure bliss. Everyone was having such a good time, screaming the lyrics right back at the band.
They played a total of 17 songs, ending with “Tyrants.” The crowd and I also got to hear their new single, “2all,” for the first time ever live, along with other songs from their upcoming album. If you have not had the chance to see Catfish and the Bottlemen live, you are missing out on an extraordinary experience that is like no other.
Catfish and the Bottlemen is releasing a new album called “The Balance,” on April 26th, which they already have three songs out from the new album: Longshot, 2all, and Fluctuate. They have not released anything since 2016, their album “The Ride,” so this album has been much waited for. You can preorder their new album here!
