On the hottest day of the year, hordes of indie fans descend on Cardiff Castle for the first of two sell out Catfish And The Bottlemen headline sets. An eyewitness observation: having previously attended The National’s concert here two weeks prior, I was struck by the differences in crowd demographic. Where The National had attracted a range of ages, ethnic backgrounds, gender and sex, Catfish’s fans are predominantly young and white.
And they give the band a rousing reception when they take to the stage and begin their set with Longshot, also the opening song from The Balance – the third Catfish album, released in 2019 and still their latest full-length. This was a Welsh homecoming of sorts: Catfish, who formed in Llandudno in 2007, announced a hiatus two years ago after pulling out of a stadium show alongside countrymen Stereophonics and Tom Jones, noting “unforeseen practical issues”. Their future seemed uncertain, the departure of guitarist Johnny Bond being the first of more problems.
As booze flows across the castle grounds and the heat starts to settle, The Big Moon have all the makings of a great opening act. Having celebrated 10 years as a band the previous day – and played support to Noel Gallagher here the day before that! – the London band are lively, acknowledging the crowd at every turn and throwing in a cover of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You among originals like Cupid, Trouble and Wide Awake.
Catfish And The Bottlemen, however, lack their warmup act’s engagement. Frontman Van McCann only seems to acknowledge his audience in the midst of song lyrics, uttering “Cardiff” occasionally and moving his mic stand across the stage. I was expecting more from a band headlining Reading and Leeds next month.
From The Balcony, their 2014 debut, Kathleen, Pacifier and Homesick all earn considerable reactions as fans punch the air and sing their 2014 Tumblr heads off. In fact, they’re still singing along as they head in the opposite direction of the stage to the bar. The intensity of Catfish’s performance is a major highlight – the band just making time to breathe between fast-paced indie anthems before jumping back in with another – and their songs sound pretty much as they do on record, making it feel little different from watching on a festival livestream.
Sidetrack and Conversation make the cut from The Balance, as do plenty from second album The Ride: opener 7, closer Outside, Soundcheck, Twice and Anything. Showtime – released in February, and Catfish’s first new song for nearly five years – doesn’t feature. This run of shows acknowledges the band’s time away, aiming to reform a bond with longtime, existing fans over welcoming new ones.
With a US tour scheduled for October, it’s “back to the graft again” for McCann and bassist Benji Blakeway, but whether the Welsh band are up to the task of festival headline slots is yet to be seen.
Catfish And The Bottlemen + The Big Moon, Cardiff Castle, Fri 19 July
words EMMA WAY photos DEPOT LIVE
