CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN / THE LONDON SOULS | LIVE REVIEW
Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Thurs 29 Oct
From the moment you step across the threshold of the Great Hall doors, the air changes. The frenzy is palpable. There’s the familiar thrill of anticipation, yet it’s underlined with an intoxicating fever. Catfish And The Bottlemen, the UK’s latest indie-rock band who tell it how it is, have pitched up in town.
Hailing from Llandudno, the four-piece are in Cardiff for a pseudo-homecoming at their only Wales date on their biggest UK tour yet, following the release of their debut album The Balcony a year ago. Opening act The London Souls get the night off to a joyous start, their rock‘n’roll infusion a mass meeting of soul, blues, folk and rock. The duo are celebrating their own album release, and evidence of influences from Led Zeppelin and Gary Clark Jr make for an intriguing watch. As the lights dim following the stage change however, the onlookers return to a bubbling hysteria.
All clad in black, frontman Van McCann leads the way in style and swagger as Catfish launch straight into Rango and most recent single Pacifier, lamenting of relationships turned sour and underlying resentments. McCann urges the crowd to raise the roof and they respond adoringly as the night winds through the entirety of The Balcony. Sidewinder, Fallout and 26 follow, before technical issues leave McCann in the dark – literally – when the lights get stuck on drummer Bob Hall during a particularly impressive solo in Business. Catfish leave the stage, clearly frustrated, but the temporary interval does nothing to quell the sellout crowd’s enthusiasm.
Returning on his own, McCann coos the acoustic Hourglass before debuting new track 7, a mellow composition with a distinct feel of The Strokes about it. As we head into the finale, McCann declares his gratitude for sticking through the technical complications. The big guns are brought out as Cocoon preludes Homesick and closing epic Tyrants as Catfish finish with a flurry of feedback and howls.
In a seminal show on a difficult night, it’s clear Catfish And The Bottlemen don’t fear the pedestal they’ve been put upon, they relish it. And tonight, Cardiff is unreservedly theirs.
words BEN BARKER photos MICHAEL LEWIS