“The Barrowlands show was more like a rave than a gig. We can’t wait to get back to Glasgow for TRNSMT!”
IT is safe to say that Glasgow holds a very special place in Van McCann’s heart. Since Catfish & the Bottlemen first started out ten years ago, the city has played a massive role in the band’s remarkable rise from pub circuit veterans to bonafide indie-rock stars; a fact the frontman knows all too well as he looks back on his time in the city with brimming enthusiasm.
In an exclusive chat with Tenement TV ahead of the band’s highly anticipated appearance at TRNSMT Festival this weekend, McCann tells us exactly why he can’t wait to return to Glasgow.
“We’re very excited. Last time we were up in Scotland we did the arena. We did T in the Park last year aswell. The crowds are wild so we’re excited to get back up there and play another big one.”
From the band’s earliest gigs at Broadcast to packing out the revered Barrowland Ballroom, there are too many memories to count for Van McCann and co over the years. However, some stand out more than others: “I remember when we played the Barrowlands…everyone was saying it would be one of the best gigs we’d ever play. It was more like a rave than a gig. The Fratellis came down to see us and Glasvegas were there…they were the Scottish bands we grew up with. What a night that was.”
The frontman is keen to point that their strong affinity with Scotland dates back to the very early stages of their career: “It’s been ten years since we started. When we first started playing, the venues here were always good to us. It was one of the first places to attach itself to us. We used to play at Broadcast, Flat 0/1, Stereo, loads of others… There are so many places we played back in the day.
“It’s the people. When you gave them a CD you would see them come back with four mates. The people latched onto us early.”
It was a time that meant so much to McCann that he dedicated a song to the city on the band’s 2016 chart-topping album The Ride. Familiar to so many, his depiction of a drunken night out on Sauchiehall Street has become a cult favourite among the Glaswegian faithful. He said: “That song on the album was a little demo I had knocking about for ages from way back when. It just sat among the tracks on the album and slotted in nicely. It didn’t need too much work on it. It’s just about those early times of playing those places”.
Since then though, the band’s rise to the forefront of the UK music scene has been nothing short of stratospheric. The dingy basement venues of the past have been replaced by massive arenas and festival stages all over the world. After years of hard work and graft, the band are finally where they want to be: “Everything’s lined up this year in particular. We just got back to the UK and played Liverpool Arena which is just along from my Grandad’s house. There was Cardiff Arena and Isle of Wight…and we just played to 35,000 in London on Saturday. This is the kind of stuff we were planning way back when we were playing Broadcast, Flat 0/1, Stereo and all these places.”
“We were saying ‘imagine we could sell out arenas around the UK as quick as this and go to Australia, Japan, South America and all these places. And this year it’s lined up to what we were all planning as kids. It’s a mad buzz, the morale in camp is very excited. I think you can see when we’re playing that we’re so proud to be where we are. After this tour we’ll go straight in without a doubt and record and come back to it. When the label give us the green light we’ll be straight in and there will be no resting. We’re very fortunate to be in this position and we’re grateful for it.
The last time TTV spoke to Van McCann, Catfish & the Bottlemen were on the cusp of a major breakthrough. Speaking to us backstage at Belladrum, the frontman told us how he was willing to knock down any door to get heard; and it’s clear that the hard work has paid off. They may be playing some of the biggest stages in the world these days, but McCann’s humility has never strayed while his excitement for the band’s future is every bit as infectious as it was three years ago. He says: “You’ll remember when I was speaking to you at Belladrum it was the same craic. We were buzzing as that was our first night on the tour bus. I’ll never forget that weekend because we got our first bus. We’ve still got that same buzz cause we know there’s still loads left in this and there’s plenty more places to go”
The band’s next stop will be the very first edition of TRNSMT Festival this Saturday, where they will play the Main Stage before headliners Kasabian. McCann says: “TRNSMT have got it nailed with the line-up so it should be a good weekend. I’m excited for it all. The Kooks took us on tour to Australia for the first times so I’m excited to see them as I’m always eternally grateful for that”.
Anyone who witnessed their set at T in the Park last year will know all too well that Catfish & the Bottlemen are a band not to be missed on any festival line-up. Van looks back on it fondly: “It was a wild one and we had a lot of mates there. The crowd was nuts and the bill was good. I love music myself so turning up, seeing the crowd going mad for your band and then watching all your favourite bands and the crowd going nuts for them is great. It’s always a good atmosphere so it’s exciting to be back after that and the arena show.”
“I first met Kelly Jones of Stereophonics at T in the Park. I was a big fan of his growing up and after T he asked if we wanted to play a stadium gig in Wrexham. He gave us our first stadium gig. There’s a bit of magic to playing up in Scotland”
Having made the most of every opportunity thrown at them over the years, the frontman encourages all new artists to do the same. He says: “I would throw demos at everyone; that was my thing. We used to turn up outside local gigs and when everyone was leaving we’d play there.” However, now he finds himself at the other side of the spectrum: “Every now and again, people are throwing CD’s at me and I check them out and pass them on. Whenever we put a bill on ourselves we put on our mates’ bands.”
Does he have any advice for the many emerging bands playing TRNSMT this weekend? “I feel like I’m still learning but my advice is just to play and stick together. Stay tight to each other and have a laugh”.
What shines through the most though is that Van McCann is still loving every single minute of the journey. When he walks out on the TRNSMT stage to a sea of passionate fans and the band’s trademark inflatable alligators, you can expect to see a massive smile on his face. “It’s class! You can’t call it work. We see it as a joke that never stops getting funny. Every time we walk on stage we burst out laughing. That’s why I love those inflatable alligators. Who’s stocking them?!”
Catfish & the Bottlemen play the Main Stage at TRNSMT on Saturday at 7.20pm. Tickets are still available www.trnsmtfest.com/tickets.
