FEW bands have captured the hearts and minds of the new indie generation quite like Catfish & the Bottlemen; their rise from pub-circuit veterans to indie-rock heroes over the past couple of years has been nothing short of stratospheric. Following the success of their 2014 debut The Balcony, the release of second album The Ride earlier this year saw them add a host of new stadium-ready anthems to their name while establishing themselves as one of the most popular guitar bands in the country. The move to arenas on this latest UK tour therefore comes as no surprise and brings them to the SECC in Glasgow, ‘their biggest ever headline show’ according to Van McCann and a significant step up for a band who were playing the Classic Grand in the city centre only two years ago.
The never-ending queue outside the venue indicates just how far they’ve come; the building sense of anticipation transforming into near hysteria when the lights dim and the familiar sounds of The Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’ ring out to indicate the band’s arrival. A night of mass singalongs and beer-fuelled euphoria follows, from ‘Homesick’ right through to the brilliant ‘Tyrants’ finale. The former sees the crowd drown out Van McCann’s voice from the outset, as he eventually steps away from the microphone to listen to his lyrics being chanted back to him, clearly humbled by the reaction. In fact, with all the passion and frenzied energy in the room, he could probably do this for most of the night.
Following the same trusty formula as the debut album for unabashed three-chord anthems, newer offerings like ‘Postpone’, ‘Anything’ and ‘Twice’ are met with the same degree of familiarity as old favourites like ‘Kathleen’, ‘Pacifier’ and ‘Rango’. McCann’s lyrics of failed relationships and drunken nights gone wrong strongly resonate with the predominantly young crowd and over a backdrop of uncomplicated bolshy rock and roll, the songs find their natural home in the arena. Having spent most of the last few years on the road, the four-piece have perfected that stadium-ready sound and have never looked so comfortable than they do on the bigger stage. Without the need for onstage gimmicks, they let their music do the talking; the triumph of their live show continuing to stem from that simple yet special connection between the music and their fans who sing back every word.
It means that, besides from the welcome breathers provided by ‘Glasgow’ and the acoustic ‘Hourglass’, there is not really any change of pace from their mosh-pit ready formula throughout their one hour and a half set, with security guards having their work cut out for them for most of the night down at the front. ‘Glasgow’ is an appropriate, if not unexpected addition to the set and welcomed like a national anthem as everyone in the room belts out the lyrics of a drunken night on Sauchiehall Street familiar to so many, before they quickly bring the tempo up again with the popular sounds of ‘Fallout’.
Following the stirring passion of ‘7’, the night ends with a powerful double-hit in ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Tyrants’; the latter forming a truly epic finale to the gig with its soaring atmospherics and rousing guitar solos. It’s hard not to get swept up in the surrounding euphoria as bodies are thrown on shoulders and fists pumped in the air.
For their older fans, Catfish and the Bottlemen are a throwback to guitar-led, anthem-driven rock music, and for the new generation of indie lovers, they have achieved heroic status. It’s easy to see why after this show. They’re a band with stadium-sized ambitions and it won’t be long before they reach them.
Check out this TTV session with the band from two years ago:
