Night Out at Catfish and the Bottlemen

Photo Credits: Britt Crooswijk

A resounding roar erupts from the crowd as The Beatles’ notoriously heavy ‘Helter Skelter’ blares from the speakers, when out walk The Bottlemen, followed closely by main man Van McCann (evoking the loudest screams). Tension builds as the band acquire their instruments, strutting the stage when, after a moment of silence…

“Go”

The crowd waste no time in accompanying McCann for the iconic opener ‘Longshot’, all 62,000 maintaining this enthusiasm throughout the entire 1 hour 45 minute set. Little did they know at this stage that they were about to be treated to two accoustic fan favourites (and live rarities) ‘Hourglass’ and ‘Heathrow’ - the latter of which exploded flawlessly into the punchier ‘Business’. It was during this that the Conwy four-piece had their first chaotic yet enrapturing impromptu jam, bouncing perfectly off eachother, making sure the altered melodies were not only heard, but felt. These alluring intervals became a motif of their performance, extending bridges and repeating outros, seemingly caught up in the magic of their own creation.

Though lacking original guitarist Johnny Bond after the split, don’t be fooled into believing the spirit of the music could no longer be captured; each roaring solo, though played by fresh hands, continued to speak to the crowd with refreshing familiarity and the usual blinding power.

As the night drew to a close, McCann once more extended a song, this time being the penultimate ‘Cocoon’, with the fans chanting the now iconic chorus “Fuck it if they talk / Fuck it if they try and get to us / I’d rather go blind than let you down” like a mantra. Eventually, it came down to the final song; the catharsis of the evening. The opening notes of ‘Tyrants’ rang from the stage for the first time in four years, encapsulating every pent-up emotion of the last two hours, and releasing it in a biblical finish. Maybe that was what made the show feel so special, or maybe it was the almost tangible energy from both the crowd and the band themself - either way, it’s not mad to say that this band will certainly go down in history as brilliant performers, and all-round legendary musicians.

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