THE BALCONY: the beginnings of a Catfishy domination

for fans of: Circa Waves, Foo Fighters, Cage The Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon

(creds: gigwise)

It's likely that if you've visited any decent festival over the summer, you'd have glanced at the name Catfish and the Bottlemen somewhere on the bill. While perhaps curling your lips at such an unusual name, you may not have realised that these adolescent heroes would have drawn one of the most over-subscribed crowds at your festival. Catfish and the Bottlemen are perhaps 2014's most hotly-tipped act, and are searching the skies for a rocket launch into the spotlight.

Though they've been touring dingy clubs across the UK and US, their breakthrough LP The Balcony is evidence that the North Wales quartet are not set out for small-time success. Packed to the brim with teenage woes and angsty choruses, Catfish and the Bottlemen's debut has a lot of hype to live up to as it is doubtlessly the most highly anticipated British album of the year. Over the past 12 months, they've released a string of well-received singles that subtly appeared on the radars of critics and young devotees alike, truly proving that mainstream rock and roll is quickly making its way back onto the airwaves. So have Van, Bondy, Bob, and Benji (don't they just sound like a Cbeebies programme?) lived up to the hype that has surrounded rock's newest darlings?

Well, to start, there's no front-man quite like Van McCann. A restored version of Homesick is the ideal album opener: an effortless showcase of his raspy and ever on-point vocals that continue to grow as the album progresses. Homesick loudly leaves a confident precedent about what to expect before the record ends. And what we can expect is percussion mad verses a la Pacifier which are rhythmically fundamental to these typical indie rock tracks. However, many of the songs can be a tad over-produced as that essential bass line is often seen to slither under the rubble.

(me + 'the Bottlemen' - hair game so strong)

Outstanding fan favourite Rango is the ultimate portrait of Catfish and the Bottlemen: more of those divine, lusty McCann vocals alongside an equilibrium of the stormy and the raw elements of the band's spry sound. It's roaring crescendo defines the reason crowds flock to their live shows: CatB's music was made to be moshed to. This is echoed in that wily Kathleen, who is as turbulent as ever - eternally laced with pure anger, it's a track crafted especially for you to scream your heart out to, which is essentially why these songs could become as classic as Mr Brightside.

As the swagger of the characters imagined in Fallout transcends into cheeky lyrics in the song's latter half (see I / I was a test tube baby / that's why nobody gets me / see I / struggle to sleep at night but it's fine / Mary don't let me), the humour and loopy infectiousness of Business emblazon just how Catfish and the Bottlemen have connected with their mostly juvenile audience: through a mutual love of casual crushes and booze. The Balcony can do nothing more but create a bigger aura of adoration around them and, because of their unadulterated loveabilty, they've somehow become the people's band and an important soundtrack to our coming-of-age generation.

Their most recent single Cocoon has more of a cordially defeated vibe than the embittered animosity of it's predecessors, with harmonious vocals acting as a sugar coating to the frustrated drums. Yet the midway acoustic-driven Hourglass cannot help but be very, very, very Luke Pritchard - hopelessly romantic and wonderfully naff. The tough unplugged guitar gives the airy lyrics the confidence it needs to knock Seaside out in a fight.

The Balcony's farewell effort seems to be the most musically strong of the album: Tyrants is dark and thundering. Spiralling guitars eclipse the juttering ones of previous track Sidewinder which, along with the clean riffs of 26, seem to get lost in the chaos of the rest of the album. It's lucky that Tyrants and it's abrupt end were on hand to leave first-time listeners hungry for more of Van's consistently impeccable and unmatchable vocals.

It's quite safe to say that the success of Catfish and the Bottlemen could soon be comparable to last year's British breakthrough The 1975, and perhaps one day they'll even match that of bona fide legends Arctic Monkeys, though they've failed musically to offer anything completely organic. What they are is very well written standard garage rock. There've been hundreds of bands just like them, and there'll be hundreds more, but maybe because they're so simpatico, they've been able to bottle (ahhhhhhhhhhhh) their luck quite contrary to any of their counterparts. And we cannot wish a more genuine, humble, and simply talented band any more of our undying support.

the BABE Van and I at the Banquet Records album release show (this was my third time seeing them [and I'll be seeing them at KOKO in November!] following their apperances at Latitude and Reading - where I collided into Van walking around the main arena wheyyyyyyy)

BUY CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN'S MONSTROUS DEBUT ALBUM ' THE BALCONY'

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