About Catfish and the Bottlemen
Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British indie rock band formed in Llandudno, Conwy, Wales, in 2007. Their debut album, The Balcony, was released in 2014, peaking at number ten on the UK Albums Chart and later achieving Platinum certification on 30 December 2016. Renowned for their energetic live performances, the band have toured across North America, South America, Europe, Japan and Australia, performing at festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Latitude, TRNSMT, T in the Park, All Points East, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Falls Festival and Splendour in the Grass.
On 24 February 2016, Catfish and the Bottlemen were awarded the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act, marking a significant milestone in their rise. Their second album, The Ride, released on 27 May 2016, debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and has sold 300,000 units in the UK. The band released their third album, The Balance, on 26 April 2019, which secured the number two spot on the UK Albums Chart.
Catfish and the Bottlemen, originally known as "The Prestige", were formed in May 2007, when Ryan Evan "Van" McCann and Billy Bibby began playing guitar together at Bibby’s parents' bed and breakfast in Llandudno, Wales. McCann's parents also ran a bed and breakfast in Llandudno, and he first met Bibby through Bibby’s younger brother, Stephen. The duo were soon joined by Benji Blakeway on bass, making him the third founding member of the band. Shortly afterwards, their schoolmate Jon Barr completed the line-up on drums. Bibby, who had been playing guitar since the age of 10, taught both McCann and Blakeway how to play.
In an interview with Sound of Boston, McCann noted his dislike for playing covers because of the way his music career began: "When I was a 15 year old and we first started a band, our job Monday to Friday was to play at clubs, playing Beatles covers and Oasis covers. We spent seven years writing our own songs, making our own albums, and people are like ‘play Kanye West!’ We’re like ‘no man, are you crazy?’"
The band initially promoted themselves by performing as support acts for friends' bands, including Northwich-based group The Shallow Call, and by playing impromptu gigs in car parks following shows by bigger bands, such as Kasabian. Steve Lamacq first played one of their early demos on BBC Radio 6 Music in March 2009. Later that year, Catfish and the Bottlemen competed in the 'North Wales Battle of the Bands', organised by Gareth Thomas, where they finished as runners-up to local band The Fides, who went on to perform at the Conwy River Festival.
In 2010, original drummer Jon Barr was replaced by Bob Hall, who was introduced to the band by Russ Hayes, a North Wales-based producer working with the band at the time.
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