Stream: Catfish and the Bottlemen, ‘Kathleen’

Kevin Bronson on
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catfishandthebottlemen

Welsh alt-rockers Catfish and the Bottlemen have earned quite the rabid fan base across the pond, where they performed a sold-out U.K. tour before their debut album “The Balcony” was even released. It reached No. 10 on the charts there, the quartet’s guitar-driven bombast recalling any number of would-be next-big-things from the U.K. who’ve achieved varying degrees of success – the Cribs, the Vaccines, the Kooks, the Fratellis and the Courteeners, to name-check a few. Having gained their momentum through relentless gigging rather than press hype, though, Catfish and the Bottlemen are not short on moxie. In an interview with Noisey, vocalist Van McCann simply stated that “I want to be the biggest band in the world!” So the band, signed to Communion Records (a label cofounded by Ben Lovett from Mumford & Sons), have set their sights on the U.S., where “The Balcony” will be out early next year. They bring their take-no-prisoners live show to L.A. tonight, boasting a combination of witty wordplay, fierce guitar work (albeit with a bit of a pop mentality) and big choruses.

– Tarynn Law

||| Stream: “Kathleen” and “Fallout”

||| Live: Catfish and the Bottlemen will be at The Echo tonight (10/14), with support from Midnight Faces and Castro. $10.