Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at 2019 Riptide Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY on September 26th, 2019
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at 2018 Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at Terminal 5 in New York, NY on October 18th, 2016
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at CMJ 2015 in New York, NY
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at Webster Hall in New York, NY on June 16th, 2015
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at O2 Academy in Leeds, U.K. on March 23rd, 2015
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY on March 10th, 2015
Photos of Catfish and The Bottlemen at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY on March 9th, 2015
The cognoscenti all say that rock is dead or at least dying, yet there are still plenty of new and growing rock bands out there these days. True, it’s not 1976 and hip-hop has taken the cultural lead, but there’s still a wide market for electric guitars. The real problem is that too often it seems the successful new acts are just retreads of the old, or so middling of sound as to be interchangeable and forgettable. While Wales’ Catfish and The Bottlemen aren’t going to be confused for the second coming of The Beatles, The Balance stands out as really enjoyable Brit Rock.
With energy and meaning, not attitude or pretension, The Balance scratches that itch for new rock. There’s the fun opener “Longshot”, and the great indie-press into something bigger “Sidetrack”. There might not be your new anthem on the album, but you’ll remember it after its done, which is more than can be said for a lot of today’s rock-n-rollers. The British edge, leaning quality over quantity, definitely helps.
So no, Catfish and The Bottlemen aren’t going to ‘save rock’ or play stadiums for the next forty years. But it’s great that acts are still making great rock.