For almost five years now, Catfish And The Bottlemen have served as one of the finest alt-rock bands on the scene.
First forming back in 2007, it was 2014 that saw the group release their debut record, The Balcony. Since then, the Welsh rockers toured the world relentlessly (including a number of trips to Australia), had numerous hit tunes, and have managed to continuously grow their fanbase in the process.
Releasing their second album in 2016, this trend continued, turning them into the type of world-beating musicians that any rock band aims to be when they start out.
Now, with the group’s third album, The Balance, set for release this Friday, and the group recently being named on the Splendour In The Grass lineup, we sat down with frontman Van McCann and guitarist Johnny “Bondy” Bond to discuss the new record, touring, and the group’s forthcoming return to Australia.
Check out Catfish And The Bottlemen’s ‘Longshot’:
September marks five years since Catfish & The Bottleman released their debut album, how have things changed for the group in these last few years?
Van McCann: I think shows wise, obviously things keep on going, fan base the same. We’ve had a strong fan base from the start, and it feels like the fans that have been there since the first album are still there and they’re still just snowballing, so things are just still growing, still going the way we wanted them to go since the first album.
Things have changed in terms of style, and things have got bigger. We’re able to take it to more places now. It’s like we can come out to Australia and see you – Japan, South America, U.S., so there, the albums have got further as we’ve gone on so hopefully this one can do the same..
You guys recently performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, what was that experience like for you?
Johnny “Bondy” Bond: That was very, very enjoyable, and that was – y’know, if you’re on set in a studio, and that sort of thing and then the nerves sort of get to you. But that was just a big outdoor stage on the sunset strip, and they’ve got like five hundred people in off the street. So it’s just like a mini gig sort of thing.
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Rob Lowe who was Young Number 2 in Austin Powers, he was on it too, so that was good. It was a good set on that show.
Your last album came out in 2016, and The Ride ended up being quite successful on charts around the world. Did this make you feel pressured at all when it came to writing the follow-up?
Van McCann: Nope, not at all. It’s almost the opposite, more like, encouragement. It’s more like, that one, The Ride, did really well and this one can definitely do it too. The songs have got probably got plenty more to them, just like the content.
No, it was more encouragement than it was kind of pressure. The whole thing was just a fun experience.
We’ve got a good fan base to keep making these shows bigger and selling those rooms out and then it’s good, and there’s excitement for the band to be able to kind of write those songs for and aim it, aim the albums at them.
Check out Catfish And The Bottlemen’s ‘Cocoon’:
What was the recording process like for The Balance? Did you do anything differently with the new album than previously?
Van McCann: Definitely, well producers, this time we worked with a producer who helped us record it in Ireland this time, the last one was made in America in L.A.
Then our approach, we turned up with a load of tunes, got with Jacknife [Lee, producer] and I guess the meeting with us was that he will then dictate however it went really. Because Jacknife was really good at hearing a song and then saying, “Right, you guys in that room, let’s do it this way” and it was just a fun experience.
So the differences were mainly brought in from by Jacknife. We lived all in the same place at times so we all have our studio below us and then we’d have like dinner together in the other room, and we’d have all the bedrooms upstairs, and we had a bar in the house. So it’s just like a big communal session. It was good.
What was it like working with someone with such a stellar track record?
Johnny “Bondy” Bond: I guess we were honoured that he liked the band enough to work on the record at the time, but he’s just not a really an intimidating guy. He just genuinely loves music, and we connected with him on that sort of level, as music lovers and he’s certainly not somebody who would boast like, “I was on that one, and I was on that one.” He’s just a good guy.
Van McCann: Yeah, he came to see us the other night actually, in L.A., and emailed us saying we were great on stage. It’s just, he’s kind of uh, gets excited [..] and kind of says, “you guys get on this” and have us work on all kinds of sounds.
So it was, like Bondy said, a relaxed relationship with him and he’d always be buying vinyl and playing music all the time so, he’d look for music for hours, and his passion for recording and working on the songs for like hours.
He never really took two hours off to go do something else, he was always there just totally zoned in on the song.
We’d go get some food, come back and he’s still going. It was good, it was – the whole thing working with him was – all the people he worked with in the past was obviously a nice touch as well. It was nice to look back and hear all the stories of the records he’d made.
Before the release of The Ride, Van explained that he had “three albums written already”, was that an exaggeration? Did any of that material make an appearance on this new record?
Van McCann: No, mate, that’s legit, like what [Bondy] was saying before, we’re not even worried about the fourth album. Whenever it comes to songs we’ve got loads of them, so no it wasn’t an – I guess, as soon as The Ride’s finished, we were straight on to the next one.
So if you were going right around that time before The Ride even came out, I guess, some of them are newer, near to when it was being recorded so it’s always going, and constantly going and the songs go all over the place.
So, no, we could do this again, really, so, but management are kind of like “let’s get this one out for, get a few more singles out”, and then see what we’re doing.
Check out Catfish And The Bottlemen’s ‘2all’:
There is a definite mix of styles on the new record. Previously everything felt like a constant stream of powerful tunes, while this one seems to mix things up a bit. Was there a conscious stylistic plan for the album, or did it all come together naturally?
Van McCann: No, this time around it was the songs, it was just about playing them to the lads and everyone in our camp , and then the Jacknife. It was just a good feeling of all these songs, and every single one just seems to be [good].
Even when we recorded them, we didn’t sit there and just spend ages thinking what are we going to do next. It was just, this one next, this one next, and it all flowed nicely. So this time round they felt like the ones that needed to come next.
Especially like the first three [singles], and I guess the next two we’re putting out I feel show that, and the first three songs we’ve put out so far are different from the next, and things like ‘Sidetrack’, what we’re playing live, is another avenue again.
So I guess we always know what we want on the albums. It’s a constant concern, we always turn up to the session with the songs ready to go, so it’s more about how we want to do them when we get there.
But there’s no acoustic on this one. We just have one slow one, and that ‘Intermission’ – that one minute one. That solo on ‘Overlap’, though, that’s some nice work there from Bondy. That’s a great solo, that’s one of my favourites, that one and ‘Fluctuate’. And ‘Basically’s got a good one as well. He’s got some good solo work on that.
Obviously you’e been living with these new tracks for a while, are you just feeling keen to release the new record and get it out there? Are you excited to see what the fan reaction is?
Van McCann: Yeah, we’re excited to get the album out. We’re very excited – even playing them live has been exciting enough, ‘cause we’ve had them there for a while ready to go and we’re just waiting for management and the label to say, “Right, here’s the green light.”
Johnny “Bondy” Bond: There’s always a good feeling between once you’ve stopped recording and sorted the albums out, because once you’ve finished the recording process, that time between that, and the first release is like purgatory, or something like that. You’ve sat on it, and you want everyone else to know what you’ve heard. You can’t really say or do anything about it.
Van: The reaction to it has been very good. Even from the last album we’ve been playing ‘7’ live and ‘Soundcheck’ live, the reaction to that was great. And these again, I don’t know if it’s because the venues are bigger or if it’s the third album or what, but people seem to be instantly on these songs or ones they haven’t heard, by the last chorus they’re singing them already so.
Check out Catfish And The Bottlemen’s ‘7’:
Your live shows are notable for how well your stage presence pairs with the music. Is the live performance aspect something that goes into the creative process?
Van McCann: Yeah, the live shows, that’s the first thing on the agenda always because that’s what we’ve always wanted because when we started as a band, we just wanted to play in a room together and we got in the van and went everywhere and now the van has become flights, over to places like Australia and Japan, South America, and the U.S.
Johnny “Bondy” Bond: It’s always good seeing the reactions of certain songs, to do a certain thing to a room or to an audience. So it’s enjoyable to see, and that comes about by your ambition with the crowd. To actually see that come into practice and see it go off that way never stops being boring.
Van: We’ll sit ‘round and say, like Bondy said, “imagine this solo live” or “imagine when those drums drop there”, and when you see those bits happen, you kinda gotta step back and realise, we were planning this ages ago, so to see it happen now is a huge pay off.
You guys have just announced a bunch of Aussie tour dates. Apart from the UK and the states, you guys have have toured Australia pretty frequently. Is there anything you guys like about touring down here?
Van McCann: I think the crowds?
Johnny “Bondy” Bond: It just feels like a holiday with gigs and that. People are amazing, each city has its own sort of vibe, like you’re in different countries just going around Australia. Just seeing different parts of Australia, and the festival crowds are amazing.
Van: We did a [set] at Falls where we were told we could only play 20 minutes ’cause we got rained on, and we didn’t know whether we were allowed to go on or if we weren’t. They let us on to do 20 minutes, and it was like the bad weather stirred the crowd up more to go wild.
The crowds are always great; they sing loud, and they’ve just always received us well. So, to fly the complete way around the world and to sometimes have people meeting you at the airport, it’s a nice feeling.
Bondy: It’s a great place. Even the radio stations are great out there, they just really seem to love what they’re doing and play a good selection of music and be passionate about it. If you’re trying to get where you want to go as a band, Australia does really well with it, with radio, audiences, and the to travel around, it’s all great.
Check out Catfish And The Bottlemen’s ‘Soundcheck’:
Do you feel that you get a different reception touring in different countries?
Van McCann: Home is always, I guess because we came through the ranks, home is always great. There are differences in the venues, like in South America, that’s a different level again. They’ve got loads of people waiting for you when you get off the plane, outside hotels. Then Japan, they’ll bring the house down after a song, then they’ll wait to hear what you’ve got to say, all quiet, then they’ll bring the house down again.
With the UK, it’s just as soon as you come on it’s like you can’t even hear yourself on stage, it’s so loud with people cheering. But generally speaking, we just turn up and put our all into it. All the gigs are good for different reasons. Like we did some [support shows] out here in the US to about 150-200 people in a little venues, and they were crazy mate, they were so good.
But out here in the US now, a lot of people will – we’re playing Portland tonight, in Seattle tomorrow – and there will be people already queueing up around the venue, waiting for us to get there. The dedication from the fans is great.
With the new record out soon, is there anything that the group still wants to tick off their musical bucket list? Any big goals you’ve still got on your mind?
Van McCann: There’s loads of those, like venues [we still want to play].
Johnny “Bondy” Bond: I guess, just being able to keep it going.
Van: I think, growing, as well. Just to keep putting albums out, the venues keep getting bigger, and obviously the bigger that we can take it to the most people.
Bondy: And sort of [exploring] new territories, there’s still a lot of places we haven’t been that touring bands go, places like the Phillipines. There’s still a lot that needs ticking off.
Van: I guess just seeing how far it can go keeps the fire burning. Every day’s exciting for different reasons, whether it’s a video, or recording, or a session on radio, or a show, there’s always something going on. I think my main thing is to just keep going. The ambition’s always been the same really; just to do this for as long as we possibly can.
Catfish And The Bottlemen’s The Balance is out Friday, April 26th. The group are also set to visit Australia later this year for Splendour In The Grass, and a handful of sideshows. Check out all the details below.
Check out Catfish And The Bottlemen’s ‘Fluctuate’:
Catfish And The Bottlemen Australian Tour 2018
Monday, July 22nd
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, NSW
Thursday, July 25th
Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Sunday, July 28th
HBF Stadium, Perth, WA
Tickets available through Secret Sounds
Also performing at Splendour In The Grass
Friday, July 19th – Sunday, July 21st
North Byron Parklands, Byron Bay, NSW
Splendour In The Grass 2019 line-up
Childish Gambino
Tame Impala
Chance The Rapper
SZA
Foals
Catfish and the Bottlemen
James Blake
Santigold (only Australian show)
Courtney Barnett
The Lumineers
The Streets
Russ
What So Not
Matt Corby
‘Mystery Oz Act’
Wolf Alice
Friendly Fires
Broods
Dean Lewis
FIDLAR
Cosmo’s Midnight
Meg Mac
Ziggy Alberts
Ruby Fields
Dave
Allday + Friends
K.Flay
The Rubens
Thelma Plum
Dope Lemon
Pond
Little Simz
Hayden James
Kwame
Odette
Kian
Trophy Eyes
Channel Tres
Hatchie
Dear Seattle
Wolfmother
Mansionair
Tyne-James Organ
The Beths
Slowly Slowly
Winston Surfshirt
Tycho
Warpaint
Honne
Slaves (only Australian show)
Last Dinosaurs
Maribou State
Dermot Kennedy
Mike Servito
Sam Fender
Tropical F*ck Storm
The Teskey Brothers
Charly Bliss
Set Mo
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
Kaiit
MorMor
Lastlings
Moaning Lisa
Pist Idiots
Thandi Phoenix
Local Natives
Ninajirachi
Andy Garvey
A. Swayze and the Ghosts
Erthlings
The Midnight
The Nude Party
Jacob Banks
Phony Ppl
Kyle Hall
Kie Servito
Harvey Sutherland (DJ set)
Pub Choir
Seb Wildblood
Nathan Micay
Kenji Takimi
Suzanne Kraft
Telephones
DJ Jnett
Wax’o Paradiso
Merve
Jennifer Loveless
Noise In My Head
Skin On Skin
Rebel Yell
Body Promise
Donald’s House
Casual Connection
DJ Klasik
Close Counters (DJ set)
Merph
Dameeeela
Lex Deluxe
