Catfish and The Bottlemen’s debutalbum ”The Balcony” out now!

Hotly-tipped garage 4 piece Catfish And The Bottlemen will release their debut album The Balcony through Island Records on September 15, 2014. The release will come on the tail end of a hugely successful summer for the English lads from Llandudno, which sees them playing over 30 festival dates including Reading & Leeds, Latitude and T In The Park, plus Ibiza/Mallorca Rocks alongside Jake Bugg. A new single ‘Fallout’ (July 7) is currently on the playlists at Radio 1, (having already been Track of the Day & Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record In The World) XFM & 6Music. The band will play London’s Koko on November 7.

A lean jolt of youthful energy- recorded with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys) on production duties- The Balcony includes the singles Homesick (Zane Lowe Next Hype, XFM Evening playlist), Rango (Radio 1 BBC Introducing Playlist, Zane Lowe’s 100 Hottest Tracks of The Year, XFM Daytime playlist), Pacifier (Radio 1 INMWT playlist, XFM daytime playlist), Kathleen (Radio 1 playlist, 6Music Playlist, XFM Daytime playlist) and Fallout (Radio 1 playlist, XFM Daytime playlist & 6Music playlist). The album release sees the culmination of six years of tenacity and sheer bloody-mindedness from Van McCann (vocals/guitar), Billy Bibby (guitar), Benji Blakeaway (bass) and Bob Hall (drums). The turbo-charged last 18 months of this period, spent very much in the public eye whilst the band signed to Island/Communion Records, performed at Radio 1’s Future Festival and headlined BBC Introducing at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, was preceded by a chaotic coming of age for the nascent Catfish, comprised of under-age gigging, unfinished educations and endearing domestic dysfunction.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the narrow cultural focus of Llandudno’s faded seaside resort proved fertile ground for the musical aspirations of a pubescent Van McCann (so named by his Van Morrison-loving Dad). Born somewhat against the odds from a last ditch round of IVF by his young parents- the experience of which forms the lyrical heart of emotionally taut new single ‘Fallout’- Van came to rest in Llandudno, when the McCann family relocated from Australia to North Wales. In these less expansive environs, Van found himself living out of a B&B, more specifically a linen cupboard, where he often slept- in amongst pillows and towels- when ‘his’ room was occupied by guests. Driven- then, as now- by the itch to escape small-town, curtain-twitching humdrum, McCann soon sought to assemble Catfish from amongst friends (Benji), the unapproachable older brothers of friends (Billy) and even perfect strangers who lived across the road (Bob).

Here began a largely unrewarding stint for the band, underage-gigging Llandudno’s least forgiving nightspots (fake IDs in hand) and wearing out the A55 in a clapped out imported Toyota with back-to-front indicators to tour North-West England, all of which rapidly culminated in a 15 year old Van’s expulsion from school. The Beatles covers Catfish first cut their teeth on were soon ditched in favour of original material, which was thrashed out in a sound-proofed room at the B&B (where Catfish vinyl was handed out to bemused guests), whilst Van drew lyrical nous from his hero Mike Skinner; ‘I’m very much into that Streets idea of text message love’ offers McCann, ‘We write scruffy love songs’. For evidence of this disarmingly rough-hewn approach in action, look no further than the broke-romance of album standout Cocoon, and the cascading, out-of-nowhere chorus to Homesick -Catfish’s original breakout single for Communion Records- or even the slick New Wave propulsion of 26, which is belied by Van’s lyrical account of unrequited teenage love for an older woman.

Fittingly, Catfish still drift nomadically in & out of vacant rooms at the B&B even now, when the ever-more rare tour break brings them back home to Llandudno. And though breadline budgeting habits die hard- witness here the only label-signed band to still limit themselves to a collective wage of £60 a week- the smart money’s on this band’s hustling days soon being long behind them. 

Watch the video to "Cocoon" here!
Listen To "The Balcony here:

Website:http://catfishandthebottlemen.co.uk/

Spotify:Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balcony