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Filtering by Tag: Catfish and the Bottlemen

Live Recap: Catfish and the Bottlemen at Aragon Ballroom 10.05.19

Catfish and the Bottlemen have played just about all size and scope of shows in Chicago; From headlining venues like Schubas and House of Blues to opening up for Green Day at Wrigley Field and playing festivals like Lollapalooza, there’s been endless possibilities to see them perform here. This past Saturday, the band performed their biggest headline show to date to a packed house at Aragon Ballroom.

The venue was a room that Catfish and The Bottlemen had played on other bills before, but this time they were the main act, and their devoted fans filled the room ready to support them. Saturday’s show was also their first performance in the city proper since their third album, The Balance, was released earlier this spring (the band had played Piqniq in Tinley Park over the summer), so the setlist boasted some new material. The band balanced (pun intended) the new songs like “Longshot” and “2all” by also including fan favorites from their first two records The Balcony and The Ride. The crowd remained enthusiastic throughout the whole show, showing appreciation by screaming along to the lyrics and relentlessly cheering, but nothing quite matched the audience reactions during the classics like “Kathleen” and “Cocoon.”

Catfish and the Bottlemen is a band that has consistently delivered captivating live shows, thanks to lead singer Van McCann’s magnetic stage presence that always seems to effortlessly connect with the crowd of any size. If you missed them during this past tour, the band will return to The States for the second part of their US tour this winter—see dates here.

Purchase a copy of The Balance here, or stream it in full below.

Catfish And The Bottlemen's Triumphant Return to The Rave on 5.9.17

This past Tuesday evening, Catfish And The Bottlemen rocked the stage at The Rave, returning for their third visit to the Milwaukee concert hall. The set kicked off with "Homesick" from their debut album The Balcony, the crowd instantly echoing the lyrics back to the four piece group, and the energy only accelerated from there. The band released their sophomore album The Ride just about a year ago, but the majority of their 14 song set was composed of songs from their debut album. 

Lead singer Van McCann kept the classic songs fresh by alternating the lyrics in "Business" from how they read in the studio version, and the band all worked together to amplify the live version of every song, feeding off one another's and the crowd's energy. During the mid-set performance of their single "Twice" from The Ride, McCann and lead guitarist Johnny Bond (aka Bondy) played their guitars back-to back. The pace only slowed down towards the later half of the set, when Bondy, bassist Benji Blakeway, and drummer Bob Hall left the stage to leave McCann to perform their acoustic track "Hourglass" solo. The audience added a choir-like effect, singing the words back to McCann as he performed the stripped back song. 

The energy skyrocketed for the last few songs of the evening, which included the single "7" and the iconic track "Cocoon."  Just after McCann expressed his gratitude for the audience and their support act, The Worn Flints, the crowd began a chant for "Rango," a track from The Balcony. Unfortunately for the diehard "Rango" fans, the band did not oblige and moved straight into the final song of the set, "Tyrants." Drawn out and dynamic, the live version of "Tyrants" goes above and beyond the studio version, making Catfish And The Bottlemen one of the best live bands around. If you get the chance to see them perform, do not miss out!

All photos by Rachel Zyzda


The Set List

1. Homesick

2. Kathleen

3. Soundcheck

4. Pacifier 

5. Anything

6. Business

7. Oxygen

8. Twice

9. Fallout

10. Outside

11. Hourglass

12. 7

13. Cocoon

14. Tyrants


Check out the official video for "Twice" below, and stay in the know on all updates from the band here.