Hailey Grant
Staff Writer
On Sept. 28, Catfish and The Bottlemen took stage at the Met Philly, with July Talks as the opening act. The crowd lined up at the door hours in advance to see this unbelievable show, where people from all over the world discussed their love for the band in the meantime. When the doors finally opened an hour before the show, people rushed in from every direction as if we were in a race (we were.) After the amazingly talented band July Talks left the stage, we all had pounding heartbeats and an immense amount of anticipation, for we were about to see magic happen before our eyes.
In 2007, the band formed in Llandudno, North Wales. The members include Van McCann, Benji Blakeway, Robert “Bob” Hall, and Johnny Bond. The band came up with its unique name from a dream that the lead singer had during his childhood. Their first album, The Balcony was completed from the years 2013-2016, followed by The Ride in 2016-2018. Their newest album was released this year, adding some new favorites to their fans list. They are now touring all over the world, granting magical shows for people all over.
Now, time for the show. When Catfish and The Bottlemen took the stage, every soul was mesmerized from the minute lead singer, Van McCann said the first line to Longshot. In those moments, the world outside disappeared and it was just us the music. The crowd was alive and energetic throughout the entire concert. The band members often looked out and smiled as the crowd sang their own lyrics back to them. I’m sure they were just as impressed by us than we were by them.
When you are standing there looking up at the band of your dreams, surrounded by people who feel the same way, you become one. Every lyric was accompanied by screaming voices and fists. The crowd did not let up even when people started crowd surfing from the back to the front. During a guitar solo, people were beginning to make their way to the front of the audience by surfing the crowd. Security was not having this, for they removed every person who made their way up to the front. This went on for an entire song.
The songs played were all upbeat and kept the crowd on their feet. The fans jumped and screamed every lyric until their voices gave out. The audience sang the lyrics with everything they had. The entire experience was surreal. Seeing the faces of the people who play on repeat all hours of the day was truly incredible. The lyric from a song titled 7, “I love you but I need another second to myself!” was screamed by every person in the audience. We all let that particular lyric resonate with us as the band strummed along to their instruments.
People from all ages gathered together at the end of every song praying it wasn’t the last. We all were hoping this night would last forever, but unfortunately it could not. As the band members let the last song leave their instruments, they threw their picks and waved goodbye to their fans, taking our hearts with them.
As the lights came back on, so did reality. The night came and went within the blink of an eye. But it will forever be one of the best nights of my life. Losing my voice and getting to share it with my sisters was beyond amazing. I would listen to this band every morning, afternoon, and night live if I could. There are not enough words in the world to describe how amazing this show was. If you love indie rock, and magical lyrics, then do yourself a favor and go see Catfish and The Bottlemen.
