Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Ride, review: ‘no-nonsense indie-rock with an anthemic touch’ | London Evening Standard

Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Ride, review: ‘no-nonsense indie-rock with an anthemic touch’The Welsh quartet call to mind the best of Oasis and Razorlight on their second albumGiddy: Catfish and the Bottlemen sound ready to take on the world on album twoJordan Hughes

Review at a glance

When Catfish and the Bottlemen won the Brit breakthrough award, singer Van McCann looked like a man who couldn’t quite believe his luck – but it was the right result.

Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Ride

Notwithstanding their daft band name, the group from Wales sound ready to take on the world with a second album of no-nonsense indie-rock, which resembles the best bits of Oasis and Razorlight alongside their own anthemic touch.

The songs capture their giddy ascent amid real life and romantic entanglements (“I raced through soundcheck just to meet you on your fag break”), rather than attempting anything profound. The hiring of Oasis’s producer pays off on tunes such as Red, featuring McCann growling like a Gallagher.

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Whether rocking out or strumming an acoustic guitar on Glasgow, he’s an unlikely star who’s set to win big at next year’s Brits.

(Island)