After a five-year hiatus, Welsh indie rock powerhouses Catfish and the Bottlemen have teased their first piece of new music in a 6-second clip posted to their social media this week. The long-awaited snippet shows frontman Van McCann in slow motion as he walks down a hallway, shot in the band’s signature black and white aesthetic. Introduced by a whirring guitar line, McCann’s distant vocal can be heard singing the lyrics ‘Back to the graft again, just sold my voice for a long weekend”.
The teaser comes just a week after the Pacifier band revealed they are headlining Reading & Leeds Festival, while also teasing another upcoming show or potential tour that was announced through a photograph posted of a sheet of paper reading: “5:00pm, DOORS, 6:00pm, SHOWTIME”. Fans who are signed up to the band’s mailing list also received an email simply stating “Thursday February 22”, possibly hinting at further news surrounding live show dates and ticket releases.
Keeping their eyes peeled for further updates, fans have also spotted the same posters in and around Manchester, suggesting that the band could return to the city for a comeback show. Although the majority of posters have now been taken down, some were sighted most notably in the city’s Northern Quarter and opposite the O2 Ritz, a possible clue towards the hosting venue of the show.
This has been spotted in Manchester pic.twitter.com/IHUTiTLKzB
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) February 12, 2024
Having not performed since September 2021, rumours began to circulate about the band’s future and whether they had split not long after their appearances at Reading & Leeds and outdoor gigs at Swansea’s Singleton Park and Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington. Now returning as a headliner at Reading & Leeds, they will also be joined by other huge acts such as Liam Gallagher, Blink-182, Gerry Cinnamon, Fred Again... and Lana Del Rey. Blink-182 are gearing up to take the festival’s main stage after more than a decade, while Gallagher is set to perform ‘Definitely Maybe‘ in full, marking its iconic 30th anniversary.
This year’s string of live shows will be their first since the departure of guitarist Johnny “Bondy” Bond in 2022, and is expected to showcase brand new material, their first major output since their UK number two album ‘The Balance‘ in 2019, which followed their Top 10 debut 2014 platinum album ‘The Balcony‘ and their number one sophomore album ‘The Ride‘.
Following a storm of speculation, Johnny Bond released an online statement in 2022, announcing that he had in fact left the band as early as March 2021, merely playing with them as a session musician during the summer shows. He commented: ‘To put it simply, I feel that both the professional and personal relationships had become entirely dysfunctional.’
He added: ‘I certainly don’t want this post to be entirely negative … You have given me some incredible experiences that will stick with me forever … I sincerely appreciate you and feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced all of this together and met so many incredible people.’
The band is currently made up of Van McCann (vocals) and Benji Blakeway (bass), with a fresh new line-up of other members soon to be unveiled. For a chance to catch a glimpse of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s return, tickets for Reading & Leeds 2024 are on sale now.
