Catfish and the Bottlemen in Houston
On March 15th, Catfish and the Bottlemen brought their latest tour to the House of Blues in Houston, TX.
Y’all. I honestly can’t even believe I’m writing this. Catfish and the Bottlemen has been one of my favorite bands for years now and getting the opportunity to photograph this show was an absolute dream.
When I arrived at the venue two hours before doors, I was very surprised to see a line of people that wrapped all the way around the top floor and down two more. It seemed that everyone there was just as excited as I was, even with such a long wait to get into the venue, the energy never faltered.
Finally, the opening band, The Worn Flints, took to the stage to start off the evening. I wasn’t sure what to expect with them, but I certainly wasn’t prepared for the show they put on. The only way I can describe the lead singer’s performance is to compare him to Jack Black in School of Rock (in the best way), he was all over the place, doing ostentatious, sometimes corny dance moves while showing off his impressive guitar skill. The audience ate up every last second, maintaining the excited energy from earlier in the day.
And then came Catfish and the Bottlemen. As if this situation couldn’t get any more perfect, I had the photo pit all to myself (s/o to lead singer Van McCann for laughing at me scream-singing along while I was shooting).
Catfish and the Bottlemen’s set was the perfect blend of older songs and new, for my fourth time seeing them, this was without a doubt the best performance. The band was completely in their element, they had the entire crowd’s undying attention at every moment.
Van McCann is one hundred percent one of the most underrated performers in music today. His stage presence is dynamic, he commands the room and channels the energy of the classic rockstars that came before him.
My favorite part of the entire show was when the set slowed down for a performance of Hourglass (not only my favorite Catfish and the Bottlemen song, but the moment I look forward to at every show of theirs). Even though I’ve heard it live before, nothing compares to the feeling of screaming out the words to this song in an otherwise quiet room. At one point, Van completely stopped singing, put down his guitar, and just listened to the entire room sing every line perfectly.
I was fortunate enough to catch both the Houston and the Dallas dates on this tour, they were definitely the best shows that I have been to this year (and right up there with my all-time best). I am so excited to see others fall in love with this band, their success with this new record is not only well-deserved, but only the beginning of a complete rise to fame for these guys, I can feel it.
If you need me, I’ll be impatiently waiting for Catfish and the Bottlemen to come back to Texas.
- Marissa
Check out the gallery below and make sure to see Catfish and the Bottlemen on tour this spring!
