The band returned once again to the Welsh capital, and this time they exceeded my expectations
Catfish and the Bottlemen returned to Cardiff, and this time they exceeded my expectations. (Image: Indigo Jones)
I’m a Catfish and the Bottlemen fan, I’d even call myself a Catfish connoisseur at this point as this was my fifth time seeing the band in Cardiff. I was meant to see them a sixth time, a few years ago, although that was cancelled and we won’t talk about that.
Overall, I’ve seen them across their career in different venues, from the Utilita Arena to Cardiff Castle, and now they have returned to the Welsh capital once again with what is their biggest gig yet, the Principality Stadium.
This marked their first ever stadium gig, and there were rumours going around that they weren’t going to fill the crowd. Honestly, I was quite sceptical too.
Normally, I would be in the Ticketmaster queue on the day of release ready to buy my tickets, however, this time I was hesitant after what I thought was a very disappointing concert in Cardiff Castle last year.
After deciding to not go ahead with tickets the opportunity arose to review the concert on behalf of Wales Online, and quite frankly I’m glad I took them up on their offer. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here.
Cardiff city centre was far from bustling on the day, honestly it could have been any old Friday in the capital. That was until 6pm hit, and everyone finished work and the bucket hats were out ready for a good few rock bangers.
Energy heading in to the Principality Stadium on Friday, August 1, was immaculate as nobody knew what to expect from the gig, all they knew was that they were ready to smash a few expensive pints.
Controversy has surrounded the band ever since their hiatus, this was followed by tour cancellations and a lack of rescheduling. So, as you can imagine, fans in Cardiff weren’t sure if the band would even turn up. Spoiler alert, they did.
Their first support was the DMA’s, an Australian rock band. Despite never having heard their music before, I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed their performance and I’d even go as far as to say they’ve earned a new fan. They had great stage presence and their music echoed softer rock, which meant they were a great opener before the heavier sound turned up.
The lead singer of Travis parted the crowd like Moses parted the red sea.(Image: Indigo Jones)
They were shortly followed by Scottish band Travis, who again I didn’t know that well. I knew their most popular song, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?, although I wasn’t completely aware of the rest of their discography.
They were extremely high energy, and at one point their frontman Fran Healy descended into the crowd dancing with the audience without missing a single beat. They built the crowd’s energy up perfectly, ending on their classic song and making sure everyone was jumping during the chorus.
At this point the audience was really filling up, which was a shock after hearing rumours of poor ticket sales. That being said, the venue itself was rather packed, but the golden circle was extremely large and wasn’t filled as much as they were probably hoping.
That’s when the lights dimmed, the crowd was ready and their intro song played, Dean Martin’s Aint That a Kick in the Head. Then, nothing. The crowd was confused, ‘they should be coming on stage by now surely?’
A few minutes later, their second intro song The Beatles’ Helter Skelter played. Luckily for me, it was exactly the same as their 2024 Cardiff Castle gig, so I knew what was about to happen. Slightly less lucky for me, I was wondering whether or not I was about to hear the exact same gig just a year later in a different venue.
They sang the same set list as last year, which was full of all of their iconic songs.(Image: Indigo Jones)
Catfish and the Bottlemen then graced the stage. Concern number one has now been avoided, they are on stage, the gig is going ahead.
They opened with Longshot, a great choice. High energy and it set the tone for the gig immediately. After a slow start, the band were back, bigger and better.
My first impression was that, their set was tight and extremely well performed. A big contrast to how I felt about last year’s gig. That’s when my second concern also went out the window. I was no longer worried that they were about to play the entirely same set list, because I was already about to be much more impressed then my last outing.
They did in fact play the exact same set, however it was performed so well. Every guitar solo or drum solo was well timed, and kept the crowd moving. It was just electric.
After initially not wanting to buy tickets for the gig, I’m so glad I went because it showed me just why I love the band so much. I’d go as far to say that this was the best performance I have seen from them. Everything felt so much more polished, almost like they were ready to prove they deserved a stadium spot.
Van McCann performed an acoustic version of their song Hourglass.(Image: Indigo Jones)
My personal favourite moment of the entire gig was when the band performed an acoustic version of Hourglass. At one point during the song, the lead singer let the audience sing as he watched over the crowd. He smiled at the audience as they uttered every lyric, and in turn it really looked like a “I’ve made it” kind of moment as they took on their biggest gig yet. You could really tell how thankful they were to be there, and as a crowd we were thankful too.
Much like last year, they ended on Cocoon, and again they went over the council’s curfew of 10.30pm. This was the perfect song to end on, the energy of the crowd was absolutely electric as the audience sang every word back to the band. Van, the lead singer, then proceeded to sing the last chorus acapella, which really showed just how loud the crowd had been throughout the night. It also showed, just how much the band is appreciated in Wales, and the world as fans flocked from as far as South Korea to attend the gig.
Despite bans on smoke bombs, several fans snuck them in and flooded the air with colours.(Image: Indigo Jones)
Overall, I really enjoyed watching Catfish and the Bottlemen’s Principality Stadium performance, and sang my heart out to every song like a true unashamed fan. Would I say it was the best gig to end the stadium’s summer concert season? No, probably not.
I thoroughly enjoyed the gig, however there was an unbelievable high flowing through Cardiff city centre before and after the likes of Oasis and Stereophonics. It felt like, despite being a very well-rounded gig and maybe even their best so far, it wasn’t the crescendo the Principality needed to finish off a month-long sweep of impressive gigs.