On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Neptune was filled with smoky anticipation when I walked into Jamie N Commons performing its set. A great band in general, but mostly a great opener for what was about to come.
The anticipation within the venue for Catfish and the Bottlemen could’ve been cut with a knife. The band’s entrance hyped the audience enough to get each person roaring and dancing before it even entered the stage.
The only other time I’ve seen The Neptune so pumped was when Mac DeMarco crowd surfed off the balcony into the mosh pit, and I’ve certainly never heard the Neptune so loud purely from cheering. As a fan of British alternative rock, Catfish was not one to disappoint.
Its music has a harsher tone in person when compared to the sound heard on a computer. Not able to clearly make out many lyrics due to the overpowering instrumentals, the music was still beyond acceptable, due to the whole package Catfish was providing with a mix of intense lighting, hardcore drum beats, and an incredible onstage presence.
At times the instrumentals took precedent during the show in a far-out way that is difficult to recount. The best way to describe the show is with the beating hearts of the audience connecting to the beats spit out by Catfish, eventually creating one collective heartbeat among everyone in the Neptune.
Those who knew the lyrics were singing along with Ryan “Van” McCann, the founder and lead singer of Catfish. Like a cross between Modest Mouse, The Kooks, and The Strokes, McCann’s voice, Johnny Bond’s lead guitar, Benji Blakeway’s bass, and Bob Hall’s drums got the audience bobbing their heads and tapping their feet.
Each band member played with such ease that it was hard to believe they only have one album out, “The Balcony.” Clearly the band loves what they do, and were comfortable here in Seattle despite being so far from their home of Wales.
Their ease and assertion on stage caused everyone in the room to be under some kind of spell. Normally it’s just the teenage girls fanning over male-fronted bands, but this fan base was much broader than just that. It immediately resembled my favorite band of all time, The Vaccines, but the energy that night proved without a doubt that a new generation of British rock is in the midst of being born.
Although British, there were actually some strong American grunge vibes in its set. Along with integrating drumbeats similarly to an American band I used to follow as a kid, called Rooney, Catfish members still hold their English accents over any American band, which is enough to win the love of every audience member.
Sociologist, Emile Durkheim, proposed that at concerts and other social gatherings we develop something called “collective effervescence.” It’s a feeling when you and every other person in the room are experiencing an otherworldly moment together. Durkheim would’ve been proud, because there was a special collective feeling among the audience. It was like a religious experience even, cult-like in a way, especially when everyone at the show knew and sang the band’s final songs with utmost passion.
Singer-songwriter energy was brought into its set with “Hourglass.” A swaying audience — classified by singing along and lighters in the air — set a community mood, aligning everyone’s love for this phenomenally contagious music.
Reach writer Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
