Catfish and the Bottlemen live at Lee’s Palace – June 20, 2016

Posted on June 23, 2016 by B Hartling

Catfish-28 (Copy) — **Catfish and the Bottlemen**‘s Van McCann live at Lee’s Palace June 20, 2016. (PHOTO CREDIT: B Hartling)

Catfish and the Bottlemen
Lee’s Palace
Toronto, Ontario
June 20, 2016

Having seen Catfish and the Bottlemen at Osheaga in 2015 I knew going in that I was in for a great rock show of the sort only the British are truly proficient at, but I was in no way prepared for just how good it was. With the number of concerts of all sorts I have been to over the years I know all too well that festival gigs and club gigs are two totally different beasts, and Monday night left me with no doubt that one of the UK’s fastest rising indie rock groups have tamed both.

Going in I was warned that these lads are LOUD and I was left very thankful that I had brought ear plugs because loud is an understatement. Getting right to business the quartet hit the stage with their 2013 single, and my personal favourite, Homesick. Hitting hard and fast and not letting up for an impressive 16 track setlist covering both of the band’s albums. Front man Van McCann gave a surprisingly energetic performance despite the sweltering 40 degree heat and made the most of the limited space afforded by the fully loaded Lee’s Palace stage.

From a technical stand point the sound was pretty spot on, Lee Palace isn’t the most notable venue in the city for acoustics but the set sounded great. I’ve attended many shows at the venue where the vocals and the bass have been completely lost but this was not the case with Catfish and the Bottlemen. The quartet’s playing also seemed much tighter than at last years Osheaga set and McCann’s vocal performance felt much stronger. The nature of club gigs being what it is, there was also much more interaction with the audience which the band’s personalities are well suited to. A highlight of which came mid-show when a fan crowdsurfed to the front of the stage to hand McCann his demo CD, the frontman immediately going into a victory pose, disc held a loft, after receiving it.

Setlist: