Catfish and the Bottlemen Return With “Showtime”
Van McCann has returned to his rightful place, headlining festivals, putting the final touches on a brand-new album, and ushering in a new era for Catfish and the Bottlemen.
Embarking on a monumental new chapter, Catfish and the Bottlemen return today with their first new music in five years and announce their first headline shows since 2021, all before headlining the Reading and Leeds Festival for the second time this summer.
The latest single, “Showtime,” provides a succinct explanation:
“Back to the fields again
When I’ve headlined Leeds I’ll be back my friend.”
Echoing the themes of their 2016 hit "Soundcheck," the track delves into the balancing act of touring, creating music, and personal life. McCann sings in the chorus of the anthemic track, accompanied by a medley of percussion and jangly guitars, “Get on this, sometimes when the thing you love is right in front of your eyes, don’t blink or you’ll miss it, Showtime, before you know it’s gone and that’s life.”
McCann's casual swagger comes through as he sings, "If I’m not moving you, I’ll be straight up outta here."
Despite the highs and lows of the music industry, the band is "back to the grind" and will indeed be "headlining Leeds," reaffirming their commitment to "making tracks again."
As frontman, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Van McCann unveils "Showtime," recorded in Los Angeles, the track exudes the sun-drenched optimism of the city while showcasing a bold evolution in his songwriting. It marks the first release from Catfish and the Bottlemen’s soon-to-be-announced fourth studio album. Listen to “Showtime” here.
The band's announcement of their return to headline the Reading & Leeds Festival mainstage garnered a frenzied reaction from fans, with their teaser amassing over 100,000 likes in under 24 hours on Instagram.
Revered for their incendiary live performances, the release of “Showtime” is accompanied by the news of two massive open-air headline shows. Announced exactly 900 days since their last live performance, they'll be performing UK headline shows at Cardiff Castle on July 19th and Edinburgh Summer Sessions on August 24th. These dates coincide with their highly anticipated return to headline the Reading and Leeds Festival main stage. Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10:00 GMT on Friday, March 1st here.
Catfish and the Bottlemen’s arena-filling sonic outlook has cemented their place amongst Britain's most successful bands of the 21st century. In 2014, after years of relentless touring, their debut LP The Balcony surged into the UK Top 10 and helped them scoop British Breakthrough Act at the BRITs before scoring their landmark No. 1 album with 2016’s The Ride. Since then, they’ve amassed over one billion streams, and two million album sales, and are closing in on 10 million single sales. On stage Van McCann possesses unique magnetic energy and is considered one of modern rock’s great live frontmen. The band has sold over half a million concert tickets and has played to over 2 million fans worldwide.