Ah, jeez. Have we entered the year 2021 again?
Catfish and The Bottlemen made an iconic return last year since their split in 2021. They announced they would be headlining the Reading and Leeds festival. The announcement also came with a new single, “Showtime”. This was anticipated by fans to be the band’s lead single for their upcoming fourth album.
Following their shock comeback, Catfish were officially back as they also announced summer shows in Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
The fans couldn’t have been happier as tickets were whipped up quickly. But could this have been too much for Catfish?
Catfish Are Back, Baby!
Every Catfish fan knew where they were when the band posted on their social media accounts for the first time in three years. Fans couldn’t believe it, with some even commenting “I won’t believe it’s real until they’re on that stage.”
While their anticipated shows in summer were ahead of them, they announced an upcoming North American tour from October to November, as well as an Australian tour in September. Their final announcement of summer shows was to play in Dublin at the end of August before they set off to America.
The band played a total of six shows over the summer, which were all sold out, including their headline sets at the Reading and Leeds festival. Their setlists remained unchanged from their last show in 2021 and persisted throughout all the shows. Their new song “Showtime” was not even soundchecked once.
The band had a whole re-shift after drummer Bob Hall and guitarist Johnny Bond announced their departures in 2021. Van McCann and Benji Blakeway were still standing as they returned to the stage on July 11th in Liverpool at Sefton Park. Joining them were new members: James Compton on the drums and Kai Smith on guitar and backing vocals.
Catfish and The Bottlemen were so back. Fans were delighted to see them back on stage, belting out their indie rock classics. Until it took a turn for the worst…
The Dublin Show
Catfish were set to play a show in Dublin on the 31st of August to round up their summer high before they jetted off to North America for their tour. The band had not performed in Ireland since 2019 on their ‘Balance Tour’. Their return was anticipated by over 14,000 fans who had purchased tickets for the one-off show.
The show seemed to be disorganized with no support act announced, but instead, a DJ set an hour before Catfish came on stage. Rob Smith, the DJ announced as the ‘mysterious’ support act, said “I didn’t know I was a mystery. I only got asked to do it today.”
Fans eagerly queued outside the doors. Just ten minutes before they opened, the fans were all notified that the show had been canceled due to band illness.
Upset. Anger. Disappointment, to say the least. Although some fans enjoyed their evening out in Dublin, despite the cancellation. Some sent their love and support to the band.
Fans also expressed on social media platform, X, that the band should come out and say something about the canceled shows. With one fan posting, “Catfish And The Bottlemen cancelled and not rescheduling… potential break up again???”
There has been no update as to whether the band will reschedule this date in the future. Or even an update from the band itself. It’s been weeks. Come on, guys?
The silence is worrying. Could we be receiving another hiatus? Did fans just get catfished… by Catfish? It’s so up in the air.
Upcoming North American and Australian Tour
2019 was the last time both Americans and Australians would have seen Catfish rock the stage. Half a decade later, they announced 19 shows all around North America and six around Australia.
The shows all slowly got canceled days after the canceled Dublin gig, with the same reasoning of “band illness”. This time, cancellations were not ten minutes before doors opened.
Again, it is unsure if these shows will get rescheduled, but we definitely hope so!
What Does the Future Hold for Catfish?
Well, there have been no updates as to what has happened to the band or what any future holds for the canceled shows. But I assume we take silence as they’re just trying to recover before they release any statements.
As for now, we hope the band makes a speedy recovery so they can return and perform on top in dates to come.
If you are desperately wanting to see them, Catfish has announced two stadium shows for the summer of 2025. In Cardiff at the Principality Stadium, which holds over 74,000 people. Also in London at Tottenham Hotspur stadium, which holds over 62,000 people.
They most recently just announced a show in Manchester at Hefton Park in 2025, despite the cancellations and no rescheduled shows, fans are not happy about it.
If these two shows get canceled, I believe it will definitely be the end (again) for Catfish. At least we have had a blast of a summer with them this year.
Catfish are currently celebrating ten years of their album “The Balcony”. The 10th anniversary edition is available on all streaming platforms, with additional acoustic tracks of ‘Kathleen’, ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Pacifier’. Also, ‘Hourglass’ covered by Ewan McGregor.
Goodbye for now Catfish and The Bottlemen. Thanks for a great summer. We hope to see you again next year.
