July Talk and Catfish and the Bottlemen
Hammerstein Ballroom // New York, NY // September 26th, 2019
Photos and review by Jess Williams
On September 26, Catfish and the Bottlemen returned to New York City for their third performance in The Big Apple this year. The Welsh rockers took over The Hammerstein Ballroom, the grand ballroom of the Manhattan center, to play their final New York City show this year.
Kicking off the evening was Canadian band July Talk. I had heard many things about this band and I was anticipating their stage presence and performance energy to be top-notch and I was definitely not disappointed! July Talk played a swift thirty-minute set full of emotion and passion, captivating the audience for every second of it. My personal favorite moments throughout the set were when Peter Dreimanis (lead vocals/guitar) and Leah Fay (vocals) would interact with each other, playfully nibbling the other’s ear or giving each other a light and playful push. Honestly, I was a little sad when their performance ended, but I am sure that July Talk will be returning to The Big Apple in the near future for their own headlining show!
At 9pm sharp, the lights went dark. With no sound and no lights inside the Hammerstein Ballroom, fans were at first excited – but the slight delay of the band gracing the stage caused fans to break out into a “Catfish!” chant. With fists pumping, fans throughout the venue chanted for Catfish and got what they asked for. Suddenly a vintage, crackling, audio track blared over the speakers and a row of lights at the back of the stage flashed upwards. The notable toucan from the cover of the band’s latest album, The Balance, hung on the back wall of the stage and turned red as we got closer to showtime. Suddenly, Catfish and the Bottlemen appeared on stage and ripped right into the lead single off of The Balance, “Longshot.”
The band played a lengthy 17-song setlist that was chock full of all of the band’s hits including “7,” “Kathleen,” “Soundcheck” and the band’s final song of the evening “Tyrants.” It is always a treat getting to see a foreign band perform live stateside and an even bigger treat getting to see them at the beginning of their career and watch them as they grow more notable and popular. I have been following Catfish and the Bottlemen for over two years since their first Brooklyn show at Brooklyn Steel in 2017. To see the band go from instantly selling out multiple nights at the industrial Brooklyn venue to playing the notable and historic Forest Hills Stadium just earlier this year to nearly selling out a massive ballroom in the heart of New York City has just been incredible to witness over the years.
Catfish and the Bottlemen have laid out a hard-fought and well-earned career thus far, but the end is nowhere in sight. I can clearly tell that these guys have so much passion to continue creating and playing for their fans. I am truly stoked to see what the future holds for Catfish!
