Catfish and The Bottlemen formed in Wales nine years ago and have been touring the world and perfecting their craft ever since.

Considering they only signed in 2013 they have been on a rapid upward trajectory that sees them walking away with awards and headlining arenas a mere three years later.

It’s been quite a while since I have seen the BIC this packed and heard it quite as loud both from the band and the crowd. Even other sold out gig that I have been to here has had a few empty seats in the restricted view areas and dotted around but not tonight. The show sold out early and really was crammed to the rafters.

Tonight's show started with a great set from July Talk that had the crowd nicely warmed for the main event. A short break, the Beatles Helter Skelter rang out, and the four Catfish hit the stage and went straight into Homesick. The crowd started to bounce from the first chords and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening. It really was a joy to see thousands of fans singing along to every song until the last note faded into the night.

The guys were pretty much spot on with the content, order and delivery of the set-list made up of tracks from their two albums and at least one tune that has already been written for number three. About three quarters of the way through the rest of the band left the stage leaving Van McCann to slow things down a touch with a great version of Hourglass with the crowd once again sharing lead vocals.

The show was pretty short at a rapid hour and twenty but I am sure everyone in the standing area left the venue exhausted and more than happy that it was worth every penny.

I am sure we will be seeing much more of these guys and expect they will be a popular booking through the summer of 2017. Catch them if you can.