CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN
Back to Fuji Rock or the second time in three years, and this time as one of the White Stage headliners, Catfish and the Bottlemen kicked off their Friday set with “Homesick” and “Kathleen”. From the very start frontman and lead vocalist Van McCann was railing and flailing about the stage with excessive rock star attitude, tossing the microphone stand repeatedly. A lot of the crowd loved it, but I was among those who found it a bit much.
The set continued, with “Pacifier”, “Anything”, “Soundcheck”, and later on “Twice”, “7” and their 2016 release “The Ride”. The closer of course was “Tyrants”. I’m admittedly not a big fan, but for those who love UK guitar band orthodoxy, and there certainly are a lot of them in Japan, the music and the energy with which it was delivered were a real treat. Catfish and the Bottlemen certainly put in the kind of show that would make their fans happy and keep coming back for more, and one expects they will.
