Whilst most of their followers have been fretting that they were getting ready to break up again, Catfish and the Bottlemen have just stunned everyone by announcing a surprise gig at Heaton Park in Manchester.
Out of nowhere.
The Welsh rockers have been back touring together this year after a three-year hiatus, playing multiple festival sets and headline dates at the likes of Cardiff Castle and released their first new music back in February – much to the delight of fans all over the country – and now they’re coming back to 0161.
Set to play the biggest stage in Manchester next summer, just less than a month before Heaton Park erupts into bedlam for the Oasis 2025 shows, Catfish and the Bottlemen will make their Manc return on Friday 15 June.
Now, don’t get us wrong, this is wonderful news if it all goes ahead as planned, but it has to be said that there is some hesitation coming from interested gig-goers – ourselves included.
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Catfish have caught a lot of flack recently for cancelling their Australian tour on the day it was meant to start along with the entire run of US shows “due to artist illness”, with little detail given to fans other than how to sort their refunds. But it gets worse…
They also cancelled their Dublin gig at the RDS Simmonscourt just 15 minutes before doors were set to open and with fans already waiting outside the venue. Again, not the best look.
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Perhaps more concerningly, even at some of the shows that have gone ahead this year, there have been concerns raised around the nature and quality of their performances, as well as the wellbeing of charismatic if albeit a bit chaotic frontman Van McCann.
The Oasis reunion shows have also put a bit of a spanner in the works when it comes to their upcoming London shows next year too, as both bands are set to play the capital on the same day. It remains to be seen how many of those tickets will now be put up for resale.
We’re reserving judgment for now but you can understand some of the reticence.
Nevertheless, we’re not going to pretend that we’re not absolutely buzzing to hear this news and we’re hoping that this massive Manchester show goes ahead and off without a hitch.
They last came to town in 2019 when they played the AO Arena and played one of their final shows before the split just down the road at Neighbourhood Weekender back in 2021, so it’s fair to say it’s been a while. Keep everything crossed, Catfish fans.
General admission goes live next Friday, 4 October at 10am but you can access pre-sale, which starts at the same time on Wednesday, 2 October, by signing up via the mailing list.
You can grab tickets for Catfish and the Bottlemen at Heaton Park, Manchester HERE and good luck to us all.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Silly Little Man (via Flickr)
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A rave in a chippy is happening in Greater Manchester this weekend
Daisy Jackson
We have always loved a weekend trip to the chippy, but that trip might look a little different this week – because there’s a rave going on inside.
A collective of local DJs will be putting their decks alongside the fryers at one of Manchester’s top-rated fish and chip shops, Chips @ No. 8 in Prestwich.
The one-off event is part of the latest instalment of Love Dose, which has been hosting parties all over the North for more than a decade.
This week, Love Dose will be upstairs in Cuckoo until the early hours, with a number of DJs playing alongside special guest Simba.
Before the main event kicks off in Cuckoo though, they’ve announced a pre-party at Chips @ No. 8 to get warmed up.
“You’ve seen the recent trend of parties popping over in coffee shops, why not a chippy!?” they said.
Kerrie DJing at a previous Love Dose rave
Love Dose was founded back in 2012 and is run by Ste Evans, Ste Nalty and Pete Asiaw, DJs who all live around Prestwich.
They said: “We’ve always loved the vibe at Chips@No8 and thought it would be a great pre party spot.”
Previous Love Dose events have taken place everywhere from warehouses and rooftops to disused car garages and even a prison.
They’ve also appeared in legendary local venues like Hidden, Ramona and The White Hotel (before it was known as The White Hotel).
Once they finish with the chippy rave, it’ll be over to Cuckoo to dance into the early hours.
Love Dose is promising quality beats to go with your batter from 5pm til 8pm on Saturday 1 November.
Bloc Party and Interpol announce exclusive co-headline tour and a pair of Manchester gigs
Danny Jones
In an increasingly rare kind of announcement, Bloc Party and Interpol have announced a co-headline tour across the UK and Europe, and Manchester is lucky enough to be getting two dates.
How the pair of shows may differ from night to night remains to be seen, but it feels like it’s been a good long while since we last heard about two acts doubling on gigs in this kind of way.
Officially confirmed on Halloween, both Bloc Party and Interpol revealed the plans for the collaborative shows on each of their social media channels, leaving most fans delighted and plenty crying out for dates in their own cities.
It might be only a small thing, but we really enjoyed how they announced the joint performances with two different twists on the same tour poster.
It might be more of just a colour variation than two different bits of artwork, but little stuff like this is always cool. (Credit: Supplied)
As two groups that soundtracked a very distinct period and era for alternative and indie rock, some would argue that you couldn’t find a more suitable fit of contemporaries.
Having both carved out their own corner of the music industry 2000s, Bloc Party‘s breakout debut, Silent Alarm, and Interpol’s seminal sophomore album, Antics, were two of the most seminal and definitive records in the scene at the time.
With that in mind, getting the pair not only back on the road to play the hits and more but doing it together at some of the most exciting venues in the country and on the continent is quite the coup.
Props to whoever came up with the idea, seriously.
Speaking of that landmark second LP from Interpol, the New York-formed indie and post-punk revivalists last played Manchester back in November as part of the release’s 20th anniversary at the O2 Apollo.
Danny Jones -
27th September 2024 
