On the Verge: Catfish and the Bottlemen

On the Verge, Paste BN's spotlight on breakthrough artists, this week looks at indie band Catfish and the Bottlemen:

Which one's Catfish? "We're just trying to rip off The Strokes, really," says Van McCann, the charming and cheeky frontman of Welsh rock group Catfish and the Bottlemen. Or, to put it another way, they're "like Oasis, but with good manners." Single Kathleen recently reached No. 1 on Sirius XM's Alt Nation channel and is currently is No. 17 on Paste BN's Alternative airplay chart. The group, which won the new-artist award at the first BBC Music Awards in December, made its network television debut on Late Show With David Letterman in January. But McCann is not "Catfish" and guitarist Jeff Bond, bassist Benji Blakeway and drummer Bob Hall are not "The Bottlemen." "It's weird to think sometimes people actually watch us and think it must be me solo, and they're my backing band," McCann says. "But it's not. It's just a name."

The real Bottleman. The band took its name from an Australian busker called Catfish the Bottleman, whom McCann first encountered on the streets of Sydney when just a toddler. An Australian radio station recently reunited the two for the first time in 15 years, while Catfish and the Bottlemen were playing on tour there with The Kooks. "They took me out and he was set up with all his bottles in the reception area, playing," McCann says. "I got to see him again and catch up with him. We're going to try to take him on tour when we go back to Australia." Meanwhile, Catfish and the Bottlemen are touring the U.S. through March 15.

Assembling the Bottlemen. McCann originally hails from Widnes, near Liverpool, but the group came together in Llandudno, Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. McCann and Blakeway played soccer together on the streets; Hall lived next door, though McCann didn't know him until someone else introduced him as a drummer. Bond, the most recent addition, joined last year after playing in another regional band called Detroit Social Club. "I used to go watch his band before I even had my band, and he was my favorite guitar player in the world," McCann says. "When he joined the band, it was like having a celebrity join."

Banished from the garden. The group had its first gig, playing at a beer garden for drinks. There was just one problem: McCann, then 15, was underage and tried to accept his payment. "I got chucked out, so all me mates and everyone who had come to see us got to stay and have a party," he says. "I was the only one who wasn't allowed to be there."

Van's the man. McCann's father wanted to name him after Irish singer Van Morrison. When his wife resisted, he settled for naming his son Ryan Van McCann. "He has called me Van since I was a kid," McCann says. "I'm a massive fan, as well. I love Van Morrison." McCann doesn't hold all his father's favorites in such high esteem, though. "There's only John Lennon and Van Morrison I thank him for. All the other stuff he used to play me, I dread now."

Ambition. The Balcony, a top-10 album in the United Kingdom, entered the Billboard albums chart at No. 55 upon its release last month. McCann has his sights set much higher. "I want to play stadiums," he says. "I want to be a millionaire because I want to buy my mum a Jacuzzi."