Catfish and the Bottlemen fans have been left in shock after it was confirmed the band would be headlining Leeds and Reading Festival next year.
On Thursday evening (November 23), festival organisers confirmed the first wave of artists for next summer's event, which takes place between Wednesday August 21 and Sunday Augst 25 2024. Liam Gallagher, Lana Del Rey and Blink-182 are among those headlining.
But fans were 'screaming' at the news that Catfish and the Bottlemen - which now only consists of frontman Van McCann and bassist Benji Blakeway - would be returning. Many hope that new music will be on the way - especially as the band hasn't released anything new for four years.
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Their Leeds and Reading headliner coincides with the tenth anniversary of debut album The Balcony. The indie outfit, from Llandudno, Wales, shot to fame in 2014 when their first LP climbed to number 10 in the UK charts.
Their second album The Ride was released in 2016, while third album The Balance dropped in 2019. Reading and Leeds Festival 2021 was one of the last shows the Kathleen hitmakers played together - before a number of other shows fell through.
Later on in 2021, drummer Bob Hall announced via his Instagram that he would be leaving the band. The following June, guitarist Johnny Bond also confirmed his departure from the band. Not much has been heard from Catfish since. Both have gone on to pursue new music projects; Bob with band The Safest Place and Johnny with outfit Hearts.
In recent months, rumours of a Catfish comeback swirled online. A mock-up of an alleged tour poster was shared across social media as fans hoped in vein for more news.
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So, many were ecstatic when the festival announcement was dropped. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans shared their excitement at the Reading and Leeds announcement.
@beckywvr_ said: "Catfish & The Bottlemen are back!!!Screaming, crying, throwing up" as @CaitlinCPhotos tweeted: "Don't mind the screaming you might hear, it's just me freaking out that Catfish and The Bottlemen are back."
@iamalessi said: "OHMYGODD IM SCREAMINg" as @tomlxnee wrote: "Catfish and the bottlemen are back tears in my f****** eyes". @jackpatience1 said: "No words can describe how happy I am that Catfish And The Bottlemen are back" as @cosmicamb cheered: "CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN BACK!! VAN MCCANN I HAVE MISSED YOU".
Some pleaded for the band to play their debut The Balcony in full at the festival, while others reckoned new music would be on the horizon.
On Thursday festival bosses revealed Liam Gallagher, Fred Again and Lana Del Rey would also be headlining the festival, as well as American pop-punk outfit Blink-182 and Scottish singer Gerry Cinnamon. Among the other acts announced were Mercury Prize nominee Raye, American DJ Skrillex, band Spiritbox and rapper Digga D.
Tickets for the three-day event will go on general sale next Thursday, November 30.
Tickets for existing Barclaycard and Three customers will go on pre-sale a few days earlier, at 8.30am on Tuesday November 28. Weekend and day tickets go on general sale at 8.30am on Thursday November 30 on the respective Reading and Leeds ticketing websites.
