Catfish and the Bottlemen @ The Electric Factory.

Text and images by McCall Cox.

Catfish and the Bottlemen filled the Electric Factory to the brim with fans last week, performing in Philadelphia with support from The Worn Flints.

The Worn Flints opened the show, warming up the crowd with the band’s unique psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll sound. The trio originates from Columbus, Ohio and features Kenny Stiegele on guitar and vocals, Steve Trabulsi on bass guitar and Jake Smith on drums. The Worn Flints performed songs such as “Colorful Waste of Time,” “If I Stay Awake” and “Three Kings,” which incorporated roiling guitar solos that built gradually from slow to shredding, eliciting supportive cheers from the audience.

“Alright Philly, one more song and then we’re going to boogie out of here,” Stiegele said before closing the band’s set with the song “Monika.”

Catfish and the Bottlemen commanded the stage next and the band was greeted by roars of cheers. They opened with“Homesick” and “Kathleen,” two songs from the band’s first album The Balcony.

The four piece act, which began in North Wales, United Kingdom, is comprised of Ryan McCann on guitar and vocals, Johnny Bond on guitar, Robert Hall on drums and Matthew Blakeway on bass.

“Philadelphia, we really appreciate you filling this room for us,” McCann said gratefully. “Thank you so much.”

Catfish and the Bottlemen performed “Pacifier,” “Red,” “Twice” and “Fallout.” They also played their song “Business,” which featured a drum solo from Hall.

“This is the first song we wrote for our new album. This is called ‘Seven,’” the frontman said later, launching into the song from their newest album, The Ride.

The setlist included an equal variety of tracks from the band’s first album as well as songs from The Ride.

“Electric Factory, you still have voices left?” McCann asked the audience afterwards, to cheers from the wall-to-wall crowd.

“Then this is the song to lose them to. This song is called ‘Cocoon,’” the singer said, before the band performed the hit song from their first album.

The band concluded their set with “Tyrants” from The Balcony.

“Electric Factory, I just wanted to say thank you to The Worn Flints who have been opening up for us,” McCann said. “Thank you for filling up this room it really means a lot.”