“My mum and dad got married in Australia so I used to go there when I was younger,” explains McCann. “They can’t believe it because I was sat there when I was 15 saying, ‘I promise I’m going to sell out Australia,’ and they’re like, ‘You’re crazy,’ ” he laughs.
McCann recalls their time in the country at Falls with fevered excitement. “The Australian fans are wild,” marvels McCann. “At the Byron Bay Falls Festival we were about to walk on stage and it was nailing down with rain. They weren’t going to let us go on because the middle of the stage was leaking through all over the mics and kits. We ended up having a bit of a night out in the dressing room but then got a tap on the shoulder half way through saying, ‘You’ve got 20 minutes, get on now.’ I thought everyone would have left by then but all the people that wanted to see us stayed and braved the rain. They were partying on each other’s shoulders going crazy before we’d even started.”
The band have been touring relentlessly since the release of their debut album The Balcony in 2014, following this up with The Ride last year which has catapulted the band to fame all over the world. “The last year is the best we’ve had by a mile,” says McCann. “We’ve got both the albums now and have taken them around the world so everyone knows the words. The gigs are as big as what we dreamt of them being when we first started the band. I’m honestly amazed about that all the time.”
In a musical climate where people meticulously write and record, Catfish and the Bottlemen differ. Working at a fast rate comes naturally to McCann, who serves as the band’s songwriter. “The next album’s ready to go,” he reveals. “I’ve always got songs written that are ready to be recorded. We love touring, so recording is always a quick thing for us. We just fit it in when we finish, put it straight out and tour again for the next two years. Life is too short, so you’ve got to keep going.”
McCann’s confidence in the band is remarkable, but it’s obvious he’s someone that says it like he means it. “We knew it was always going to happen,” he says of the band’s success. “We still think we’re just getting warmed up. It’s going to get miles bigger than what it is now.”
When asked what the highlights of being in the band have been for him, McCann is poignant. “I think the highlight of being in the band has been predicting all this stuff as kids with nothing, in the back of a van that keeps breaking down. Saying things like, ‘Don’t worry lads, we’re going to be on private jets soon.’ Now I look around at all the boys fucking loving it and I’m loving it and the crowd’s loving it. Everything just falls into place.”
For McCann, playing in a band isn’t merely a career choice but something that consumes his entire existence. “We remember when we used to play for free in front of nobody and all we got paid was a crate of beers, so there’s no greater feeling than when people are flying you across the world to Australia to play your music to fucking thousands of people. When we wake up and go to sleep we’re just thinking about what’s next for Catfish and the Bottlemen. We’re just buzzing to be out of the house playing music for a living, doing what we’ve always wanted to do.”
