As homecoming gigs go FEEDER last month in Newport was right up there with one of the best, and right at the time when we needed a shot of live music the most.
The guys have now announced their UK tour which gets them to Singleton Park in Swansea this Saturday supporting CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN, tickets are selling fast and could well be gone by the weekend.
As gigs go you really couldn’t get any more Wales than this weekend.
Catfish and the Bottlemen got together back in 2007 in Llandudno. Ryan Evan “Van” McCann and William Bibby (Billy Bibby) began playing guitar together at Bibby’s parents home, a bed and breakfast in the town – if only the guests knew.
They were joined by Benji Blakeway on bass as the third founding member of the band. Schoolmate Jon Barr followed shortly thereafter on drums. Bibby, who had been playing guitar since age 10, taught both ‘Van’ and Benji how to play.
Then it was all change when original drummer Jon Barr was replaced by Robert “Bob” Hall in 2010. He was introduced to the band by North Wales-based producer Russ Hayes who was working with them at the time.
Their debut album, The Balcony, made it into the top of the UK album charts and eventually earned them a platinum disc.
The guys have been around the world, and some, on the back of their success – South America, Japan, Europe, North America, and Australia and have done all the rounds of summer festivals – Latitude Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, and of course Glastonbury.
They picked up a Brit Award for British Breakthrough act in 2016, followed by the release of their second album, The Ride, made it to number 1 and has gone on to sell in excess of 100,000 units in the UK.
They released their third album, The Balance, which reached number 2 and is still selling well.
They have just finished an absolute blinding set at the Reading and Leeds Festival which you can still see on the iPlayer. You just need to sign in to watch.
Incredibly, FEEDER have been around since 1994 when they got together in Newport. They have a massive catalogue to their name including 10 studio albums, 12 compilations, four EPs and 40 singles, spending a combined total of 183 weeks on the singles and albums charts as of 2019, while accumulating 25 top 75 singles between 1997 and 2012.
The awards followed as well, Feeder won two Kerrang! Awards in 2001 and 2003; and they were inducted into their Hall of Fame in August 2019.
Feeder are one of the Britpop era bands to have continued success long after their peak. Their 2019 album Tallulah debuted at number four, more than two decades after the group formed, and 20 years after their first top 10 album Yesterday Went Too Soon.
Since forming in 1994, Feeder have released ten studio albums, spanning early albums like Echo Park to Comfort of Sound and Renegades. The Welsh rock band’s ninth album All Bright Electric came out in 2016 and the band released their most recent album Tallulah in 2019, which was met with critical acclaim. The album peaked at No. 4 on the UK Album Charts on release and was supported with singles ‘Fear of Flying’, ‘Youth’, ‘Daily Habit’ and ‘Blue Sky Blue’
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN and FEEDER with YOU ME AT SIX and YONAKA will get to Singleton Park on De-La-Beche Road in Swansea this Saturday. Tickets are still available right now, and you can get yours HERE