don’t get me wrong, as happy and excited as i am about the catfish comeback and (possibility) of new music, the way nothing that has happened since summer 2021 has been publicly addressed by the band at all, leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.
not a word about dropping out of the two cardiff shows two weeks before they were happening, nothing about bob leaving in september – not even just resharing his post as an instagram story, which would've been the bare minimum – and nothing about bondy leaving after being in the band for years.... and now they’re just back? without any explanation?
idk that just seems so incredibly disingenuous to what they as a band but especially van have always preached. i’m sorry but it does not seem like you are only "in it for the fans and the live music" when you couldn't be arsed to make any sort of public statement in the over two years, that was between bob leaving and the reading and leeds headline announcement, to let your fans know what was going on.
it just feels very disrespectful, not only to the two long-time band members that left the band but also to the thousands upon thousands of fans – doesn't matter if die-hard or casual – that were left with so many questions.
again i am very excited for what is to come, i will go and see them if they'll tour in europe and i will always appreciate van for the music but my opinion of him (and benji) has changed drastically since 2021 and i don't know if that can ever change.
Fans love Showtime of course, and critics hate it - which is not surprising since Catfish has never been a critically acclaimed band.
But the critics are hitting on exactly the lackluster part of it that two members left and the sound is hollow, and of course have noticed that it’s just Van and Sardy. All of which seems so predictable to me.
Van’s not dumb - wouldn’t he have known that if he just went it alone like this, critics would say it’s shit because two members left “for more creativity” (literally a quote from a review) and he didn’t bother to (or can’t?) get any other musicians to work with him?
I guess the answer is he just doesn’t give a fuck. He never has I guess. Fuck it if they talk, because he gets to headline Reading and sell albums. And Sardy must not give a fuck either.
Critics have said their music is predictable and mindless in the past, but these reviews feel different…it’s like there was more pressure since he’s been away so long to grow musically, but he hasn’t. And fans don’t mind I suppose, because it’s got a lot of the same elements.
Maybe all this is just me being confused about my own feelings because tbh I’ve had so much anger at Van I wasn’t sure if I wanted the song to be good or not.
Now I realize I did want it to be good but I don’t think it is…and of course that is subjective, like anyone is allowed to love it and I’m happy for them loving it, and I want people to go off and love it.
But I’m sad for them all and what they had…maybe this personal catharsis will be the closure I’ve been searching for.
Don’t mind the muttering of a sad confused weirdo who just has too much invested in this stupid band 🙃🙂😆