[9] Renowned for their energetic live performances, the band have toured across North America, South America, Europe, Japan and Australia, performing at festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Latitude, TRNSMT, T in the Park, All Points East, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Falls Festival and Splendour in the Grass.

The band's name originates from McCann’s earliest musical memory: an Australian street busker he encountered in Sydney, known as Catfish the Bottleman.

The busker earned the nickname "Catfish" due to his distinctive, spiky beard when he began performing in 2000,[23] and he played beer bottles strung to a wire.

[25][1] In 2014, the band signed with Island Records and released the single "Kathleen" on 17 March,[26] produced by Jim Abbiss (known for his work with Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and Adele).

Later that summer, founding lead guitarist Billy Bibby unexpectedly ceased performing with the band and was replaced by Johnny "Bondy" Bond.

[37] The Balcony was released in the United States on 6 January 2015, and the following day, Catfish and the Bottlemen made their American television debut, with a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

[40] On 8 July, Catfish and the Bottlemen played their largest headline show to date at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester, supported by Vant, Broken Hands and Little Comets.

[45][46] The following month, in September, they performed at Singleton Park in Swansea and headlined the Neighbourhood Weekender festival in Warrington.

[47][48] Also in September, it was announced that the band would be supporting Stereophonics at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, alongside Tom Jones, on 18 December.

[49] Then, on 3 June 2022, only weeks before the rescheduled shows, it was announced that Catfish and the Bottlemen had withdrawn from the gigs due to "unforeseen practical issues".

[53] On 23 November 2023, Catfish and the Bottlemen signalled that the band’s hiatus had ended, announcing they would be headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2024.

[62] The announcement mentioned that the soundtrack features several unreleased songs from major artists like Coldplay, Delfina Dib, FKA Twigs, and Catfish and the Bottlemen, set to drop later this year.

On 1 September, just 15 minutes before doors were due to open, the band cancelled their Dublin show at RDS Simmonscourt, with promoters MCD Productions citing "artist illness".

[65] Despite the series of cancellations, the band made no official announcement addressing the situation directly, leaving fans seeking further clarification.

[64] On 13 September 2024, Catfish and the Bottlemen released The Balcony (10 Year Anniversary), featuring the original tracks along with three acoustic renditions of "Kathleen", "Cocoon" and "Pacifier".

The anniversary edition also includes "Rango (Single Version)", "Hourglass (Ewan McGregor Cover)" and a previously unreleased track, "ASA".

[66] On 27 September, just weeks after cancelling their remaining 2024 shows, the band announced a performance at Manchester’s Heaton Park scheduled for 13 June 2025.

[67][68] The announcement drew mixed reactions, with many fans—particularly those overseas—expressing disappointment that the band prioritised a new UK date over rescheduling their cancelled international shows.

[69] When reviewing The Balcony, Scott Kerr of AllMusic compared the band's sound to Johnny Marr, The Cribs, Feeder and Mystery Jets.

[75][15][76] McCann, Matthew Benjamin “Benji” Blakeway, guitar tech Josh “Larry" Lau, and former members Robert “Bob” Hall and William “Billy” Bibby grew up in Llandudno, North Wales.