Last year at Latititude my friend Jon caught a band called Catfish and the Bottlemen in the late afternoon. I was somewhere else at the time. He came back saying they were brilliant – really rocked.

So tonight we went to see them at the Borderline in Soho. A sell out. Fair to say Jon and I were some of the older members of the audience – IDs were being checked at the bar. But that is good if you are building a following!

And they rocked again. Not out and out riffery. Good melodies and choruses too. The spirit of Britpop was there, for an oldie like me. And some of the great 2000s indie. I was hearing – because I can’t help but compare with what has gone before – The Manic Street Preachers, The View, Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys. This is all good!

There was a real rock’n’roll energy about the band. And the kind of melodies that will win an audience today. Their following is building. Front man, Van McCann, is a real asset. Had the gift of the gab and really came across as loving what he was doing. Infectious.

So watch out for Catfish and the Bottlemen. When they release an album, I think it could be big….