We’ve talked here quite a bit before about the extremely talented father/son duo Paul (keyboards and vocals) and Matt (guitar and vocals) Long and their colleagues in the UK blues rock band Catfish. While the band is currently taking a break in touring as Matt continues treatment for cancer, they aren’t doing it quietly, having just released a five-track mini-album called London that packs a brilliantly powerful punch and nicely represents the band’s diverse range.
On one end of that spectrum you’ll find the soft, sentimental solo piano ballad “Days Long Gone” from Paul, one of a trio of previously unrecorded tracks. The opening title track also starts as a quiet piano ballad before flowing background vocals from two members of Brave Rival (with whom Catfish previously collaborated on a few singles, including a cover of Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With”) and a gorgeous guitar solo from Matt lift the song to Pink Floydian heights.
Falling in the middle of the range is the beautiful, at first airy, then soaring, instrumental “Ethereal,” written by Matt while at school some years back but never before recorded by the band.
The intensity picks up a bit more on the remaining two songs, which offer superb covers of a more recent and then a longer time audience favorite from Tom Waits and Otis Rush, respectively. Catfish just added this gritty version of Waits’ “Chocolate Jesus” to their show during the band’s 2023 tour, while Rush’s “So Many Roads” is a song fans will have heard from the band many times over the past decade, having played the song since their very first gig in 2014 and recorded it as the title track of their debut album. The vocals and pacing of this new recording are slightly more controlled than on the original, giving an additional three minutes or so for the band to spread things out, and the gruffer, more roadworn vocals and heavier, searing guitar help make this smoldering version even more spectacular than its predecessor, and quite a fine example of how far the band has progressed over this time.
This track alone is probably worth the price of the entire mini-album, but the other tracks are certainly more than just a nice bonus. Everything here is excellently done, making London a place you’ll want to frequent on your player!
The album is available on all digital outlets or as a CD from the band’s website, where you can also purchase other merchandise and contribute to Matt’s cancer treatment fund. Here’s hoping that Matt’s treatment goes well and that we see these guys, who have been one of, if not THE, top act on the global blues rock scene in recent years, back on the road or in the studio soon!
Here’s a somewhat recent live version of the band playing “So Many Roads” to help give you a feel for just what we’re talking about: