Self Release [Release date 22.03.25]

‘Time To Fly’ is both a well chosen title track and a conceptual theme for the final Catfish album which marks the legacy of the late Matt Long, the band’s singer songwriter, guitarist.

It’s an album produced and made with love and care by Matt’s dad, the keyboard playing songwriter Paul Long.

Paul rescued some songs from the bare bones; including the evocative self penned ‘Lost In Autumn’ written round little more than an existing solo.

His vocal is initially too tentative, but the song gradually locks into the evocative lyrics and Matt’s climatic solo.

Given the sad circumstances of the album, it’s a measure of the intuitive production and intricate band interplay that the album sounds like the best possible example of what Catfish will be remembered for, a blues inflected British rock band who always played to the song, but jammed out when the moment inspired them.

The arrangement of Paul’s slow building reflective ballad ‘Don’t Turn Around’ mirrors that of a road tested band. They build a wall of sound, topped by Chloe Josephine’s imperious vocal line, which will probably draw inevitable comparisons with Clare Torry on Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of The Moon’.

There’s a subtle equilibrium at play which glues together all the band’s facets.

For example, the outright bluster of the growling guitar lines, organ stabs and abrasive vocals perfectly frame the lyrical duality and cool dynamics of ‘Change My Ways.’

Then there’s the surprising guitar-driven intensity of the Memphis Soul classic ‘Breaking Up Somebody’s Home’.

‘Broken Halo’ hovers above a lovely groove, until a sudden tempo change ushers in Matt’s ascending solo which serves to rebuild the track.

The acoustic ‘Forevermore And Again’ is another great rescue job by Paul, on a song which amplifies lyrical intent.

He adds an accompanying organ line, as the song moves towards conjoining his own vocal with Matt’s extant vocal line on the chorus.

The way the song suddenly stops gives it an unresolved eerie feel, suggesting the lack of Matt’s presence.

The self explanatory ‘Sick Of It All’ is one of the few moments when Matt seems overwhelmed by his personal health challenges.

He opens with a doomy, metal and grungy feel and a later dark lyrical line: “All I’ve ever known has been taken away from me.”

And just when it feel like we are going down a rabbit hole, a belated tempo change at 3.42 leads to a spiralling guitar break with a slight eastern tinged tone and a resolving full blown solo.

The latter suggests that in spite everything he was still reaching for the light.

Like the album as a whole, the song taps into swirling emotions which ultimately draw us into the closing ‘Say The Word’, which is arguably the band’s finest moment and the perfect finish to a shattered career.

Incredibly it’s another rescued song, featuring an introspective opening which references Bonamassa’s version of ‘Slow Gin’, as well as the early folksy vocal style of Wishbone Ash and even a Radiohead style falsetto.

It’s a subtly paced song aching with real feel, and shot through with emotional intensity and a defining solo.

The real triumph of ‘Time To Fly’ is that it’s a painstakingly produced and coherent album which embraces emotional song writing while capturing real spark and a sense of flow.

Above all, it is the pinnacle of a cross generational band making great music. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 2 March 2025.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast on 4 March 2025

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Power Plays w/c 24 March 2025

HARRI LARKIN Too Close To The Sun (Robot Distro)
SANDNESS Not Your Dog (Rockshots Records)
DOCTOR BLACK Drag Me Down (indie)
COHEED AND CAMBRIA Goodbye Sunshine (Virgin Music Group)
LEONI JANE KENNEDY Closer (indie)
SMALL TOWN POLITICS Red Lights (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 24 March 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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