CATFISH and the Bottlemen founding guitarist Billy Bibby has an unexpected affinity with Barrow venue The Drawing Room.

By Karl Steel ( email )

The singer-songwriter will make his third visit in just over a year when he brings his band back to Furness on Saturday November 5.

Formerly with one of Britain's most promising indie bands until he left to pursue a solo path in 2014, he was the first big-name coup for the fledgling Twang night at the Duke Street night spot last September.

Three months later, Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles made it one of their first outings as a full band, and this weekend they return as a gig-hardened four-piece with a string of festival dates and an EP behind them.

"That was one of the first times we played as a band, and I remember it was a good night," says Billy.

"The acoustics there are great and people seem to enjoy themselves up there, so I'm looking forward to coming back.

"We've done a lot since our last visit - we've all grown our hair and our beards for a start."

Those that made it to Kendal Calling this summer will know that they've also been working hard writing new material. Although that appearance was just a two-man, scaled-back acoustic version of the band, Billy rates it as one of his highlights of the year.

It's been a busy 2016, and the reception for both the Bide Your Time EP and the follow-up single, Are You Ready?, has established them as one of the indie rock acts to watch.

Billy is on guitar and lead vocals, with Rob Jones on lead guitar, Matt Thomas on bass and Mike Pearce on drums, as the band works towards an inevitable full album some time in the future.

"We've managed to build up a bit of an online fanbase, and we've had some brilliant reviews for the last single, so that side of things has been really, really good," he continues.

"I think in that respect, things have gone better than I could have expected at this point.

"We're still just building up our songs, so there's no plan for an album just yet, but we're always writing. I think people will notice a natural progression in our songs, that they're a bit heavier. The first songs were written just to be played acoustically, so they are a bit softer, but now I'm always thinking about the other guys and how they might play things.

"The plan for now - it sounds boring - but it's just to do more of the same. Live performances are the bread and butter of being in a band, so we just want to progress to bigger venues and have that sold out tour to our name."

This month they have their first festival headline appearance, at the independent Manchester event Sonder Festival, followed by a handful of dates heading into the new year.

But Billy is looking forward to his return to Barrow as one of the highlights of the winter run.

"I loved my last two visits. We don't always get to spend much time in a place, but we'll certainly seek out the nearest curry house again.

"It feels like it could become a thing, to go to Barrow every Christmas, so hopefully we'll be back next year."

*Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles play Twang at The Drawing Room, in Barrow, on Saturday November 5. The free show gets under way around 8pm