Catfish and the Bottlemen experiencing a mini-Beatlemania

The road to fame has been one the members of Catfish and the Bottlemen wouldn’t trade back. The Welsh rockers, whose debut album “The Balcony” is out now, have been performing together since 2007.

“We had so many of those songs for so long. Some of them hadn’t even been recorded before,” said bassist Benjamin “Benji” Blakeway during the band’s recent recording sessions in Los Angeles. “It was important … to tour and people [to see us] live and want to buy a record.”

Catfish and the Bottlemen will play the District’s iconic 9:30 Club Wednesday night, cutting loose with their unique rock sound. Rolling Stone recently declared the lads “are on a stateside charge” after performing on David Letterman’s show earlier this year.

“We find that we come over here, the press is positive, the people are positive,” Mr. Blakeway said. “We got our U.S. debut first on TV before we got any U.K. TV.”

Lead singer Ryan “Van” McCann counts such artists as The Streets, Oasis, The Strokes and Van Morrison as influencing the Bottlemen sound.

“As a band, our idea was … to give you that positive, life-affirming vibe,” Mr. McCann said. “We wanted that kind of [thing] that bands like Oasis and Kings of Leon have now — just kind of stadium [rock] with a great singer, massive guitar player, massive bass, massive drum.”

“The Balcony” was recorded in Lincolnshire and produced by the legendary Jim Abbiss. The album features the rocking anthem “Kathleen,” which kicks off the album following opening salvo “Homesick.” Mr. McCann recalls the disconcerting feeling of singing and hearing the song at the same time — a knowledge that real fame was at hand.

“I was singing in one room and it came on TV in another,” he recalled. “We couldn’t believe it.

“We do songs that make us feel euphoric,” Mr. McCann said. “We try to do an album that feels like that all the way through. We try to make every single song like our favorite song.”

While being rock stars has afforded Catfish and the Bottlemen the chance to meet some of their heroes — including Ewan McGregor, who appeared in a video for their song “Hourglass” — Mr. McCann said the ultimate satisfaction comes from finding a place where his voice melds with his fellow musicians.

“Apart from The Streets, no music was connecting with me,” he said. “There was a gap crying out for a British stadium rock band [and] we wanted to be that so bad.”

Mr. McCann said he doesn’t get celebrity-crazy very often, but when Johnny “Bondy” Bond, who had previously played with Oasis and Primal Scream, joined the group, Mr. McCann said “that was the most starstruck I’d ever been.”

Mr. McCann and Mr. Blakeway are both excited to play at the 9:30 Club. Meantime, the lads are enjoying every bit of excitement and touch of stardom along the way.

During their younger years, “you wouldn’t even think about coming” to L.A. to record an album, Mr. Blakeway said. “You didn’t think about it because you had no reason to. But to be here, it’s crazy.”

And, of course, there’s the influence of that little band from Liverpool.

“We loved [the film] ’A Hard Day’s Night,’” added Mr. McCann. While he said Catfish and the Bottlemen’s fame is “nowhere near that scale, it’s like a tiny rubbish version. We’re like, ’We’re like the Beatles!’ and everyone’s like, ’No you’re not.’

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Catfish and the Bottlemen with Jamie N Commons

WHERE: The 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW, Washington, D.C, 20001, 815 V

WHEN: Wednesday, doors at 7 p.m.

INFO: Tickets $25 by calling 877/435.9849 or visiting 930.com