Philadelphia, PA · ska · rocksteady

Catbite

1 upcoming festival →

Philly's breakout ska-rocksteady crew, all vintage warmth and Brittany Luna's magnetic pipes. Leading the current ska revival and built for a dancing crowd.

Catbite came together in Philadelphia when Brittany Luna, who had trained as a jazz singer before turning to punk and ska, formed the band with Tim Hildebrand, previously a driver and crew member for The Interrupters and a member of The Snails. Drummer Chris Pires joined at the start, with bassist Ben Perry, another former Snails member, coming aboard about a year in after subbing for the original bass player.

The band started out with modest ambitions, members later saying they did not expect to last past their first three years, and recorded their self-titled debut album over four days for around $400. Interest built through 2018 alongside a broader resurgence of ska, with promoters like Jeremy Hunter of Skatune Network and Bad Time Records' Mike Sosinski helping push the band to a national audience.

Catbite became one of Bad Time Records' earliest signings, and their album Nice One, written over four months, led to a Free At Noon session on Philadelphia's WXPN that was later picked up by NPR's World Cafe. In 2025 they released the six-song EP Doom Garden, produced by Sarah Tudzin and featuring Patrick Stump and Sweet Pill.

The band has collaborated with figures across the ska and punk world, including Jer Hunter and Mike Park, and teamed up with Laura Jane Grace to perform Operation Ivy covers at the 2024 Supernova Ska Festival and again at Riot Fest, plus a secret afterparty set in Chicago later released on Bandcamp to raise money for California wildfire victims.

Read more

skarocksteady