By Sarah Skubala
The Brisbane leg of The Cat Empire’s national tour was a one-night-only, sold-out affair at the Fortitude Music Hall which saw the band perform alongside the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Playing as part of the Brisbane Festival, the two-hour concert included five new songs from The Cat Empire’s forthcoming studio album, Bird in Paradise, described as a musically rich, Australian-Flamenco, Afro-Cuban project.
Orchestral arrangements by The Cat Empire’s music director and trumpeter Roscoe James Irwin were in full flight from the outset of the overture, expertly conducted by Vanessa Scammell. In an immediate nod to their origins, the first song performed was ‘How to Explain,’ the opener from their debut, self-titled studio album from 2003, and reminded us that ‘music is the language of us all.’ Lead vocalist Felix Riebl owned the stage, jumping between vocals and percussion, and Neda Rahmani literally sparkled while joyously providing percussive and vocal support across various instruments.
The second song of the night was ‘Thunder Rumbles,’ taken from The Cat Empire’s 2023 album Where the Angels Fall, which got the standing-room-only crowd dancing. Launching next into new material from the forthcoming album, they performed ‘Bird in Paradise’ and ‘Doing Fine’ back to back. Seychelles-born bassist and singer Grace Barbé then soulfully covered ‘The Lost Song,’ revisiting one of the band’s greatest hits.
Cuban trumpet player Lazaro Numa Pompa took charge next with a lively standout performance of ‘Candela’ by Faustino Oramas, which gained international fame when it appeared on the 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club. Original member of The Cat Empire Ollie McGill performed a face-melting keyboard solo, while flamenco outfit Arte Kanela burst forward to wow the crowd with their dancing. Chantelle Coco was a particularly mesmerising flamenco dancer alongside her partner Johnny Tedesco and his guitarist brother Richard. The final two songs before intermission were ‘Brighter Than Gold,’ the opening track from their 2013 album Steal the Light, and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ also from Where the Angels Fall which included a memorable introduction on flute from the orchestra.
Act Two kicked off with a show-stopping, paired-back rendition of ‘Bulls,’ taken from the 2016 album Rising with the Sun, where Felix showcased his soulful rock vocals alongside the swelling sounds of the orchestra. Following a flamenco dance solo, two more songs from the forthcoming album were revealed: ‘Devil,’ and ‘Shooting Star,’ the latter of which saw Grace Barbé again on lead vocals.
The crowd-pleasing title track from their 2005 album, Two Shoes, was next, followed by ‘Blood on the Stage,’ one of two catchy new singles that have been released ahead of the new album (the other single, ‘La Gracia,’ was not performed on the night). Two more songs from the 2023 album followed, including an extended version of ‘Owl’ featuring a fabulous, floor-shaking flamenco dance break, and ‘Be with You Again,’ a tribute to Felix’s late brother Max. Felix then led a second touching tribute song, ‘Miserere,’ and his lyrics, ‘long live living, if living can be this,’ were hugely felt. The finale, ‘Steal the Light,’ had the audience stomping for more, and the encore featuring ‘Still Young’ with an outro of ‘The Chariot’ saw the crowd go crazy as they danced and sang along to the band’s much-loved ska-inspired anthems.
Hobart, Adelaide and Perth are the next stops on what is set to be a sell-out national tour, with full tour dates on The Cat Empire’s website. Bird in Paradise is set for release on 7th March.
