The Cat Empire

What can make 800 asses shake and have you in a musical trance in five minutes? Answer: The Cat Empire. This sextet from Melbourne, Australia, is getting ready to take hold of U.S. soil in a big way. Given a tip to go see the boys from down under, I went to the Lions Den in critic fashion. Within five minutes I lost my pad, lost my frown, and was dancing with five gorgeous women that wouldn’t normally give me the time of day. That, my friend, is the Empire experience.
From the moment that the band hit the stage, it was as if everyone in the room was in on the ground floor of a band that is clearly about to boom. The boys hit the first note of "How to Explain" and it was lights out. They had the entire venue in the palm of their hands. From the choreographed dance steps to the chances they take musically, this is a good time.
The Cat Empire is six musicians whose influences run from reggae to hip-hop, jazz, swing, gypsy, rock, Cuban, and much more … if there is anything left. They put it in a blender, and you have one of the most exciting acts I have heard in many years. Co-frontman, vocalist and trumpeter Harry James Angus plays with a tone that is boldly his own. He weaves in and out of his solos between dance steps and shows vocal ability that is unique, to say the least. Felix Riebl, who also has superb vocal ability, frontman flash, and timbale skills, joins Angus for the up-front party.
The show moved with drive through crowd favorites "Sly," "The Crowd" and "Sol Y Sombre." To quote the band directly, "Music is the language of us all." That IS what music is about, and the boys from Aussie were doing just that, bringing us all together for the night.
The rhythm section is made up of Will Hull-Brown on drums and Ryan Monro on bass. Both are fine musicians. Brown, who plays with phenomenal skill, has a James Brown style about his play, and Monro has the chops to rouse a room.
With the hopes that the set would never end, the boys tore through "Hello, Hello," "The Rhythm," and a new cut, "Two Shoes." Here we saw the keyboard skills of Oliver McGill, who could play with any top jazz-fusion group on the scene. In the background is Jamshid Khadiwala holding the DJ spot. With an incredible ear and a few nifty dance steps, he adds his turntable technique to an already roaring sound.
The Empire brought the evening to a close with "Chariot," a whimsical piece that had me questioning the building code of the Lions Den. With every lyric and every stop beat, the Empire Heads were dancing up a storm. This band just plain knows how to play their instruments and write material. Not something that is widespread in the world of music today.
The show closed with "A Night That Never Ends," and all went home with their money’s worth. Some bands are brilliant. They raise the bar and do something that no one else does. The Cat Empire is that band.