cat empire tour support

Where The Angels Fall

New album out now.

“Felix and I first formed The Cat Empire more than 20 years ago and a sheer zest for music was floating in the air. We had many conversations about new concepts, like the piano playing the rhythms, the percussion forming the melody, and things were fresh and exciting to say the least. When Felix and I decided to create our most recent recording, Where The Angels Fall, we were determined to recapture the energy of our debut release. Not only were we brilliantly successful, not a day of its making going by without big grins on our faces, we also managed to make one of the most sophisticated albums in The Cat Empire repertoire. I have been listening to this album on repeat and am still in love with it”

– Ollie

“I’m so excited to have this album out in the world. I think our fans are going to love it. We put everything we had (and then some) into making it. It was pure music making from the first note to the last. It’s overflowing with dynamics, contrasts, emotion, madness, and a deep sense of celebration. It came out of an immense time – the change of line up, the death of my younger brother, the effects of Covid on live music. Coming through all that with songs that are going to light up stages for years to come feels very very special. I’m pinching myself. It’s the start of something magic.”

– Felix

UK/EUROPE/ROW

NORTH AMERICA

Legacy Merch & Back Catalogue Music

20TH ANNIVERSARY VINYL CATALOGUE RE-ISSUE

Get in touch

The Cat Empire Verified

Concerts and tour dates, bandsintown merch.

Live Photos of The Cat Empire

Latest Posts

Fan Reviews

Fans Also Follow

About the cat empire.

• All Artists »

The Cat Empire

The cat empire tour dates.

• FESTIVAL / TOUR

Aussie ska collective The Cat Empire will be embarking on a fall 2023 tour across North America promoting their next album 'Where the Angels Fall' . The 27-date outing kicks off October 18th in Ponte Vedra Beach and extends into November visiting U.S. cities like Fort Lauderdale, Raleigh, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Santa Ana and Seattle. Canadian shows are planned for Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Joining the tour in support will be special guests High Fade.

The Cat Empire will be releasing their ninth studio album 'Where the Angels Fall' on August 25th, 2023 via Ditto. The new album follows up 2019's 'Stolen Diamonds' which reached #4 in Australia. Back in 2015, the band toured extensively across North America along with support from Current Swell . The Melbourne-based group was formed in 1999 and currently consists of members Ollie McGill, Felix Riebl, Grace Barbé, Daniel Farrugia and Neda Rahmani.

The Cat Empire Concert Schedule

No events =(, about the cat empire tour albums.

The Cat Empire appeared on the music scene with the appearance of the album 'The Sun' released on November 30, 2001. The song 'The Mother Place' quickly became a fan favorite and made The Cat Empire one of the most popular performers at that time. Thereafter, The Cat Empire came out with the extremely beloved album 'Two Shoes' which includes some of the most well-known tracks from the The Cat Empire discography. 'Two Shoes' contains the track 'Sly' which has proven to be the most recognized for followers to experience during the performances. In addition to 'Sly' , many of other songs from 'Two Shoes' have also become recognized as a result. A few of The Cat Empire's most beloved tour albums and songs are seen below. After 15 years since the release of 'The Sun' and making a massive effect in the business, followers consistently gather to see The Cat Empire on stage to play songs from the entire catalog.

The Cat Empire Tour Albums and Songs

The Cat Empire: Two Shoes

• In My Pocket
• The Car Song
• Sol y Sombra
• Party Started
• Protons, Neutrons, E...
• The Night That Never...

The Cat Empire: The Cat Empire

• How To Explain
• Days Like These
• The Lost Song
• The Chariot
• One Four Five
• The Wine Song

The Cat Empire: So Many Nights

• So Many Nights
• The Darkness
• No Longer There
• Lonely Moon
• No Mountain
• Strong Coffee
• Til the Ocean Takes ...
• Voodoo Cowboy

The Cat Empire: Steal the Light

• Brighter Than Gold
• Prophets in the Sky
• Steal the Light
• Wild Animals
• Still Young
• Like a Drum
• Open Up Your Face
• Sleep Won't Sleep
• Don't Throw Your Han...
• All Night Loud

The Cat Empire: Cinema

• Feeling's Gone
• The Heart Is A Cannibal
• Reasonably Fine
• Call Me Home

The Cat Empire Concert Tour Questions & Comments

The cat empire tour and concert ticket information.

• The Cat Empire tour dates has finally been reported.
• Sold Out concerts will not be an issue, we always have terrific seats.
• Tickets for the forthcoming The Cat Empire concert are on sale.
• Tour schedules for all The Cat Empire concerts are revised daily.
• Concert dates for The Cat Empire can be found above.

The Cat Empire might soon come to a city near you. Check out the The Cat Empire schedule above and push the ticket link to see our big selection of tickets. Browse our selection of The Cat Empire front row tickets, luxury boxes and VIP tickets. As soon as you locate the The Cat Empire tickets you need, you can buy your seats from our safe and secure checkout. Orders taken before 5pm are usually shipped within the same business day. To purchase last minute The Cat Empire tickets, browse through the eTickets that can be downloaded instantly.

The Cat Empire Top Tour Album

Concert Tracker

• Follow your favorite performers and cities
• Receive alerts when new shows are announced
• Get updates for the latest concert schedules
• Never miss a show again!

Trending Tours

Bruce Springsteen

Janet Jackson

Justin Timberlake

The Rolling Stones

Lauren Daigle

Morgan Wallen

Megan Thee Stallion

The Cat Empire Announce National Tour in Support of Forthcoming Album ‘Where The Angels Fall’

By Jules LeFevre

Veteran party band The Cat Empire will hit the road in September this year in support of their upcoming ninth album, Where The Angels Fall. The album is due to be released on Friday, 25th August, and the band will head out on tour a few weeks later, kicking it off in Sydney at the Enmore Theatre on Friday, 15th September.

The Melbourne outfit will then move through Brisbane, Byron Bay, and Adelaide, before finishing up in Melbourne at the Forum on Friday, 6th October. See the full rundown on dates and details below.

The Cat Empire: ‘Money Coming My Way’

We’ve heard a handful of tracks of the new record so far: ‘ Thunder Rumbles ‘, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, and the recently released ‘Money Coming My Way’.

“This song’s got a big tongue in cheek, and in many ways, it harks back to some of the first album antics,” longtime frontman Felix Riebl said of the track. “Who can afford the cost of living these days? Everything is so expensive!  Really, we just wanted to have some fun with this one.”

Riebl and Ollie McGill remain as the only original members of the band. The founding group announced they’d be parting ways back in 2021 , with Riebl and McGill continuing on with new members. Those new members were revealed in March this year , and include bassist Grace Barbe, Cuban trumpeter Lazaro Numa, brass players Ross Irwin and Kieran Conrau, drummer Daniel Farrugia, and percussionist Neda Rahmani.

The Cat Empire Where The Angels Fall Tour 2023

With Coterie (All Shows), Steph Strings (Not Playing Syd) Roshani (Syd Only)

• Friday September 15 – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney
• Friday September 22 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
• Saturday September 23 – The Green Room, Byron Bay
• Friday September 29 – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide
• Friday October 6 – The Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Tickets are on sale now.

Further Reading

The Cat Empire Introduce New Members and Launch New Era With ‘Thunder Rumbles’

The Cat Empire’s Felix Riebl Announces New Album, ‘Everyday Amen’

The Cat Empire Announces Final Tour With Current Lineup

Share article

A Guide to Every Australian Music Festival Happening in 2023/24

A Guide to Every International Tour Coming to Australia in 2023/24

The Top 50 Australian Songs of 2023

AJ Tracey, RAYE, Faye Webster + More Announce Laneway 2024 Sideshows

Golden Plains 2024: The Streets, Yussef Dayes, Cymande + More

WOMADelaide Announces 2024 Lineup: Gilberto Gil, Arooj Aftab, Yussef Dayes, WITCH + More

triple j’s Like A Version – The Complete List

Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2023: 100-1

Hiatus Kaiyote Announce New Album ‘Love Heart Cheat Code’, Share Single + Tour Dates

Track By Track: The Cat Empire Break Down New Album ‘Where The Angels Fall’

Tia Gostelow Announces ‘Head Noise’ National Tour, Shares New Single

Body Type Announce National Tour in Support of Forthcoming Album ‘Expired Candy’

The Cat Empire

All upcoming events.

Festivalpark Werchter | Werchter, BELGIUM

Rock werchter 2024, latest setlist, the cat empire on april 6, 2024.

Australian Coastal Tour

3 Oceans Winery, Metricup, Australia

Note: Setlist incomplete

Popular Tracks

• Share onFacebook
• Share onTwitter
• Share onInstagram
• Share onYouTube
• Share onSubscribe to our Newsletters

Get The Magazine

The best in culture from a cultural icon. Subscribe now for more from the authority on music, entertainment, politics and pop culture.

Newsletter Signup

‘Music Has Kind of Been a Godsend’: How The Cat Empire Made Their Most Fun & Cathartic Album Yet

While making ‘where the angels fall’, felix riebl realised the band is only just scratching the surface of where it could go.

Giulia McGauran

“Music has kind of been a godsend.”

It’s a sentimentality shared by many, particularly in the wake of a global pandemic. But for The Cat Empire’s Felix Riebl, music has been both the catharsis and celebration he needed.

The band shocked fans when, in 2021, they announced their decision to disband after 20 years together, with original members Will Hull-Brown, Jamshid Khadiwhala, and Harry James Angus departing the band in December of that year. Bassist Ryan Monro had already left several months earlier.

While the music industry reeled from the effects of COVID-19, and The Cat Empire struggled with the logistics of farewelling departing members during intermittent lockdowns and restrictions, Riebl was facing personal tragedy at home: his younger brother, Max, was dying from an incurable brain cancer at the age of 30.

“For me this is a deeply spiritual album,” Riebl says of the band’s new release, Where the Angels Fall . “This album was great relief and joy, but it was also kind of survival for me, at an emotional level, I guess.”

When it came time to name the album, a lyric from the track “Thunder Rumbles” seemed the most fitting.

“Looking through at what it was going to be called, Where the Angels Fall seemed to be true to all of that: it’s got reference to spirits and it’s got reference to the devil and it’s got reference to the artwork and the space that we were in and the time,” Riebl explains. “It’s also funny because when you break down the words it’s just ‘WTAF’.”

The band has welcomed newcomers Grace Barbé on bass, Neda Rahmani on percussion, Lazaro Numa on trumpet, and percussion and former touring member Danny Farrugia on drums.

For Rahmani, the decision to join The Cat Empire was an obvious one. A long-time friend and fan of the band, it was a joy to play with them now after previously playing multiple stages beside them.

“I’ve been there for their landmark moments as a fan and a friend in the audience just seeing what their latest releases are, and I’ve had such a great appreciation for their artwork, their choices, their collaborations, their writing – so it was picking up the phone from an old friend, but also a logical move, and made creative sense to me – I didn’t need to deliberate over it for a second,” Rahmani laughs. “I guess that’s just every artist’s dream, for their friends to understand them, to see them; to see how you perform or how you relate to your community, and to feel like you could join their family.”

For Riebl, it was never about “replacing” the original band members.

“You don’t maintain or uphold the spirit of a band by just replacing members like for like and saying we’ll try to copy what they did – you can’t, it would always be second-best,” he says. “If you want to keep the spirit of a band alive, you have to bring in people who are going to play to their strengths and do what they can do.”

It was exciting, he continues, to get to the stage of recording with the new members and realise it was going to work.

“Because nerves are also really important,” he adds. “Doubts and all those sorts of things are really important, because if you didn’t have them then you wouldn’t have skin in the game. Whereas with this, it was a genuine challenge and a genuine leap of faith to try and see how this was going to happen.”

In many ways, Riebl is treating Where the Angels Fall as a type of debut: this is The Cat Empire 2.0, if you will. And, funnily enough, it has been produced by Andy Baldwin – the same engineer behind the band’s self-titled debut album in 2003.

“In some ways it was a return to the spirit of what The Cat Empire is:  we want this to be like the first album – not in terms of sound, we’ve developed a lot as musicians – but in terms of intent and that overflow; that spirit and that sense of surprise that comes with a really good Cat Empire recording,” Riebl says. “And with Andy, it was really nice to bookend those two moments, those two debuts in a way. That’s how I’m thinking of it.”

The band took a different approach to recording this album, using a chaotic community music hub in the heart of Melbourne to create something with a life of its own.

“We chose to go to a community music space because we didn’t want it to feel isolated,” Riebl reveals. “We didn’t want to go to a dark studio and go, this is just our world, and this is how it is. We kind of wanted to be spilling out onto the street – that’s how the album feels to me, it feels like it overflows, it leaves the speakers and goes genuinely out into the world.”

Riebl says there was something about the space, which housed composer Peter Sculthorpe’s piano, along with century-old marching band uniforms and even a gong, which brought out a playful childishness in the band.

“We were kind of like kids going into that first music space, like let’s try on this hat, and let’s go hit that gong over there,” he happily recalls. “So, there was something foundational about the whole experience, like what was that thing that made you go back to that room full of instruments? What was that thing that piqued your interest when you were a kid? And returning to that space to tap into that childishness was a lot of fun, if nothing else.”

Having orchestras and bands rehearsing in the space – along with a myriad of percussionists and musicians brought in by Rahmani and the other band members – resulted in a mammoth 75 musicians playing on Where the Angels Fall .

Riebl says from early pre-production, he and [Ollie] McGill wanted this to be “the most Cat Empire album” they had ever made.

“So, instead of layering up three horns a few times to get a nine-horn sound, we’d get nine horn players in there to play it, so you get the personality of that,” he explains. “Instead of getting a string quartet, we got a 10-piece symphonic string section. We just went over the top with everything – that was our mode: let’s go over the top with every sound and every song and treat each song as a world unto itself. It was wild. It’s by far the most fun I’ve ever had making an album.”

Riebl speaks fondly of what he calls “danger” on an album, or the inability to figure out exactly what is going on sonically.

“You think about Dr. John’s  Gris-Gris or something like that, and you go, ‘What the hell is happening in that to make that sound?’” he laughs. “I think that this album for us has a bit of that quality. Even having had months of distance from it and listening back to it, it’s like, ‘What did we do there?’ You forget.”

The mystery, he adds, is so important.

“If you want to create something that has a true sense of celebration to it, it has to navigate a lot of different spaces: it has to be dangerous – you have to be able to sing about great sadness on the same record as singing about something absolutely stupid,” Riebl says. “All of it goes together to create a sense of overflow: it’s not a glass half empty or glass half full view of the world, it’s overflow. That’s what The Cat Empire does well when it’s doing its thing.”

That juxtaposition of light and shade is highlighted on Riebl’s favourite track on the album, a song he wrote for his brother called “Be With You Again”.

“It’s such a sad song, and I had a lot of tears recording the vocal for that song – and tears of companionship, in a way; they weren’t altogether bad,” he says. “But for The Cat Empire, how do you write something that’s a lament, essentially, and still give it that sense of life celebration, or life affirmation?”

The answer, in this case, was taking almost hymn-like chords and adding a Samba Reggae rhythm to create an underlying celebration.

“For me that speaks a lot to what The Cat Empire can do, or what I can do with The Cat Empire, and that’s not to say that we should be afraid of those feelings,” Riebl adds. “Because we’ve already performed that song live, and it’s very moving, not just because it’s about me – it’s about everyone in the space who, in the face of something impossible or terrible or irreconcilable, is able to still find occasional cause to see life or be in life or to celebrate what it is to be alive.”

Riebl explains that he felt closest to his brother on stage or in the studio.

“And I really don’t mean that in an affected way, I just mean actually I feel like I can have a conversation with the dead when I’m in the movement of music,” he says. “You can be with the dead who you miss or who you love in the space of movement, for me, and that’s what the band can do. And I have become critically aware of that in the past year.”

That makes what the band does – particularly on an international level – even more special, he says.

“For the deeper celebration, which is grief, terror, joy, everything in between: it all gets thrown in together, in terms of what a human experience is,” Riebl explains. “What it is to be amongst one another, and what it is to be faced with the quiet challenge of your own life. And the band just makes cause to celebrate that or makes cause to allow for those few hours of departure, whenever we get a chance to play together.”

From grief and loss to joy and love, The Cat Empire is embracing all of it right now, and there is one thing Riebl almost cringes to hear himself say out loud.

“ Part of the reason why I’ve been so excited about what’s happened is that you don’t often get a chance to fall in love twice. I think I was about 19 when Ollie and I officially put The Cat Empire together with Ryan on bass, and it was a trio that grew and everyone I met in the early days was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing, I’ve got to be in it’ – and the chemistry happened. Now I have the opportunity to have that a second time and re-discover that genuine love for a project and through new eyes, through new people, through fresh energy and talent.”

And while making this album, Riebl realised the band is only just scratching the surface of where it could go.

“For me, having The Cat Empire come back and realise how creative a band it is, and how expansive it can be, we can pretty much choose any musical style and it can become Cat Empire. Any rabbit hole we want to go down, or any place in the world we want to get to and be influenced by we can, and that’s one of the beauties of this band: it’s not pigeonholed,” he says. “So purely from a musician’s perspective and an outlook for a career and imagining becoming genuinely happy old people on stage together – not that we’re old now, but I can see that. This album was kind of a launch pad to my falling in love with music all over again.”

Now, Riebl says, it’s just a matter of putting in the work and enjoying the ride.

“That’s all you can do, especially these days. You can’t take anything for granted, I think that’s something we’ve learned collectively. Especially in the music world, but probably in the broader sense, too,” he says. “I appreciate that feeling of making every night count – that’s important to me now. Whereas once maybe it was about an ambition to get somewhere or to create a legacy, now it’s really to enjoy the ride as much as we can and to be as true musically… and be as childish musically as we possibly can be.”

The Cat Empire’s Where the Angels Fall is out via Ditto. Watch their recent Rolling Stone AU/NZ ‘In My Room’ session here .

The Cat Empire 2023 Australian Tour

Tickets available via thecatempire.com

Friday, September 15th Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW

Friday, September 22nd Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD

Saturday, September 23rd The Green Room, Byron Bay, NSW

Friday, September 29th Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide, SA

Thursday, October 5th (NEW SHOW) The Forum, Melbourne, VIC

Friday, October 6th (SOLD OUT) The Forum, Melbourne, VIC

• Album Reviews
• Live Reviews
• Australian Music Festivals
• Sustainability Expand the sub menu
• The First Time
• How I Wrote This
• Cover Shoots
• Rolling Stone Daily News
• Rolling Stone Interview
• Rolling Stone Australia Awards 2022 Expand the sub menu
• The 200 Expand the sub menu
• Competition Ts & Cs
• Terms of use
• RS Recommends

Alerts & Newsletters

• Submit a Tip
• Submit an op-ed
• Submit a video

Support long-form journalism. Subscribe to Rolling Stone Magazine

• Empire Agriculture
• Empire Renewable Energy
• Empire Rental
• Empire Truck & Trailer
• SITECH Southwest
• Take-Off Professionals
• Positioning Solutions
• Employee Login
• Cat Electronic Technician
• Cat Rental Store
• Parts.Cat.Com
• SOS Fluid Analysis
• VIEW ALL ONLINE TOOLS

WE HAVE YOUR BACK

You run more than equipment. You run an entire operation. That's why we have a team of dedicated product support specialists ready to provide 24/7 support. Whether you need basic parts, financing or a comprehensive value agreement, we can help enhance every aspect of your operation — so you can work faster and more efficiently than ever.

Check out this featured video from Specialized Services Company to see how we provide support every step of the way.

MANAGE MY EQUIPMENT

Make equipment management easy with the latest mobile apps and online tools.

VALUE AGREEMENTS

Protect your investment with one easy plan.

Helping you and your team remain safe and current.

Whatever you need hauled, we'll get it there.

Simple credit solutions for every purchase.

TOOLS THAT MAKE IT EASY

 Operate your business more efficiently from the office or jobsite with these technology tools.

VISIONLINK & PRODUCT LINK

VisionLink® telematics makes it easy to manage your fleet. Get real-time access to key information like fuel usage and working time vs. idle time, plus timely alerts to inform you when an issue occurs. Product Link™ is available with new Cat equipment and transmits valuable data via cellular and satellite technology.

CAT INSPECT

Regular inspections are crucial for detecting potential equipment performance and safety issues before they become a problem. Perform a fast, accurate evaluation of your equipment's health and condition. Use the checklists to conduct a point-by-point assessment before sending the model back into service.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

New equipment, get the latest empire news.

Empire Southwest has acquired Cashman Equipment and is now your local Cat dealer for the Arizona, Nevada, and parts of Eastern California. Take a look at our new store fronts and discover all the solutions Empire has to offer. To learn more about this transition view our press release.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Track By Track: The Cat Empire Break Down New Album ‘Where The Angels Fall’

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

The Cat Empire have released their ninth album, Where The Angels Fall . It arrives four years after the Melbourne party ensemble’s previous effort, Stolen Diamonds , and it’s the first record to feature the band’s new lineup . The Cat Empire continues to be led by Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill , who’re now joined by bassist and vocalist Grace Barbé, trumpeter Lazaro Numa, brass players Ross Irwin and Kieran Conrau, drummer Daniel Farrugia, and percussionist and vocalist Neda Rahmani.

Riebl and co. will take Where The Angels Fall on the road this September, playing headline shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Adelaide and Melbourne. Find all of the dates here and keep reading to learn more about the album’s fourteen tracks.

The Cat Empire: Where the Angels Fall

1. thunder rumbles.

The Cat Empire: ‘Thunder Rumbles’ is high-octane from start to finish. It’s got all the elements, and then some, of a Cat Empire classic. A New Orleansy sousaphone kicks it off, makes its way to a stadium Latin break in the middle, then keeps flying from there.

It’s brass heavy – played by the Horns of Leroy – drum heavy, and high drama. The lyrics are more or less a brawl of celebration. It’s going to blast out your speakers and from many stages for a long time to come. It feels like a great intro to what’s in store.

2. Boom Boom

The Cat Empire: This track started as a vocal hook by Felix, with Ollie coming up with the bass line and some of the other musical components that helped bring the track into a more bombastic and audacious setting – a tough electronic/synthetic skeleton when we were in the demo stage.

Once we got in the studio, we added the rhythm section followed by a session with West African percussionists Mohamed Camara and Boubacar Gaye of Ausecuma Beats . Then it was just about creating some chaos and colour – Afrobeat horns, a duet with Grace Barbé, samples, and tres – and it took shape naturally.

The song is about the walking dead coming back to life, a city of music reemerging. It’s about Melbourne in a way. One of the driving factors of embarking on this new era of The Cat Empire came from an internal will not to disappear in the post-haze of lockdowns.

The band has always represented live music, a place where people can get out of their everyday and celebrate. As people come out of their cultural hibernation, as they’re now doing around the world, we wanted The Cat Empire to be there, more bombastic than ever. ‘Boom Boom’ is our tribute to that.

3. Money Coming My Way

The Cat Empire: This song’s a bit tongue in cheek, and in many ways, it harks back to some of the first album antics. Who can afford the cost of living these days? Everything is so expensive. Really, we just wanted to have some fun with this one. After that, we added some crazier details, like getting the Heidelberg Wind Ensemble involved, who just so happened to be rehearsing in the space we recorded the album in one night.

There’s a moment where our producer Andy Baldwin acts out the part of a NYC police officer on the squad car radio announcing a robbery, which happened spontaneously and caused raucous late night studio laughter.

This one’s a single. In the context of an album that has a lot of depth and diversity, this is one of the lighter moments.

The Cat Empire: This track’s a mysterious, sultry pop duet with Felix and Grace Barbé as vocalists. The song itself was written late one night at a piano, but really came to life when Ollie McGill added his electronic and synthetic ideas. The rhythm section played over that bed to give the song its organic elements. There’s a tres break and a trumpet solo that features the Cuban trumpeter Lazaro Numa, whose sound is a big part of the band’s new character.

Production-wise, ‘Deeper’ swims and cuts at different points but it’s brought together by the chorus, which is undoubtedly the album’s biggest earworm. There’s something fresh and classic about this one. It’s a very unique moment on the album.

The Cat Empire: This is the most epic, expansive song on the album, and maybe one of the most ambitious we’ve ever recorded. With full rhythm section, symphonic strings, grand piano, eight tearing horns, flamenco guitar, percussion, palmas, Cuban percussion, and a highly passionate vocal performance, ‘Owl’ takes flight.

It’s a journey song, a dedication to creativity, to tour, to performance, to loss, to life. The song starts with an inanimate object coming alive and a dream sequence based on an actual dream. But the lyrics don’t need to be understood – ‘Owl’ wants to be experienced in the rush of the music.

6. Dance the Night Away

The Cat Empire: This song, written about Felix’s six-year-old daughter Anya, is a foot-stomping 60s rock number, with the sole purpose to make people dance. It’s an in-your-face, electric guitar/tres-driven track that culminates in an extended, rambling, euphoric outro.

It was a lot of fun to play and features the bare bones rhythm section of Danny Farrugia (drums), Yuri Pavlinov (bass), and Ollie McGill (piano and Organ). We can see this one taking flight at sunset on a big festival stage.

7. Be With You Again

The Cat Empire: ‘Be With You Again’ is a dedication to Felix’s late brother Max Riebl, who died in 2022 at the age of 30. As an eight-year-old boy, Max came up with the name The Cat Empire, and performed with the band many times.

Instead of a lament, the song carries grief with a sound that is uplifting. The circular chords are given movement by a full Brazilian drumming section led by band percussionist Neda Rahmani, choral vocals, a wind symphony, a trumpet call that echoes Max’s performance in earlier song, ‘Miserere’, and perhaps the most authentic vocal delivery Felix has ever given.

This is not a song that will halt a performance by the band, rather add greater depth to it, and it will be played as a tribute to Max for many years to come.

8. Rock ‘n’ Roll

Felix Riebl: ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ started while we were working on ideas in my Brunswick studio. The chorus chant came from an old voice memo I had tucked away labelled “epic Irish” and the two ideas married soon after that.

Once I’d found the words, chords, and melody, the production team of Ollie McGill, Andy Baldwin, Ross Irwin, and myself started imagining a kind of cinematic road scene. Insert Spanish claps (palmas), strings, borderland Mexican trumpets, brooding drums and bass, piano, timpani, clanging thunder amps, and the song came to life.

It was a very natural recording process, clear lines, no second-guessing. We’ve played it at every show so far and it has that great quality of singing itself. The audience members hear the chorus for the first time and it feels like they’ve known it forever.

9. Coming Back Again

The Cat Empire: This track belongs to the moments in The Cat Empire experience where sound overflows. Blaring, cascading horns, a soccer stadium chant, rolling, epic drums, and a whole lot more.

In the crashing middle part of the song, the track goes into a blues rock section highlighted by a didge, played by “Tjup” Adrian Fabilia of the Black Arm Band, which breaks down into the song’s most bittersweet moment.

‘Coming Back Again’, which recounts scenes of people coming back from adversity, is about the perseverance of life and joy, in the context of loss, and the determination that that requires.

10. West Sun

The Cat Empire: This song, with its Aussie meets trad New Orleans lilt, is about sunset at a suburban back porch shindig. There are drinks, kids, animal babies, screaming neighbours, and plenty of instruments long into the night.

The song tips its cap to late Melbourne legend Gil Askey, who was a big part of our young musical careers, and whose song ‘On and On and On’ inspired many occasions like the one that the song speaks of.

Among the sprawling horns of the Horns of Leroy, soloing on trumpet in the middle of ‘West Sun’ is The Cat Empire’s long-time member, album co-producer and arranger Ross Irwin.

11. Old Dog, New Trick

The Cat Empire: This track, with its heavy Caribbean swagger, tips its hat to Ernest Ranglin and the albums Ollie and Felix listened to as teenagers. It wanders through a fantastical day in the life of a musician who’s been around the block, who falls into a carnival parade and talks with ghosts, discovering experience is the source of renewal.

It was one of the first songs we worked on in the writing phase, and its hook – “Old dog, new trick” – became a kind of unspoken goal for the new album and shows. It features Ollie on piano and Havana-born trumpeter Lazaro Numa on trumpet.

12. Oh Mercy

The Cat Empire: When we set out to record ‘Oh Mercy’, our intent was to create something genuinely wild and expansive. The result was a samba disco track that echoes a Brazilian street parade with lyrics in English, Mauritian Creole, and Portuguese. It makes you want to go to a roller disco each time you get to the chorus.

It features a Brazilian percussion ensemble led by dancer and percussionist Neda Rahmani, strings, layered horns, and the full Cat Empire rhythm section experience. None of us are entirely sure what the lyrics are about, but it comes across as roving festival chaos.

The Cat Empire: ‘Walls’ is one of those songs where melodic simplicity is key. It’s an instance where the demo, developed by Ollie and Felix pre-album, sounded very close to the finished product, minus the richness, depth and sounds that came from the in-studio performances.

When we were coming up with sounds, we made broad references to Aussie rock-reggae music of the 80s. Neda Rahmani’s voice can be heard in the Portuguese lines that echo Felix in the verses, and Grace Barbé sings harmonies and counter lines through the choruses.

In the context of an album full of wild and diverse colours and dynamics, this track’s strength is its musical sparsity and melodic directness, which allow the somewhat enigmatic lyrics to come to life.

14. Drift Away

The Cat Empire: ‘Drift Away’ is a dreamy island ballad that closes the album. The song was written in a day and came together seamlessly in the studio with the album rhythm section and West African percussionists Mohamed Camara and Boubacar Gaye.

It’s a love duet, performed by Felix and Grace Barbé, who also sings in Seychellois Creole. One of Felix’s influences in writing this song with Grace was listening to the 1960s album An Evening With Belafonte/Mouskouri .

The Cat Empire’s ninth album Where The Angels Fall is out now. Listen here

Further Reading

The Cat Empire Announce National Tour in Support of Forthcoming Album ‘Where The Angels Fall’

The Cat Empire Introduce New Members and Launch New Era With ‘Thunder Rumbles’

triple j’s Like A Version in 2016

The post Track By Track: The Cat Empire Break Down New Album ‘Where The Angels Fall’ appeared first on Music Feeds .

Recommended Stories

O.j. simpson dead at 76 after battle with cancer, family announces.

O.J. Simpson, one of the most infamous figures in U.S. history, had been battling cancer.

2024 NBA Mock Draft 6.0: Projections for every pick following March Madness

With the NCAA tournament behind us, here's an updated look at Yahoo Sports' first- and second-round projections for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Here’s who will pay for Biden’s student loan cancellations

Cancelling student debt is a windfall for the borrowers who benefit, but taxpayers foot the bill.

Republicans (?!?) are killing a tax cut

In a flip of the usual priorities, Senate Republicans seem likely to kill a set of tax cuts that have already passed the House and are broadly popular. Here's why.

2025 Toyota 4Runner (finally!) revealed, and the new Trailhunter is extremely cool

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is finally arriving this fall with a full lineup including returning TRD Pro and new Trailhunter. Hybrid power now available.

2025 Toyota 4Runner vs Land Cruiser vs the old 4Runner: How they compare

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner looks like it'll be a clear improvement to its predecessor. Though looking at the specs, it may pose a problem for the Land Cruiser

Adam Silver: Raptors’ Jontay Porter accused of ‘cardinal sin’ in betting scandal, full ban a possibility

The league is investigating Jontay Porter over several betting irregularities in which player props on him all hit after he left games early.

2024 NFL Draft guide: 32 teams, 32 needs, picks, best fits and more

What selections does your team have? What areas should it address? Who's the dream fantasy pick? We cover all that and more for every franchise right here.

Why the Fed risks relearning the painful inflation lessons of the 1970s

The Fed is aiming to avoid a repeat of the double inflation episode that rocked the 1970s and early 1980s.

Report: Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore planned significant payroll cuts with Timberwolves

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore reportedly planned to bring the Timberwolves below the projected luxury tax threshold next season, which left Glen Taylor very concerned.

Melbourne Syphony Orchestra

MSO Box Office (03) 9929 9600 ( Phone only Mon–Fri, 10am to 5pm )

Search keyword or phrase Search Close window

The Cat Empire with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

About this performance

Featured artists, plan your visit.

$7 transaction fee / order

Thursday 22 August 2024

7:30pm at Hamer Hall

Friday 23 August 2024

7:30pm at Hamer Hall Selling fast

Saturday 24 August 2024

The legendary Australian band bring their beloved tunes and new sounds for a musically and immersive orchestral experience with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In this special concert at Hamer Hall, The Cat Empire joins forces with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in this electrifying collaboration. Performing some exciting new material as well as The Cat Empire classics re-invented for the orchestral world, these performances will draw on the vibrant worlds of Afro-Cuban, Seychellois Kreol, Brazilian and flamenco music combined with the band’s unique sense of musical style. Featuring world-class flamenco artists, this immersive orchestral experience shows this iconic band like you have never heard them before.

The Cat Empire Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Vanessa Scammell conductor Roscoe James Irwin arranger

The Cat Empire

Vanessa Scammell

Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Southbank.

The concert experience

Everything you need to know about attending an MSO concert.

Purchase assurance

Book tickets with confidence.

Special event

Katie Noonan x MSO

Thu 30 May Selling fast

Conductor Carlo Antonioli

Dan Sultan x MSO

Fri 12 July Selling fast

Stay tuned. Sign up.

• Most popular artists worldwide
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Edmonton concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Concerts near you
• Popular artists

Thursday 23 November 2023

The Cat Empire

Discover more in Edmonton

6107 104 Street NW Edmonton, AB, Canada 587.635.0974 midwaymusichall.com

Similar artists with upcoming concerts

Additional details.

Doors open: 20:00

Tour name: Where The Angels Fall Tour

Aussie icons The Cat Empire are taking their brand-new line-up of musicians & studio album on the road this October and November for a 28-date tour in North America and Mexico City. The Cat Empire’s new show will celebrate movement, vibrancy, and playfulness – with a host of new material as well as the crowd-favourites. Fans can expect surprise special guests, fresh interpretations of Cat Empire classics and a massive show that epitomises the herculean nature of their new album. After spending the first part of the year touring across Europe and the UK on their massive 23-date headline tour that was close to selling out, the band are taking their new album across Australia and the US. Expect to see fresh new material off their album Where The Angels Fall including vibrant and punchy new releases ‘Thunder Rumbles’, ‘Rock ’n’ Roll’ and ‘Money Coming My Way’. With a history of multiple platinum records, awards, sold out tours and over 250 million streams – The Cat Empire have officially entered their golden era.

Concert in your area for Reggae , Jazz , Rock , and Folk & Blues .

Find out more about Rock .

Share this concert

Related upcoming events.

• Saturday May 04, 2024 Talk Midway Music Hall, Edmonton
• Wednesday June 12, 2024 The Teskey Brothers Midway Music Hall, Edmonton
• Monday July 08, 2024 Shakey Graves Midway Music Hall, Edmonton
• Monday September 02, 2024 Kings of Leon Rogers Place, Edmonton

• Most popular charts
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• But we really hope you love us.

The Cat Empire 

Crosstown Concerts presents:

The Cat Empire 

plus special guests

Aussie icons The Cat Empire have had an illustrious career, spanning decades and genres. Illuminating stages across the globe, the band are a magnetic force that have captivated millions of adoring fans with their high energy performances and explosive sound and visuals. With the band’s infectious groove and vibrancy, audiences are guaranteed to shimmy, shake, and sing their way through a Cat Empire set. Continuing the legacy and the driving force behind the fresh new era for the band is Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill, two of the original three founding members of the group. Breathing energy into the band, the new project showcases a wonderful collective of musicians who make sure to retain the core DNA of The Cat Empire but include more collaborations, influences, and diverse artistry.

Leaning into a sense of musical curiosity with boundless possibilities, this newfound spirit shines an even brighter light on the band’s exuberant musicality, elevating their sound and broadening their influences.

On the live circuit, The Cat Empire’s new show celebrates movement, vibrancy, and playfulness – with a host of new material as well as the crowd-favourites. With a history of multiple platinum records, awards, sold out tours and over 250 million streams – The Cat Empire have officially entered their golden era.

Please note this show is 14+ (under 16s must be accompanied by an 18+ adult / Proof of age is required at entry.)