The Cat Empire endeared themselves to Adelaide audiences years ago, when they were a relatively unknown Melbourne band. They were asked to perform as the house band at the infamous Spiegeltent for the 2002 Adelaide Fringe and went on from there to international fame.
They were warmly welcomed onto the Festival Theatre stage to rapturous applause and, within moments, the crowd were singing along to their favourite songs as The Cat Empire performed numbers from their impressive repertoire.
The Cat Empire members are: Felix Riebl on vocals and percussion, Ollie McGill on keyboard, Ryan Monro plays the double bass, and Will Hull Brown on the drums. Add to this the impressive horn section which is Harry James Angus on the trumpet and, for full shows, they invest in the talents of Ross Irwin and Kieren Conrau, fondly known as the empire horns. Last, but not least is Jumps, on the DJ turntable, whose skilful talent just adds to this already full sound.
What they create, as a whole, is so unique and, at times, hard to describe. Their music is infused with jazz, salsa, and funk, along with Latin influences. Their bossa nova undertones find their way into your hips, which just makes you want to get up and dance. Both audience and band were taken a little out of their comfort zones on this particular eve as those on stage were used to playing to a moving audience, not a seated one, and those in attendance were used to dancing. Throughout the theatre, however, I could see many a chair-dancer, which eventually turned into the whole crowd dancing on their feet, such is pull of The Cat Empire.
Not completely sure how they would fit into the Cabaret genre, this group of incredibly talented musicians brought the house down in their sell out show. Much to the audience's delight many old favourites were played such as, How to Explain, Two Shoes, The Lost Song, and, for an encore, Hello.
To aid them in the spirit of cabaret, they were joined on stage throughout the night by four very talented cabaret performers: Kelly Ann Doll, who performed burlesque, Anna Lumb provided entertainment with her hoops, Louis Biggs showcased his dance and break-dance skills, and Captain Frodo was outstanding with his sensational balancing on a tower of cans act. I don't know whose idea it was to include these talented performers on stage to share the space with the band, but it was a good one, as it added much to the evening.
The Cat Empire lift you to a place from which you don't want to come down. The night was filled with back to back music. Riebl introducing the odd song along the way, but there was really not much need for talking, as The Cat Empire's music speaks for itself. In a way, the night was an end of an era, as The Cat Empire have been working on a new album and so, after the Adelaide Cabaret Festival show, they will be putting some old songs to rest. This was bittersweet for their die-hard fans to hear, but made it all the more special for those who were there, as we were the audience chosen to possibly hear these songs performed live for the last time. The band wants to move on with new material, and there are plenty of people out there who are looking forward to their release of new music.
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Reviewed by Fiona Talbot-Leigh, Sunday 10th June 2018.