Review: The Cat Empire ‘Rising Of The Sun’ Tour

The instantly recognisable sounds of The Cat Empire filled London’s Eventim Apollo last night as part of their ‘Rising With The Sun’ tour that celebrates the band’s sixth album.

The six-piece from Australia have been treating the world to their famous bouncing reggae beats enthused with a Latin rhythm and overlapping brass sounds for over a decade now and show no sign of slowing down. The music bends and crosses a variety of musical genres and can only be described as a colourful and electric explosion of music.

In 2013 the Cat Empire’s fifth studio album, ‘Steal the Light’, was released to widespread acclaim. The record was packed full of catchy tunes and punchy riffs and the latest record continues in a similar vein. Recorded in the band’s home town of Melbourne with ‘Steal The Light’ producer and long-time friend Jan Skubiszeqski, ‘Rising With The Sun’ explores and deepens the themes established in the previous album.

Trumpeter Harry James Angus said “We wanted it to feel like you are watching a big colourful cacophonous parade marking past”. The accompanying tour certainly achieves that, with a carnival atmosphere and a technicolour, circus-style stage set to match.

The band played a handful of tracks from ‘Steal the Light’ such as ‘How to Explain’ and ‘Brighter than Gold’ as well as new party pieces that were sure-fire crowd-pleasers. It’s often the case with large bands with members get lost and are unable to display their individual musical talent, but each got their time with stomping 5 minute bongo drum and trumpet solos that showcased the incredible flair of these musicians.

Front man Felix must also be mentioned for his dizzying energy and dynamic dance moves. During the course of the evening the electric energy in the theatre intensified, culminating in a sequence of ever-more enthusiastic encores.

The band are due to head back to home turf and begin their Australia tour that promises to see out the Australian summer season in style. Get your tickets at thecatempire.com.

Photos by Ellie Pinney