The Cat Empire

Listen Up!

by Jennifer Ross on 21.07.09

Lounging in his chair backstage at the Academy in Birmingham, Felix Riebl thinks The Cat Empire’s European tour is going well.

“All the shows so far have been lovely, the response has been great,” he says, “it’s been 18 months and people have come back in much higher numbers.”
The Australian group, who played at the Manchester Academy on July 7, have previously supported the late soul legend James Brown and played in the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. With influences ranging from Thelonius Monk and Bob Marley to Eastern European and cinema music, they transcend genres.

In February this year The Cat Empire released ‘Live on Earth’ – two CDs containing versions of their songs from gigs across the globe. Effectively a ‘best of’, the album is a showcase for the huge range of styles that this group is capable of – from the laid-back reggae of ‘Days like These’, to the Eastern influences of ‘The Darkness’ and sexy Latin American in ‘The Rhythm’. The track to listen out for, however, is ‘The Chariot’.

“That’s a song that we will often finish shows with and it’s a bit like an anthem,” Riebl explains, “it’s a sort of song I wrote for the audience and my friends in the audience. It’s an anti-war song. I suppose it sums up the Cat Empire.”

When asked how he would describe the band’s sound to someone who hadn’t heard it before, Riebl says, “honestly, I’d say that they should come to a show and see it because after people have seen the show they don’t feel the need to explain it – they just enjoy it. It’s very lively music, the musicians are very good. A world music band I suppose is the best way to describe it.

“I go out and experience things or read about things or listen to music and put words to harmonies and form good melodies that work. I try and write choruses that people might sing. It’s one of the most wonderful things to be in a band and have people singing your choruses.

“So, when I write songs for this band I try and write choruses, but also leave the arrangement open enough for the musicians to do what they do well – improvisation.”

The group was formed in 1999 and takes its name from a drawing by Riebl’s younger brother, Max, which featured cats wearing crowns and carrying guns. Originally a trio, by 2001 The Cat Empire had grown to being a six-piece.

“I remember when we started out playing small jazz clubs, just thinking that if 100 people arrived it would be pretty much the best thing ever… then after a while, I think in Montreal a few years ago, we played to 150,000 people, which was great! But in a band like this really it comes down to how fresh everyone’s feeling and how well we’re playing together and you can have an amazing show to 100 people or a great show to 10,000.”

Despite being big news in Australia and Canada they are still almost unknown in the UK. However, the 28 year-old front-man predicts that this could soon change: “I think the next album is going to do really well over here. It’s going to bring us some fans.

“It’s going to be different; that’s all I can say. We’re going to try something really new and ambitious for the band.”

The Cat Empire’s next album will be released at the end of 2010, they are currently touring Europe until July 24.