The Cat Empire are back touring the UK. And like many others at tonight’s gig at Bristols Marble Factory, I was looking forward to it, but I was a little apprehensive at the same time… As most Cat Empire fans will be aware, the band’s last tour in the UK had to be cut short back in 2020, and it would be a massive understatement to say the band has made a few changes since then… With only two of the original members left after the group disbanded in 2021, and with them rightly so having such a reputation for amazing live performances, I was really curious to see how they were going to perform.
Well, I really needn’t have worried. When I arrived The venue was filled to the brim with fans eagerly anticipating the band’s energetic, brass-driven sound, in fact, Bristol was the first date on the UK tour to completely sell out.
The first song of the night was “Bulls”, and the new lineup had the crowd on their feet from the moment they took to the stage, It’s still pretty much impossible to put this Latino/ska/jazz/funk band in any sort of musical pigeon hole and their tight musicianship and energetic stage presence kept the audience engaged throughout the night, with each member bringing their own unique flavour to the performance.
The setlist was a great balance of new and old, with songs like “Hello” and “How to Explain” from their first album to “Thunder Rumbles”, their latest single which was released only a couple of days before the gig, yet pretty much everyone in the room seemed to know the words to.
I guess for a little while yet this line-up will be compared to the old one, and yes it is noticeably different, but that’s not to say that it isn’t equally as entertaining, new band member Grace does a perfect job of stepping in where we would have normally heard Harry and if I’m honest, the only thing I really missed is the sound of Jumps and his turntable. The energy in the room is just as infectious as it ever was and there were hands in the air and feet bouncing for the whole evening.
It was great to hear the band keep the tradition of finishing their set with “The Chariot”, but not before heading off stage for the theatrical encore whilst the whole crowd chanted the chorus to “Still Young”
Overall, the Cat Empire delivered another stellar performance that left the crowd buzzing. If you ever get the chance to see them live, don’t hesitate – you won’t forget it!
