Concert Review: Cat Empire

Our reviewer gives in to the music

Cat Empire Cat Empire

Article by Victoria Dvorsky

There were many musical performances this weekend but none were as compelling as Cat
Empire’s show at Corona Theatre. That might sound like a bold statement to you but I have never seen a crowd with such stamina. Everyone was drenched in sweat, but the dancing just wouldn’t stop. “It’s too hot” just didn’t seem like a good enough reason to leave the dance floor. The theatre was filled with echoes of the crowd singing along to their music. It became more important than catching your breath. The solos in and of themselves were enough to stir up the utmost excitement. You might go in there thinking you’ll refrain from dancing or cramming yourself into the crowd. I thought I was going to take it easy, but I couldn’t. You just can’t not dance at a Cat Empire concert.

These guys have yet to let Montreal down. When you have a band featuring a wizard on
the keys, a stellar DJ, trumpet and trombone players with fierce sets of lungs and two vocalists with killer pipes it would be almost impossible to cause disappointment. It is not surprising to encounter the skill of these working musicians considering the passion they share and the amount of touring they do. They are originally from Melbourne, Australia but have been all over the globe on several occasions. It makes for a sensational performance.

Their set list consisted of various songs from different albums. The band opened with ‘Brighter Than Gold’ getting their audience ready to go. ‘Daggers Drawn’ set another tone bringing us on a voyage into a better place through solos. The encore highlight must have been ‘The Darkness’ which sent the crowd into an uproar. All that was missing was a bond fire to dance around.

Until you see these guys live you won’t understand. Do not fear though, they tend to come back every year. All I have to say is buy your ticket if you want to fall in love with music.