Following months of electrifying performances across the UK and Europe, Australian music adventurers The Cat Empire are set to return home for a series of sold-out orchestra shows that promise to be nothing short of spectacular.
As the band gears up for these eagerly awaited performances, they’ve also dropped a new single and the news that their tenth studio album, Bird in Paradise, will be released on March 7th, 2025, via BMG Australia.
The follow-up to 2023’s Where the Angels Fall, Bird in Paradise includes the already beloved dancefloor anthem “La Gracia,” which is described by frontman Felix Riebl as a fusion of Australian-Flamenco and Afro-Cuban sounds infused with the raw energy of Aussie rock.
Riebl explains, “We’ve drawn from the themes of contemporary flamenco and Cuban music and combined it with the grit and toughness of Aussie rock history. Add Ollie [McGill]’s jazz influence, and you have a sound only The Cat Empire can create.”
Their new single, “Blood on the Stage,” is a testament to the vibrant energy they’ve harnessed from their recent European tour. The track is a rhythmic powerhouse, driven by creeping percussion, a deep thumping beat, and electrifying horns, capturing the essence of their live performances and transforming it into an anthem that’s destined to ignite dancefloors across the globe.
Riebl shared the inspiration behind the track, and its somewhat alarming name. “The expression ‘Let’s leave some blood on the stage’ was a way to fire up before shows,” he says. “It was a pact we made with each other — to give everything we had and then some each night, no matter the exhaustion, or whether it was a festival, a theatre, or an intimate club.
“That deal (with the devil?) remains, it’s become a Cuban inspired banger that reminds us of it. The chorus hook has to be sung at the top of your voice (you have to mean it!), and has been shouted in on some fairly high spirited post show bus celebrations. Now it’s time the song actually hits the stage!”
Accompanying the single is a video that was filmed in London during the band’s performances at the iconic Electric Ballroom. Shot by renowned Irish videographer Peter Neill (Queen, Rick Astley, The Script), the clip takes fans on a journey from the tour bus to the stage, offering an intimate glimpse into the band’s life on the road.
“The idea behind the clip was to take people on the journey the band takes on tour from bus to performance to backstage,” McGill shares. “The song’s all about leaving it all on the stage for the crowd so we thought what better visual to accompany the song than to take people on that ride with us.”
As they prepare to bring their electrifying live shows back to Australian soil, The Cat Empire will also be making a special appearance at the NFL KickOff Festival at Bondi Pavilion on September 7th, adding yet another highlight to their already stellar year.
Fans across the country are in for a treat as the band blends their already eclectic hits with fresh sounds in collaboration with Australian symphony orchestras across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, with the performances in Sydney and Brisbane already sold out.
The Cat Empire’s Bird in Paradise will be released on March 7th, 2025, via BMG Australia (pre-save here).
The Cat Empire Tour Dates
Thursday 5th September – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW SOLD OUT
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Friday 6th September – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW SOLD OUT
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, 7th September – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW SOLD OUT
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, 7th September – NFL ‘KickOff Festival’ Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, NSW
Thursday, 19th September – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD SOLD OUT
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Tuesday, 1st October – Wrest Point Entertainment Centre, Hobart, TAS
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Friday, 4th October – Festival Theatre, Adelaide, SA
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, 5th October 2024 – Festival Theatre, Adelaide, SA
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, 5th December – Perth Concert Hall, Perth, WA
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
Friday, 6th December – Perth Concert Hall, Perth, WA
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
