August 30, 2004
August 29, 2004
August 28, 2004
August 27, 2004
Homebake 2003 Photos
Australian cable music channel Channel V have some photos of The Cat Empire from Homebake 2003. There's some nice shots, although even the big pictures are small.
Adelphia competition winners announced!
So the long-running Live @ Adelphia competition has finally finished, and the winners have been announced. The top six have won The Chariot promo DVDs:
DVD SINGLE WINNERSxt3rm - or is that m3trx?
dansta - the band member names alone got you this far, mate.
Michael - can't deny the massive amount of work here, and the new lyrics are interesting.
AndyC - aaiiiit? aaiiit? wassup my nigga! Word.
blackscythe - look, if you didn't get it, read it again... then again... then go on some kind of time warp and absorb everything about TCE ... and then read it again... and then ask blackscythe what she was thinking.
Farfrey - preaching to the choir, eh? Funny stuff.
And one very lucky person has won one of the hundred first-pressing Adelphia CDs! Congratulations to Michael for his excellent entry, Juggling Melodies, which contained new lyrics and everything!
There will be plenty more competitions coming up, especially now that the next tour is almost upon us. Stay tuned.
August 26, 2004
Week 8 News!
Week 8's entry is now up and the boys sound like they're finding things a little easier in England, in terms of language that is...
Wow!!! Everyone speaks English! In theory, I could quite easily approach anyone in the street and say something, with a high chance of them understanding me! That is, of course, unless my accent proves far too thick for them to be able to cut through in one swipe, which is enough swiping for anybody. I found that out when we got our first cab after landing in Edinburgh....
Read the whole diary here
Week Eight
Wow!!! Everyone speaks English! In theory, I could quite easily approach anyone in the street and say something, with a high chance of them understanding me! That is, of course, unless my accent proves far too thick for them to be able to cut through in one swipe, which is enough swiping for anybody. I found that out when we got our first cab after landing in Edinburgh.
While loading my bass case into the car, the cabbie spat out some bizarre string of vowels, vaguely joined together with L's and R's and G's. I can imagine I'd sound like that if my lips were stuck 5 mm apart, and for some reason avoided touching my teeth with my tongue. I managed to recognise the words "roof" and "car". I kept the conversation going, noticing that my own accent sat at the opposite end of the spectrum.
"Aww nahh mate, yer roof'll be foine, she'll be roight."
"Ogay bu' watch th roof o' m' ca'."
"Ah. Right."
Either the cab drivers here have thicker accents, or they are the only locals I have spoken to in town. Considering how many Edinburnians rent their flat out at astronomical rates and go on holiday during every festival, the latter is probably the case.
What we did on our first day in London is TOP SECRET, so I'll talk about food instead. Zahtar and hommous. We stayed in Marble Arch, in a street frequently clogged with locals pimping around in their Hummers and Bentleys. Some of the guys saw the shit get absolutely beaten out of a parking inspector outside our window. We stayed, conveniently, across the road from Green Valley. It's not actually a valley, it's more of a Lebanese supermarket - one which we all routinely visited at least three times a day. Hopefully this will clear up some of the confusion surrounding my abrupt "zahtar and hommous" outburst earlier in this paragraph.
Our two shows in London were at the Carling Islington Academy. Carling appears to have a stranglehold of Tooheys proportions on pubs and live music venues in the UK. Billboards aside, the two gigs were absolute killers. The crowds were either from, or have been to and thus are huge fans of, Melbourne, judging from the riotous applause whenever we mentioned our home town. One thing's for sure: they got the hell on down. Our good friend Andy Baldwin was in town, and he took to the stage during "Wine Song" in a way that is hard to explain with words alone. Anyone who has witnessed this before will know exactly what I mean. Over the weekend we also celebrated Andy's birthday, in a backyard-full-of-Aussies-with-a-BBQ-and-Vic-Bitter setting that took us back home for a night.
We flew on to Edinburgh, which is not only the last destination of this tour, but also a kind of home-away-from-home for us. This is the third Edinburgh Festival in a row that we have played at, and we're well and truly back into the nocturnal, drunken swing of things. We have played shows in The Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Edinburgh. Spiegeltent and Edinburgh is possibly the best combination of venue and city we could ask for in the last week of our tour. For those who don't know, The Famous Spiegeltent is an old Belgian mirror tent that is fairly easy to transport around the world - given that you have access to two shipping containers and a team of large Belgians. It is one of our favourite venues, and has contributed a hell of a lot to the spirit of the band. We're itching to hit that stage again.
We'll let you know how it goes next week.
Email us with any tips on shipping a moped from Bordeaux to Melbourne.
August 25, 2004
August 24, 2004
Tour CD details online
There is now a discography entry for Touring Europe and the UK, 2004, the tour CD that is being sold at gigs at the moment. It has the tracklisting... or should that be tracklistings?
The tracks on the CD do not match those given on the jacket. While it is true that all the tracks were made for the first CD, it includes one track that didn't make it onto the final album:
The Lost Song 3:15
Feline 2:36
The Chariot 5:35
Feline was included on some of the promo copies of the first album that were sent to reviewers, but was not released. This is the first time it has been officially included. On a related note, it has also turned up in some of the setlists from the European shows!
Scans of the CD and covers will be up soon, check back.
Touring Europe and the UK, 2004
Tour CD sold during the Europe and UK tour, 2004. Tracks taken from the first album, but the tracklisting is incorrect.
Tracklisting
The tracklisting that is given on the jacket is as follows:
- How To Explain
- Days Like These
- The Lost Song
- The Rhythm
- The Crowd
- Hello
- The Wine Song
The actual tracklisting differs slightly, and is given below:
- How To Explain 3:38
- Days Like These 4:07
- The Lost Song 3:15
- Feline 2:36
- The Chariot 5:35
- Hello 3:44
- The Rhythm 3:24
This is not a copy controlled disc.
Cover Art
August 23, 2004
New Single: 145. Forum Members: 145. Chance or coincidence?
Radio stations appear to have recieved the next single for The Cat Empire: it's One Four Five, from their first album. There is no word yet on whether there will be a single released as well, but my guess is that there won't be, just the DVD.
The video clip is a change for TCE, it's a 3D computer animated number full of dancing TCE logos. You can currently watch it online from Rage on Demand (this won't last) or watch out for it on Rage (ABCTV).
And in a freak coincidence, we now have 145 registered members in the forums. Spooky!
Felix's Double Life
First spotted by cara in the forums, our man on the spot Skansktar has scooped an exclusive photo of Felix's alter ego:
He's the Chesty Bonds man!
European Tour: New Songs Aplenty
From the European shows I managed to see, and those seen by fellow forumgoers, it's clear that The Cat Empire have got plenty of new material up their sleeves. Check out the setlist from the Europeens show in Paris, which contains everything from the old to the very new, which includes The Car Song, Sol y Sombra, Sly, and Salt Water.
There's no way to say what's going to end up on the next album, but there's plenty to be excited about for the next tour.
Ryan on Reachout
Australian youth website Reachout has an interview up with Ryan. As usual, his responses are top notch:
Do you have any advice for other young people who want to become musicians?Practise. It doesn't make perfect, but it sure makes better.
Certainly makes you better at interviews too, right Ryan?
TCE speak on politics and political music
The Salvation Army magazine, Warcry, has an interview with Harry and Ross on their website. It talks about TCE's recent involvement with charities and political causes, and their own take on the role of music and musicians in Australia's political environment:
‘What we found ourselves doing once we found our feet as a band and as songwriters is writing songs that…create something a bit magical, and allude to social issues and political issues in a stylish and poetic way rather than presenting our opinions nailed to a board.’
August 22, 2004
Carling Academy Islington, London
From the official site:
N1 Centre
16 Parkfield Street
London N1 OPS
Tik sales 0870 771 2000 - 24 hours
www.ticketweb.co.uk
Ticket Price £12.00 adv
August 20, 2004
August 19, 2004
DVD Tracklisting online?
Spotted by D* and cara in the forums, it seems that HMV has spilled the beans on the tracklisting for the On The Attack DVD and CD:
1 INTRO 2 HOW TO EXPLAIN 3 NOTHING 4 DAYS LIKE THESE 5 THE RHYTHM 6 THE CROWD 7 HELLO 8 THE LOST SONG 9 THE CHARIOT 10 THE SUN (USA 2002) 11 TWO SHOES (UK 2002) 12 INTRO * 13 HOW TO EXPLAIN? * 14 THE CROWD * 15 THE RHYTHM * 16 THE LOST SONG * 17 THE SUN * 18 L'HΤTEL DE CALIFORNIE * 19 DAYS LIKE THESE * __________ * BONUS AUDIO CD THE EMPIRE DANCERS, EXTREME MERCH, PLUS OTHER SKITS AND SCENES
It appears to be available for preorder now, with general release on September 13. Hang in there! And remember that there will be a national tour in support of the release as well.
August 16, 2004
Week 7 - Happy Birthday Will!
The official website has a Week 7 update... food, festivals and French music galore!
We celebrated Will's birthday in true class: drinking Moet & Chandon from plastic cups on the gravel-laden roof-cum-courtyard of our two-star hotel in Bordeaux. The hotel's logo involves three stars, but don't let that fool you. Two blocks away another hotel took it one step further by including ten stars in the logo, and was named "The Stars Hotel", but the actual star rating was nowhere to be seen.
If you were at this gig, or at any others from the tour, let everyone know about it in the forums
Read the whole tour diary here
August 14, 2004
August 13, 2004
Forum happenings...
Well it seems the old saying about what goes on while the cat's away is true, with our forums in full swing.
With just over 3 weeks until the MusicMax 'The Sessions' premiere, forum goers from Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane are looking to come together and celebrate this momentous gig.
Let's have a meet up... The show is airing on September 4th at 6:30pm and at the moment all we're looking for are people who are genuinely interested in meeting up to see the show.
So, if you're interested in meeting up with fellow forum'er'ers for an evening of music, fun and dancing around the living room with a group of relative strangers (hopefully they won't be strangers by the end... still relative perhaps.) pop into the appropriate thread and say hello. (Brisbanites needed the most.)
Don't forget, we've still got competitions running, so if you're looking to win an exclusive promo DVD of The Chariot, or maybe even the last known copy of Live at Adelphia! get your entries in!!!
August 11, 2004
Week 6... Fiesta time!
Week 6 update now on the official website sees the boys partying, gigging and enjoying all Barcelona has to offer... plus a cameo from our own webmaster Casey...
Our two shows had an overwhelming number of Aussies who found their way to our subterranean shakedown. Legendary Byron-bred percussion band Skin stopped in during their Spanish wind-down from their Austrian tour. Zweikugel! The Happy Sideshow, in all their sword-swallowing glory, came in after their own gig in Barcelona. Aussie bronze-winning rowers The Lightweight Eights and Casey.info also found the time to boogie on down.
If you were at this gig, or at any others from the tour, let everyone know about it in the forums
Read the whole tour diary here
August 08, 2004
Week 5 Update - All things French!
The official website has a week 5 update from Ryan and it appears the boys are making the most of the european lifestyle as well as finding some time for Australian comforts...
Our one and only gig in Germany was in Karlsruhe, which is so close to the french border it's barely in Germany. The highlight of the night has to be the old guy with the enormous beard up the front. After spraying something onto the soles of his shoes, he proceeded to spin in circles on one foot for seemingly impossible lengths of time. A retired speaker designer, he believed he got the best sound at gigs by spinning around. Huge thanks go out to whoever passed that VB on stage - my wish from last week's diary was granted - which brings us to this week's challenge: BARBECUE SHAPES.
If you were at this gig, or at any others from the tour, let everyone know about it in the forums
Read the whole tour diary here
August 07, 2004
On the Attack - The Tour!
For all those suffering this TCE drought, some good news... to coincide with the release of their new DVD On the Attack (released September 13) the boys will be touring nationally during September and October...
Cairns
Cairns - Tanks Arts Centre
Fri 17 & Sat 18th Sept - Up Tempo World Music Festival- all ages
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Launceston
Launceston - The Saloon
Thurs 23rd Sept
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Hobart
Hobart - TUU Uni
Fri 24 Sept
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Adelaide
Adelaide - Thebarton Theatre
Sat 25 Sept
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Geraldton
Geraldton - Wintersun Hotel
Wed 29 Sept
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Fremantle
Fremantle - Metropolis
Fri 1st Oct
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Scarborough
Scarborough - The Lookout
Sat 2 Oct
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Dunsborough
Dunsborough - Dunsborough Tavern
Sun 3 Oct
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Brisbane
Brisbane - The Arena
Thurs 7 & Fri 8 Oct
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Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise - The Troccadero
Sat 9 Oct
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Bangalow
Bangalow - The A&I Hall
Sun 10 Oct - all ages
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Newcastle
Newcastle - Newcastle Panthers
Wed 13 Oct
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Woolongong
Woolongong - Yallah Woolshed
Thurs 14 Oct - all ages
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Sydney
Sydney - Coogee Bay Hotel
Fri 15 & Sat 16 Oct
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Canberra
Canberra - ANU Uni Bar
Wed 20 Oct
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Albury
Albury - Albury Convention Centre
Thurs 21 Oct - all ages
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Melbourne
Melbourne - The Forum Theatre
Fri 22 & Sat 23 Oct
August 05, 2004
La Boite, Barcelona
Setlist
Some songs couldn't be identified, since they were new, sorry!
- SOMETHING NEW
- Manifesto
- Days Like These
- How To Explain
- Hello
- SOMETHING ELSE NEW
- SOMETHING ELSE NEW
- In My Pocket
- The Lullaby
- The Chariot
- The Car Song (previously identified as SOMETHING ELSE NEW)
Encore: The Rhythm
Photos
August 04, 2004
La Boite, Barcelona
Setlist
This setlist is incomplete as I don't know the names of the new songs that were played.
- The Sun
- The Motherplace
- Days Like These
- The Rhythm
- The Lost Song
- Hello
- SOMETHING NEW
- Two Shoes
- In My Pocket
- SOMETHING ELSE NEW
- The Lullaby
- The Chariot
Encore: SOMETHING ELSE NEW #2
Review
La Boite is a small low-ceilinged subterranean venue, with a circular stage that is two thirds exposed. Doors opened about midnight, the band was supposed to start at quarter past, but ended up going on later. The place was pretty quiet, or at least, pretty empty. At the beginning, there were about thirty people, and at the end I would say about sixty? A very up-close gig.
A lot of the crowd were Australian (hi guys, the ones I met), including the Lightweight Eights rowing team (bronze at the world champs, well done) and some travellers. Most of the other people had been dragged down by an Australian or two! One classic comment from a Brazilian girl about how, for Australians, they play excellent Latin music
The overall mood of the show was ... how should I put this ... pub rocky. A couple of their new songs (which I don΄t have names, let alone lyrics for) were decidedly on the pub-rock side, which is interesting, and was well-recieved. Talking to Harry later, he said, hey, we've tried everything else
Everyone that I talked to was very happy and they are enjoying the tour. The response has been excellent across Europe, especially at the big festivals. Let's hope that this is the start of something even better!