Overview
It was in the early 2000s that Melbourne-born jazz/funk band The Cat Empire exploded onto the world stage with its international sound layered with Australian charm. They wasted no time shooting to the tops of the charts with tracks like 'Hello', 'Days Like These' and 'How to Explain'. In 2024, they proved they'd still got it with a debut orchestral tour, partnering up with orchestras like the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to bring a new layer to their sound.
In 2026 — the people chant for more, because they'll be doing it again on the 2026 Encore Orchestra Tour. Front and centre on that tour is a return to the Sydney Opera House, where they'll once again join forces with SSO for a three-night run in the legendary concert hall. They'll also be recording a new album during the shows, Live at the Sydney Opera House.
Reimagining The Cat Empire's catalogue to a scale only achievable with an orchestra, these shows blend the band's sound with expanded symphonic arrangements by long-time collaborator Roscoe James Irwin. With hints of Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, flamenco and global influences, it's the kind of concert experience that reminds you that, as Double J said, "The Cat Empire aren't so much a band, they're a live music institution."
Reviewing the 2024 concert, Sydney Arts Guide wrote, "Such musical cooperation from such a range of expert, experienced performers made this concert a special collaboration in which the fluid, accomplished Sydney Symphony Orchestra plus the Sydney Opera House became accessible to even more music lovers than usual."
In its review, Scenestr said, "Sydneysiders and those travelling abroad and interstate who attended the show were in for an exemplary night with an ensemble of musicians alongside a conductor and arranger, as well as audio and lighting technicians (all world-class) who made the evening's spectacle enriching and enthralling."
Want to sample the sounds before you commit to a ticket? You can listen to the newly released single 'Bulls - Live at Sydney Opera House', recorded during the 2024 concerts and released to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the original single.
The Cat Empire '2026 Orchestral Encore Tour' will run from September 5–6. Tickets go on sale at 10am local time on Thursday, March 19. Get yours on the Sydney Symphony Orchestra website.
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Images: supplied