The Cat Empire at Irving Plaza

Following months of awesome performances across the UK and Europe, the Aussie funk band The Cat Empire is making their way to North America. The highly anticipated concert at the Irving Plaza on July 9 comes after The Cat Empire teased their single from Bird in Paradise. This will be the group’s tenth studio album, and will be released on March 7, via BMG Australia. That’s just enough time for you to learn all the lyrics ready for the must-see show!! Bird in Paradise is the follow-up to 2023’s Where the Angels Fall, and includes the already beloved dancefloor hit “La Gracia,” which is described by frontman Felix Riebl as a mix of Australian-Flamenco and Afro-Cuban sounds injected with the raw energy of Australian rock. Felix Riebl says: “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 expected to be performed at the show. “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!”

The single caught the attention of the masses with its accompanying video. The video was filmed in London during the band’s performances at the iconic Electric Ballroom. Shot by the iconic Irish videographer Peter Neill (Queen, Rick Astley, The Script), the clip shows you exactly what to expect from this high-octane tour! Don’t miss out! Book your tickets now before it’s too late!