Live Review: The Cat Empire, Madre Monte, Tom Thum

Lucky it was The Cat Empire playing on Saturday night, because a less popular and upbeat group may have kept people like this reviewer deferring (‘work’ requirement aside) due to the big day having been had enjoying the Grand Final. Tom Thum kicked things off to a crowd of young and old just after 7pm, entertaining early punters with a mix of hip hop, funk and soul beats. He had a couple of guests join him during the performance and that kept everyone on their toes.

A lengthy wait between acts saw the venue bulk up to almost full capacity by the time lesser-known Melbourne party Madre Monte filled the stage (yes, filled, there were nine of them), and they seemed equal parts stoked and bewildered by the sheer number of people awaiting them. If they were feeling nervous, however, they sure did a good job of hiding it – as a collective they totally upped the ante and breezed through a heap of super-catchy, South American-style roots tracks. It was surprising the guitarist didn’t end up suffering from face-cramps, given the huge grin he had on his face the entire time. It was great to see a band so thoroughly enjoying themselves on stage.

After another lengthy wait, The Cat Empire took the stage in front of a packed-out venue, and with a quick introduction they launched into Still Young and had people throughout the venue immediately going nuts. The group played through a bunch of tracks from their latest record, and while they were received well, the highlight was certainly Sly, one of their biggest singles from way back. About halfway through the set, they invited a local guy (whose name escapes me) to join them on stage as part of a competition they’d been running across the country. He played a few tracks with the band and, as was standard for each member during the set, got to perform a solo on his saxophone. He was delighted. The band played One Four Five for the first time in years, but strangely enough, despite their encore being very appropriate (they played The Chariot from their first album), they didn’t play what is arguably their biggest track in Hello. The night did seem to be about the band moving forward, and judging by the turnout and enjoyment levels, they’re going to be just fine heading into the future.