The Cat Empire in paradise

THE Cat Empire’s frontman, Felix Riebl, is on the cusp of an extensive international tour and releasing a new album. However, domesticity never stops, and while chatting with this masthead, the singer wrangles a clanging dishwasher and directs the installation of its replacement.

It’s a brief glimpse of real life and a far cry from the high-energy performer global audiences have embraced for over 20 years. The band’s 10th studio recording, Bird in Paradise, is released on March 21, just in time for a return to Bluesfest.

Reminiscing about the early days in Byron Bay and the long queues that snaked around the Beach Hotel for their shows, Riebl said it was an immersive musical experience.

“We were living in the hinterland and converted a macadamia farm hut into a studio for our first album,” he said.

“We would record all day, then go for a swim, play at the Beachy, and then drive back into the country and record all night.

“It was an immense time. We spent four months living there, and it was a great time for music.

“There were great roots artists coming out, and fantastic shows happening all the time.

“Bluesfest was always a pilgrimage. When I finished school and moved out, I went on a road trip with friends to the festival as a punter.

“I remember being in the crowd in 2000, and saying, ‘I’m gonna play on this stage’.

“I still remember being in part ecstasy and part jealousy, and it was a defining moment in my life,” he said.

The band reformed in 2022 and original members Ollie McGill and Riebl remain, joined by a fresh cast of exceptional world musicians.

“Our sound has evolved, and the band has more percussive and female energy. There’s Cuban, Creole, Mauritian, Portuguese and Iranian influences,” Riebl said.

“It’s a more abundant sound on stage, but it still feels like The Cat Empire.

“The new album has a heavy flamenco, Cuban, and Australian outback rock influence. It’s probably our most musically sophisticated album. We leaned into the band’s musicality, and it was an absolute joy.”

Riebl said the forthcoming heavy schedule through Europe and the US was typical.

“The nuts and bolts of this whole operation have always been performing live,” he said.

“We usually do summers in the northern hemisphere. It’s a challenge, but the satisfaction of touring with such a large party is you get to share it with lots of people.

“We’re 16 of us crammed onto a bus sleeping after shows as we travel overnight to the next venue. We like real instruments. We perform live. That’s what we do. Virtual performing seems bizarre to me. It’s really about the textures, and that secret you share with an audience.”

Riebl feels deeply about the festival ending.

“It’s moving for me. It’s been so important personally, and for the story of The Cat Empire. It was a significant part of my musical education,” he said.

“We were incredibly fortunate from those early days to perform at festivals worldwide. Bluesfest stands up as one of the best in the world.

“Like Jesus, I expected Bluesfest to live forever. It’s a great symbol of my musical youth, which I try to recapture every night I perform.”

The Cat Empire brings the joy to Bluesfest’s Mojo stage on April 19.