I was initially kind of peeved when I read the Montreal Gazette review of The Cat Empire’s set that condemned the group as being an “Antipodean wedding band” and wondered if their worldly music sound had a place amongst more traditional hipster types like Sonic Youth and We Are Wolves.

And while I can certainly admit that The Cat Empire would kill if they started working the wedding circuit, I think the fact that they strayed from the standard Osheaga soundscape is what made their set so much fun. It was a breath of fresh air in what was otherwise enjoyable but fairly expected indie fare.

Basically, The Cat Empire are a band out to make you shimmy. They’re a of bunch high energy dudes who are completely at ease on stage, and whether it was the cocky-but-winsome grin of charismatic lead singer Felix Riebl or the silly, two stepping dance style of the mini horns section in the back (who I affectionately started thinking of as
nouveau Pips), these guys are infectiously upbeat.

Even better is the fact that they’ve got some serious chops when it comes to the instruments department. This prowess was made most obvious on “How to Explain” with its revolving door trumpet solos and again during “In My Pocket” Sting-voiced Harry James Angus went off on an insane freestyle that just kept going, but somehow didn’t get annoying. I even willingly put my arms in the air when I was instructed to. And I liked it. Usually I’m not one to partake. So. Score one for The Cat Empire.

Did The Cat Empire blow my mind? Are they a band that I would go out of my way to see again? No, they’re not, because they’re not doing anything earth shatteringly fantastic. But they are a band who have a good time and thus make it easy for everyone else to have a good time too. And that definitely counts for something.

For more,
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thecatempire