Review: Cats In Space

Islington Assembly Hall (December 13^th 2023)

Review/Photos: Manuela Langotsch

In the words of Frankie Valli who once said ‘‘Oh what a night!!’’. It was my last gig of the year and what a night it was. Cats in Space was another band I hadn’t seen live before and heard really good things about.

The group formed in 2015 and had been making waves from the get go. They play good old fashion 70s/80s classic rock and judging by the audience’s reaction, this genre is here to stay. The crowd was mainly made up of fans who remember that era and enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roll of the highest calibre. A high-class pedigree of musicians, who performed with the likes of T’Pau, The Sweet, Ian Gillian, Mike Oldfield to name a few, took to the stage and ensured everyone got their money’s worth.

The venue wasn’t full and the audience were seated but that didn’t matter at all. The atmosphere was incredible and with their unique ‘Cats in Space’ stage set, it was a feast for the ears and eyes.

The show was divided into 2 sets of roughly one hour each with a short interval. The set list featured material from their most recent and 5th studio album ‘Kickstart The Sun’ as well as songs from previous albums i.e. ‘Atlantis’ and ‘Scarecrow’. Their die hard fans shouted out the predictable song list which singer Damien Edwards jokingly confirmed. There is nothing wrong with having pretty much the same set list at every concert. You give the people what they want. There was a lot of dancing and girls wearing sparkly headbands, all in the spirit of Christmas I believe. It just added to the party atmosphere! By the time fan favourite ‘Thunder in the Night’ came on in the second half, the mainly sitting down crowd were finally on their feet and enjoyed themselves even more.

Frontman Damien, dressed in a sparkly jacket to start with and was always chatting to the audience in between songs, hit all the right notes, some quite high and it was amazing to listen to his singing style and watch him perform.

Dean Howard and Greg Hart, two very talented guitar players, came to the front of the stage numerous times for their guitar solos, to the delight of their appreciative fans. Having toured with legendary rock giants Deep Purple, Status Quo and Thunder, they know a thing or two about captivating an audience with their guitar skills. They also provided the harmonies which didn’t go unnoticed. Incredible musicianship! It was just a shame that the venue’s lighting didn’t really measure up as they were mostly in the dark even during their solos. There was rarely a spotlight on them. Only during the guitar solo ‘Broken Hearted’ when Dean took centre stage, was a light beam to be seen. Magnificent to watch and listen!

Seeing a white piano on stage is always a treat and Andy Stewart, the ‘Mad Hatter’, as he is affectionately known and although mostly hidden behind his musical instrument, delighted everyone with his skills on the keys. Hats off (pun intended!)!

The rhythm section of the band – bassist Jeff Brown and drummer Steevi Bacon – made quite a team and added the all important drum and bass sound. Jeff was nursing a cold but you couldn’t stop him singing harmonies and the vital parts in ‘The Greatest Story Never Told’ which had everyone clapping and joining in.

The encore featured the usual ‘Hologram Man’ and ‘I Fell Out Of Love With Rock ‘n’ Roll’ but also their Christmas song ‘My kind of Xmas’ since it’s that time of the year.

An amazing musical evening with immensely talented musicians & singers drew to a close and fans were eagerly waiting to meet the guys afterwards, share stories and take photos with them.

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