Review: Cats In Space – Fire in the Night: Live
Harmony Factory (July 5th, 2024)
Reviewer: Chris O’Connor
I need to immediately put my hand up and admit that I am a colossal Cats fan, there are few bands who know how to create such luscious melodies and harmonies, and seemingly with such ease to boot. In case you’re new to Cats In Space, this is actually their second live album, but the first with their new line-up, and the chaps are in imperious form throughout.
The sextet are (of course): Damian Edwards (vocals), Greg Hart (guitars/vocals), Dean Howard (guitars/vocals), Andy Stewart (keyboards/vocorder), and the rhythm section of Jeff Brown (bass/vocals) and Steevi Bacon (drums/vocals). The band are all wonderful musicians, and collectively also create wonderful vocal harmonies – all bands should be this talented!
Before you decide to go out and buy a physical copy of this splendid new live album? Forget it, the CD and vinyl stocks sold out before the album was even released – such is the devotion of the Cats army of fans. Don’t let that put you off though, you can still buy digital copies on all the usual platforms … so all is not lost. (Editor: now available on CD/vinyl on Amazon)
If you’re new to CIS? Where have you been? The band’s sound is rooted in the mid ‘70’s through to the mid ‘80’s. So, imagine Electric Light Orchestra, 10CC, Angel, Queen, Boston, Giuffria, Supertramp, Styx, The Sweet, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Toto – and I know not what else, but all fused into one gloriously melodic package, et voila … Cats In Space! It’s hard to say much new about their sound, as so many other reviewers have no doubt beaten me to it.
The band has been in existence for nearly a decade now, but it took the arrival of singer Damian, who came from a theatrical and musical background, to kick the band into top gear in 2020, and this fabulous live album shows how bloody wonderful the boys now are. Everything from their carefully crafted image, to their amazingly perfected sound, has marked CIS for greatness, and this awesome album is the perfect proof.
Let’s now talk about the production. The band has scrimped, saved, and by hook or crook, put together a wonderful stage show, that would put any major name band to shame. I urge you to watch the brilliant documentary ‘For The Love Of It’ (watch here), so see how hard the band and their crew worked, on a miniscule budget – to give their fans a night to remember! I promise, you will be both amazed and blown away! No wonder theatres are their natural environment! It surely can’t be long until these felines are a true arena rock act.
‘Fire In The Night (Live)’ showcases no less than twenty-one songs, performed with obvious joy and passion by the band. I have been lucky enough to see the band (so far) three times over the years (including the ‘Kickstart The Sun’ tour, from which this live album is taken), and on each and every occasion, I have been mesmerised by the sheer excellence of their performances – they are truly very special indeed. If you have not yet seen them, I cannot but urge you to do so, because you are in for a huge treat both aurally and visually.
Kicking proceedings off with the pomptastic ‘King Of Stars’, the band is instantly in storming form, with this epic number being the perfect opening salvo. The band has almost been spoiled by being able to choose from a wealth of classic songs, so from ‘Goodbye To The American Dream’, ‘Kickstart The Sun’, ‘Atlantis’, ‘The Greatest Story Never Told’, ‘Hero’, ‘Too Many Gods’, ‘Poke The Witch‘, ‘The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ two truly epic numbers – ‘Bootleg Bandoleros’ and ‘I Fell Out Of Love With Rock & Roll’, and a host of others, this could well be one of THE great ‘live’ albums ever, it is simply THAT good!
I honestly cannot commend ‘Fire In The Night: Live’ to you highly enough. The UK is simply incredibly lucky to be the home to this brilliant band, and it surely won’t be long until their musical magic becomes big ‘across the pond’ – so take this opportunity to revel in the musical majesty that is Cats In Space. This album should be a compulsory purchase for any self-respecting fan of rock music, and to use ye olde language, it’s truly a case of ‘Buy Or Die!’. File under completely and utterly brilliant!
Tracklist:
- Intro/King Of Stars
2. Teenage Millionaires
3. Goodbye To The American Dream
4. Kickstart The Sun
5. A Big Balloon
6. Hero
7. 1,000,000 Miles
8. 51 Pillow Bed
9. Poke The Witch
10. Bootleg Bandoleros
11. Too Many Gods
12. Timebomb
13. Broken Hearted / Scars
14. Marionettes
15. Atlantis
16. Johnny Rocket
17. Thunder In The Night
18.The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
19. Hologram Man
20. The Greatest Story Never Told
21. I Fell Out Of Love With Rock & Roll
Discover more from ROCKPOSER DOT COM
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
You must be logged in to post a comment.