After such a busy week at work (and somehow managing to operate on a minimal amount of sleep) I was fortunate enough to catch The Cat Empirelast night (Friday) at The Arena. A Melbourne based group, they have been critically acclaimed for their unique style that can only be described as a fusion of jazz, hip hop and latin music.

Most definitely the best value and arguably one of the best performances I have seen this year. There are so many reasons I would go to see them again, but here are a few:

• Improvisation – Most bands simply play their songs back from their albums. The Cat Empire turns what is normally a 3 minute song into a 20 minute masterpiece still managing to capture that same song.
• Crowd Interaction – The band made so much effort throughout the entire night to interact with the audience and make them as much of the show as the performers. They constantly chatted to the audience between songs and so many times got them singing along.
• Encore, Encore – Though they only completed the standard single encore, it was just enough to fit in two songs that lasted for a total of around 40 minutes.
• Support the Support Act – Unusual for most bands, one of the lead vocalists for The Cat Empire introduced Skaddabox, the support act. Members of that group were even incorporated into the show making the show truly unique.
• Professionalism – Unlike many bands and performers that I have seen, members of The Cat Empire focused completed only the show, only taking water where necessary. There were no member lighting up or taking a swig of beer throughout the show.