The Cat Empire are the quintessential Australian festival band, often playing the circuit that is increasingly dwindling by the year and delighting festivalgoers with their big-band-tinged and Latin-influenced sound. But this concert was a very different tack for the Australian icons, partnering with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a series of sold-out gigs at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, following on from their original gigs with the orchestra two years ago.

I will admit, I tend to approach reviewing pop-orchestral crossover shows with a degree of trepidation as while when it works, it can be magical and spectacular, it can also feel like a way for groups to squeeze an extra buck out of their loyal fans. But this was absolutely not the case for this gig, with the band’s music working really quite nicely with the orchestra, perhaps fitting as symbiotically as any show that I have reviewed featuring an orchestra and a pop group. Indeed, much of this was down to the exceptional musical arrangements of Ross James Irwin who is the trumpeter in the band, who created a setlist full of arrangements that neither allowed the orchestra to overpower the band nor rendered it to a mere add-on in a Cat Empire festival gig. In this vein, it was notable that the band actually performed with the orchestra for the entire set whereas most bands that play with an orchestra that I have seen will often do a small set by themselves for tracks that do not work as well with an orchestra. In effect, this highlighted the seamless integration of the two and reinforced the synchronicity of this collaboration. 

After beginning with “How to Explain”, the band moved into “Blood on the Stage”, before the beautiful “Bird in Paradise” really captivated the audience in one of the highlights of the first act. While Felix Riebl largely took the lead vocals, Grace Barbé also did a fantastic job on “The Lost Song” in providing some contrast with excellent vocals herself. As the band moved quite seamlessly between a big-band feel and a Bond-like orchestral sound, this highlighted the depth of the writing of The Cat Empire’s music, with the orchestra bringing a richness and power to the songs without consuming them. There were some moments towards the end of the first act and at the start of the second where the arrangements dragged a little, perhaps elongating tracks that did not need to be extended to the extent they were but overall the balance was maintained really quite well.

Much of the real estate behind the stage was taken up by Gondwana Choirs, Sydney Children’s Choir and Sydney Symphony Schools Choir, all led by Sam Allchurch as chorus master. Indeed, there was an audible gasp when the choir rose from their seats and showed their sheer size. It created a really warm effect and enhanced the second act, with “Miserere” being particularly special as the choir’s richness really came through.

While the printed set list ended with “Steal the Light”, the band returned for an encore of “Still Young”, which had the audience on their feet, dancing and celebrating what was a joyous night of music and wonder. That said, as the lights dimmed and the band went off for a second time, there were many in the audience who remained in their seats, thinking there would be another encore of the band’s most famous hit, “Hello”. But the lights went up and it became clear that such an encore was simply not going to happen. This was a curious move, perhaps informed by the fact that there was a children’s choir sitting behind the stage and it perhaps would not have been appropriate to perform this song with the choir behind, but it does always leave at least a little bit of a bad taste in one’s mouth when a group’s biggest hit is not performed.

Overall, this was a fine performance, with The Cat Empire really showing off their musicality and combining seamlessly with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, who delivered in a wonderful and iconic venue. While the show did drag in parts and the omission of some big hits was notable, the audience gave the band a deserved standing ovation for what was one of the more seamless nights of pop-orchestral crossover that I have seen. 

Rating: ★★★★

The Cat Empire with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra – Sydney Opera House – 27 August 2026

All photo credits: Cassandra Hannagan