The Cat Empire’s original line-up to disband

The Cat Empire as Australian music fans know it is coming to an end in December.

Original bass player Ryan Monro already departed in March this year, but as the year draws to a close Will Hull-Brown (drums), Harry Angus (vox/trumpet), Jamshid (DJ Jumps), Khadiwala (decks/percussion), and manager Correne Wilkie will also say farewell.

In their place, Felix (front-man/percussion) and Ollie (keys) will take the band in a new direction as a “reimagined, vibrant, cross-cultural and joyful collective of musicians and artists”.

The band started as a musical jazz project in Melbourne in 2001. They said it had become so much bigger than any of them could have anticipated.

“As we look back on the past two decades, we are so proud of what we achieved; from the (almost 1,500) live shows and festivals we have played around the world, to the seven studio albums which resulted in global chart success, as well as our cherished independence, and most importantly the interpersonal experiences we amassed and grew from. We directed our own musical adventure and created our own opportunities along the way,” they said in a statement.

The band profusely thanked their fans for their dedication and support over the past two decades.

“We cherish our global audience who took us into their hearts, homes, venues and festivals, returning over and over to sing and dance with us,” they added. “As we toured the world, our fanbase grew and so did we. The enthusiasm of our audience has sustained us through tough times and has kept us making and delivering music for all these years.

“We’ve met babies named after us, heard heart-warming and heart-wrenching stories about what our music has meant to people, and we’ve seen hundreds of tattoos of our logo on various body parts.

“We are forever indebted to every one of the lovely faces in the crowd at each of our shows, for the joy you showered back at us over two decades.”

The band will release two new songs in October ahead of saying farewell.

The original band line-up will say farewell with shows in Western Australia and Queensland. The final show will be at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Thursday, December 16.

Should COVID-19 restrictions prevent any of the shows from going ahead, they will be rescheduled or offer fans refunds.

The band finished its note to fans highlighting its future, and saying Felix and Ollie would “grow The Cat Empire into a global collective with new and exciting music set for release in 2022”.