The Cat Empire's Ollie McGill Shares His Favourite Live Acts Of All Time

The Cat Empire are kicking off 2016 in a big way, with a brand new album, Rising With The Sun and a national tour to kick off this May.

With the new LP out today, Music Feeds is celebrating its release by getting keyboardist Ollie Mcgill to share with us the favourite live acts he’s ever seen.

Alt-J

I was lucky enough to catch these guys at Rock Werchter in Belgium. It was exciting to see a band that used samplers and drum machines live in such an engaging way. The lights were amazing too.

Roisin Murphy

We met Róisín Murphy in Switzerland one night backstage at a gig. She loved our music and since then I have taken an interest in her music. We managed to catch her set at Rock Wertcher. She is the queen of pop in my books.

Bank Of Skulls

I saw these guys at Hurricane festival in Germany. Such a tough sound, so old school. After hanging out with our roadie/stage manager Andie, I have been getting more and more into this brand of rock’n’roll. I grew up listening to jazz, so I have evolved quite a bit.

Muse

When we were at BBK, Bilbao we saw these guys. It was an incredible show. They are one hard hitting three-piece. We managed to get a spot up on top of the sound desk on a 10 metre high platform, looking down on 40,000 punters. It was quite a spectacle.

Of Monsters And Men

Before their show at Cruilla Festival, Barcelona, the road manager was madly running around trying to find a bass player. Apparently the bass player wasn’t well and was unable to do the show. They commenced to do the show bassless, I think the guitar player played some bass. The show was nonetheless awesome. They have such a beautiful sound and their songs are infectious.

Troker

Parked in the bus at the Cruilla Festival, I could hear some crazy sound waves emanating from the closest stage. I went for a stroll and checked it out and when I got there I was dumbstruck by the complex rhythms, crossing of genres and crazy improvisation.

Robert Plant

I saw Robert Plant at Byron Bay Blues and Roots festival. I love it when you can watch someone, known for being a member of a band as famous as Led Zeppelin, yet they have evolved so much and the music is as fresh as it ever was.

Jamaican Legends, Sly & Robbie

I am killing two birds with one stone. While I have never seen Sly and Robbie play with Ernest Ranglin (I would give an arm and a leg to do so) I have certainly seen them individually, both at Blues and Roots. Sly and Robbie have been the most influential rhythm section for our band and I just love Ernest Ranglin. He is so tasteful with his phrasing.

The Black Keys

Once again I had a euphoric musical experience at the Bluesfest. When I saw The Black Keys, it fed my desire for tougher sounds. When we first saw them, they were a duo, just drums and guitar. They did that so well. It saddens me a bit they are now a quartet, but they are still great.

War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xTGrfs5TXM

I was wandering aimlessly around the Bluesfest, as I tend to do, and ran into these guys. I couldn’t believe it! Admittedly there was only one original member, but he was the keys player, so I was very happy and the little stage they were playing on was literally rocking.

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The Cat Empire’s new album Rising With The Sun is out now, you can grab a copy here and check out their tour dates below!