You gotta love our local musicians. Such is the tenacity and level of hope in our fine artists during this pain-demic, that they keep announcing tours. The Cat Empire’s Harry James Angus is the latest brave soul to deliver us some dates that fingers crossed, will actually happen! He’s even thrown into the mix a fabulous new single ‘Followers’, which sonically has one foot in a soulful past and another in the now.
While getting him down as much as everyone else, James has learned to find some positive energy out of the pandemic.
“The home-time COVID imposed on me was at first very disturbing, because like a lot of people, it was the ruination of all my plans,” he says. “But then something really good happened. Without that crazy cycle of making music and launching it and doing gigs and tours and festivals and all that strategic career stuff… all that was left was me and my creativity.”
For the first time in 20 years, since he hitched his trumpet to a promising jazz party band called the Cat Empire in his hometown of Melbourne, “I remembered what it felt like when creativity is just a game,” he says. “It’s like playtime. You make music not because you’ve got a plan, but because it’s fun.”
Followers is the first taste of where that playtime might be leading. A serpentine sideways dance of drums, piano and trumpet with echo-chamber call-and-response vocals, it’s a song about social media’s churning kaleidoscope of second-hand views. “Original thought and opinions are harder to come by,” Harry observes. “It’s harder to arrive at the truth.”
To celebrate the release Harry will be playing shows right across the east coast and SA
Friday July 23 – Cairns – Tanks Arts Centre
Friday Aug 6 – Adelaide – Scott Theatre
Thursday Sept 9 – Sydney – Vanguard Hotel
Friday Sept 10 – Canberra – Smiths Alternative
Saturday Sept 11 – Bathurst – The Victoria Hotel
Sunday Sept 12 – Newcastle – The Stag and Hunter Friday
Sept 17 – Castlemaine – The Bridge Hotel Saturday
Sept 18 – San Remo – The Westernport Hotel
Friday Sept 24 – Gold Coast – Miami Marketta
Saturday Sept 25 – Toowoomba – Bar Wunder
Sunday Sept 26 – Brisbane – The Outpost
Sunday Oct 24 – Melbourne – International Jazz Festival – Sydney Myer Music Bowl
Tickets available from https://harryjamesangus.com/
Listen to ‘Followers’ here: