Cats in Space - London Review

Consecutive weekends in London always equals a good time. It has been great to be 'back on the road', so to speak, of late, and getting to gigs regularly again is a real treat. Those of us who love live music have been making the most of its return over the past few months - and with quite a few more planned for the rest of October the next month is going to be a busy one for me. The reason for my second trip to London in as many weekends was a hometown show for the excellent pop rockers Cats in Space - a band who have really made a name for themselves with their brand of 1970s throwback rock since releasing their debut album in 2015. Despite seeing the band as a support act in 2017, it was not until 2019 that I actually got into the band properly. 2019 as a gigging year was actually closed out by Cats in Space at The Wharf in Tavistock too, which cemented my burgeoning love for band. It was one of a handful of shows to feature frontman Mark Pascall, a singer who lives locally to me in the South West, who was let go from the band rather unceremoniously last year. Pascall's departure came as something of a shock, as he had not been in the band for very long at all and they were in the middle of recording their fourth album, but in fairness the band knew what they were doing. Damien Edwards, Pascall's replacement who debuted with the band on last year's stunning Atlantis, has taken the band to the next level. Pascall is a great singer, and I am a big fan of his band Departed, but Edwards is a better fit for Cats in Space in my opinion. He has brought his musical theatre experience to the band, and his larger-than-life personality is perfect for Cats in Space's showy and bombastic pop rock. Partly thanks to Edwards' pipes, Atlantis was one of my favourite albums of last year. It was included in 2020's Albums of the Year list, so I was really looking forward to seeing the band live again. A scheduled 2020 show at The Wharf was never rescheduled, but a cancelled Deep Purple gig proved to be the catalyst for my third experience of Cats in Space live. The venue was The Garage in Islington; a venue which I have somehow managed to avoid until now. I am not sure how, as a regular gig-goer, I had never been to The Garage before yesterday - but Cats in Space certainly made my first visit to the venue a memorable one. The London show came at the end of the first leg of the band's Atlantis tour, so there was certainly something of a party atmosphere in the band's camp as they headed into a month or so's rest before the next leg of the tour.

Before Cats in Space's triumphant set, however, the crowd were treated to an excellent showing from up-and-coming British hard rockers Vambo. Such was the situation with The Garage's strict 10pm curfew, and the fact that the doors opened 10 or so minutes late, Vambo essentially hit the stage as the first few punters were heading through the doors. This, combined with a turnout that certainly could have been better for a Saturday night in London (although, in the end, was decent), meant that the early portion of Vambo's set was played in front of very few people. This was a shame, but the band did not let it deter them and they put on a great showing throughout their 45 minutes on stage. I had heard of Vambo previously, but I was not really familiar with their sound. From the first riff, however, I was hooked - and from that point on Vambo delivered one of the strongest showing from an 'unknown' support band that I have seen for a while. I have seen quite a few good support bands recently too, but Vambo were the best of the bunch. The whole band were great, but slithering frontman Jack Stiles and guitarist Pete Lance stole the show for me. Stiles has a fantastic voice, and he shifted between soft falsetto and screaming hard rock multiple times throughout the set. His slightly strange stage presence helped too, and it was difficult to take your eyes off him throughout. Lance's riffs and solos did provide a distraction for the eyes (and ears) however. Lance's overall style was very classic rock in both sound and appearance - and all of the songs included great solos from him. Despite including a couple of covers, Led Zeppelin's Good Times Bad Times and Deep Purple's Burn, it was actually the band's original songs that impressed the most. The covers were fun, and allowed the crowd to hear something that they knew, but the band's songwriting was tight and packed full of melody. I purchased a copy of their self-titled debut album after their set, and I really look forward to hearing all of the songs again soon. The penultimate song Fast Car possibly stood out the most, but in truth all of the songs played had a memorable riff or hook. By the time Vambo's set came to an end, the crowd had grown quite a lot and the reception that they received was very strong. Lots in attendance certainly had a good time with Vambo, and I am looking forward to getting into the band's album in due course.

Half an hour after Vambo's set came to an end, Cats in Space took to the stage as the intro to their latest album played over the venue's PA. It might be expected, then, that they would open with one of the new songs - but instead the band launched into Too Many Gods, the title track of their 2015 debut album. The song worked well as an opener however, as it has done many times previously, and it was one that really put Edwards through his paces. Cats in Space are a band that have a very layered sound, so a clear live mix is necessary for them to deliver. Luckily, the sound in The Garage throughout the evening was crystal clear - and this allowed all the nuances of the band's sound to shine. The multi-part vocal harmonies sounded great, as did Andy Stewart's keyboards - which were high in the mix and cut through exactly when they were supposed to. This allowed the band's 17 song set to be a winner, and the performance was easily the best of the three that I have now see by Cats in Space. It helped that the setlist was packed full of all of the band's best songs too. Six songs from Atlantis were played, with the rest coming from the band's other three albums. Early highlights were the driving pop rock of Spaceship Superstar, the more layered and ballad-esque Twilight (which was a real showcase for Edwards), and the upbeat Only in Vegas. In truth, it is hard to pick highlights - as every song played really hit the spot. I have waxed lyrical about Edwards' performance, but in truth the whole band really pulled together to make the show tick. No-one shone brighter than anyone else, as Cats in Space are a band that needs everyone on stage to make their sound happen - whether it be bassist Jeff Brown's soaring backing vocals, Dean Howard's (guitar/vocals) solos, or bandleader Greg Hart's (guitar/vocals) atmospheric guitar layers.

Everyone had their time in the spotlight, but the collective shift was certainly greater than the sum of its parts. Even the simpler pop songs such as Listen to the Radio need everyone to pull together - and the song was another highlight due to its huge chorus and melodic guitar solo. Another interesting moment was a stripped down version of September Rain - which featured just Edwards' voice and Stewart's piano, along with harmonies from Hart and Brown. It was great to hear the song played in such a manner, and it was easily the evening's most low-key moment. The rest of the set was packed with some of the band's most bombastic and hard rocking songs. Marionettes was probably the most bombastic of the lot, with its circus-esque melodies, while Thunder in the Night encouraged some dancing with its disco bassline and soaring synths. The band were really on fire at this point, and the crowd were loving it - so the final three songs of the set felt like a victory lap. The multi-part I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll felt really triumphant - but the set-closing Greatest Story Never Told, with vocals from both Edwards and Brown, brought the evening to a powerful end. The song has become the band's unofficial anthem over the years, and it always goes down well live as a result. Despite this being the end of the main set there was time for one more and, after a brief step off the stage, the band came back for a powerful version of Hologram Man - with a searing solo from Howard that he managed to rip into after some early guitar troubles. It was a powerful end to a great evening of melodic rock music, and the decent-sized crowd certainly made their appreciation felt as the band took their bows at the end. The setlist was:

Dive!

Too Many Gods

Spaceship Superstar

Revolution

Twilight

Mr. Heartache

Only in Vegas

Scars

Silver and Gold

Listen to the Radio

September Rain

Marionettes

Atlantis

Thunder in the Night

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll

Greatest Story Never Told

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Hologram Man

Despite being somewhat popular now, yesterday's performance at The Garage showed why Cats in Space deserve to be bigger than they are. Edwards seems to have really completed the band, and Cats in Space seem to be ready to take the next step. Songs are currently being written for their upcoming fifth album, and plenty more tour dates have been planned for the rest of the year and into next year. All being well I will seeing the band at least twice again next year, and following last night's excellent showing I am already really looking forward to both shows.