Cats in Space - Paignton Review

It is quite rare these days that I go to a venue which I have not been to before. Whilst there are lots of venues across the country which I have not visited, I generally stick to the same handful for convenience reasons - plus the fact that they are well used. Somewhere which I had not been to until last night, though, was the Palace Theatre in Paignton - a seaside town on the English Riviera. Last year I went to my first ever gig in Torquay, which sits just to the north of Paignton, so it is perhaps fitting that 2023 saw my first gig in Paignton. Torquay gets a few more acts passing through than Paignton, though, and looking at the Palace Theatre's website it seems that live music is very much in the minority when it comes to its schedule of events - with plays and spoken word evenings seemingly the venue's bread and butter. With Paul Young and Doctor and the Medics playing at the venue in the near future, though, there are occasional live music events - and last night the British retro rockers Cats in Space rolled into town as part of the 2023 leg of their Kickstart the Sun tour. The band toured the album in a more conventional fashion last year, where I saw them at the much more familiar surroundings of The Wharf in Tavistock, but Cats in Space have always had big ambitions - and this year have taken their arena-worthy sound into a number of small theatres around the country. Most of the venues which the band are playing on this tour are in unusual places - and off the beaten track when it comes to the core touring circuit. The band have wanted to play on bigger stages for a while, and have also wanted to expand the 'show' side of their gigs. This theatre tour has allowed them to do that, and they have been backed by a trio of screens built inside a large model of the band's cat astronaut helmet logo. Keyboard player Andy Stewart also has his instruments mounted inside a fake baby grand piano - atop which sits a sparkling, rotating version of the aforementioned helmet logo. One lucky fan will win this prop at the end of the tour, as the band were selling raffle tickets at the merch stand - with a percentage of the proceeds going to charity. Last night's Paignton show fell about half way through the tour, so any initial production and setlist kinks would have been worked out - so I was really looking forward to catching the band live again. This tour also sees the band presented on their own without a support act. As such, they played two sets with an interval - during which the traditional theatre ice cream was wheeled out. It was an early show, too, with everything kicking off at 7:30pm. Following the drive across from Plymouth, and some dinner at the local Wetherspoons, I took my seat in the theatre. I had a great seat - essentially right in the middle of the second row. Turnout-wise, it could have been better. There was a fairly decent crowd gathered by the time the band hit the stage, and the crowd were loud and enthusiastic throughout, but I am sure that the band would have liked to see more people gathered. That is the gamble when it comes to playing in out of the way places - but, in truth, even the shows at The Wharf I have been to by the band have not been as busy as they could have been.

The lights went down at pretty much bang on 7:30pm, and for the next hour or so the crowd were treated to most of Kickstart the Sun. There were a couple of songs from the album which were not played, but the bulk of the album made up the first set - and the band really seemed fired up to present their newest material. Quite a few of the songs were played on last year's tour, but some notable omissions were included this time - although the show kicked off in familiar fashion with the lengthy King of Stars. Given the lack of a significant PA in the theatre, the band sounded excellent from the off. The sound mix throughout was very clear, which allowed frontman Damien Edwards' voice to really soar - with the harmonies from guitarist Greg Hart and bassist Jeff Brown as tight as ever. King of Stars is a real tour-de-force, and it kicked off the show in fine fashion, before the harder rock of Teenage Millionaires rocked the Paignton crowd. Like many bands, Cats in Space often sound heavier live - and the poppy single was a treat to hear live as always, with Dean Howard's (guitar/vocals) riffing driving everything whilst the band helped Edwards out with the chorus. The more dynamic Goodbye to the American Dream was the first of the new songs featured which had not been played live last year. Stewart's piano drove the piece, and it moved nicely back and forth between ballad-esque sections and the AOR of the song's chorus. Another early highlight for me was A Big Balloon - which has never been one of my favourite cuts from Kickstart the Sun. I have never disliked the song, but it is one of the album's weaker moments for me - but, despite this, I really enjoyed hearing it live. Hart swapped his Les Paul for a 12-string acoustic guitar, and the floaty song provided a bit of an early change of pace. Edwards showcased a different side to his voice during the acoustic-driven piece; and this vibe was then maintained during the piano ballad Hero - which gave everyone apart from Edwards and Stewart a little break. Cats in Space are not generally known for such stripped-back arrangements, so it was another welcome addition to what was, ultimately, a pretty varied set. Another personal favourite during the first set was Fifty-One Pillow Bed, which was also not played on last year's tour. The upbeat song is not as hard rocking as much of the band's material, but it is still packed full of hooks - and the chorus filled the venue. Despite the crowd not being as big as it could have been, each song was greeted with huge cheers - and everyone was out to have a good time. The first set flew by as a result, and the companion pieces Poke the Witch and Charlie's Ego continued on the poppy atmosphere set by the strident Fifty-One Pillow Bed. The first set then came to a close with an epic rendition of Bootleg Bandoleros, the band's longest and most complex song to date. It started slowly, with Hart playing an acoustic guitar, but it grew over time - culminating in some Boston-esque riffing (complete with trademark clapping) and a rousing chorus which saw the first set come to a triumphant and slightly progressive close.

Following a 15 or so minute break, the band came back out and played another set filled with older favourites. The setlist of the second set was largely made up of live regulars, but after the expansive first set filled with new songs it felt fitting to following this up with something of a greatest hits exercise. Too Many Gods kicked the second set off, and it was clear from this point that the crowd were ready to party after enjoying the new material earlier. Quite a few got up and danced during the second set, and the vibe was certainly one of excitement as hit after hit followed. The poppy chorus of Mr. Heartbreak took the crowd back to the beginning of the band; before a slight curveball was thrown in the form of a guitar solo section called Broken Hearted - which saw Howard delivering an emotional solo against a backing of Stewart's keyboards. This essentially acted as an extended intro to the ballad Scars, which was a fairly rare change of pace in a set which was largely upbeat. Cats in Space have always written great ballads, though, so it was great to hear the more emotional piece again - before the vibe changed again with the up-tempo and circus-inspired Marionettes. The track is one of the more interesting arrangement-wise in the band's catalogue - featuring lots of dynamic keyboard playing from Stewart on a song he co-wrote. As has been the case in recent years, too, the song morphed into the epic Atlantis at the end - which was another slight change of pace. The song starts slowly, like quite a few Cats in Space songs, but it builds towards another cinematic closing section - which featured lots more tight vocal harmonies from the band. The last part of the second set was generally up-beat though. It was fun to hear Johnny Rocket live again, as it had not been included in the set since the 2019 shows, and the ever-present Thunder in the Night prompted more to get up and dance thanks to a pounding intro from Steevi Bacon (drums) and Brown's pulsing bassline. The song is a live favourite for a reason, and the song will likely be played throughout the band's career thanks to its big chorus. The Sparks-esque The Mad Hatter's Tea Party then added some quirk back into the set, thanks to Stewart's driving piano melodies, whilst the hard-hitting pop rock of Listen to the Radio had everyone in the theatre singing along. By this point the band had been on stage for nearly two hours, but there was time for one more in the form of signature piece Greatest Story Never Told. Sung as always as duet between Edwards and Brown, the cinematic piece closed out the main set nicely - with solos from Hart and Howard bringing things to an end. Loud cheers and clapping brought the band out for a two-song encore, though, and the harder rock of Hologram Man kicked it off. The song always goes down well, again thanks to its big chorus, and it is another song that, by rights, should be featured at every show. It was left to an elongated rendition of I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll to close out the night, which again featured lots of soloing from both Hart and Howard - with the two trading licks back and forth as the band powered through to a high-energy close. The setlist was:

Kickstart the Sun - Intro

King of Stars

Teenage Millionaires

Goodbye to the American Dream

Kickstart the Sun

A Big Balloon

Hero

1,000,000 Miles

Fifty-One Pillow Bed

Poke the Witch

Charlie's Ego

Bootleg Bandoleros

-

Too Many Gods

Timebomb

Mr. Heartache

Broken Hearted

Scars

Marionettes

Atlantis

Johnny Rocket

Thunder in the Night

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Listen to the Radio

Greatest Story Never Told

-

Hologram Man

I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll

Cats in Space have impressed each time that I have seen them, but last night's show was easily the best gig of theirs which I have been to to date - due to the excellent performance and the expansive setlist. It was great to hear most of the latest album live, and the second set felt like a real victory lap which the crowd really lapped up. The screens and the larger stage production was fun, too, and it is great to see that the band have ambitions to do more. Cats in Space keep getting better, and this tour seems to be have been a success so far - with the smaller Paignton crowd being the exception rather than the norm based on the photos of the other shows which I have seen. Hopefully this tour will spur the band on to even greater things, and I am already looking forward to seeing them again - whenever that may be.