Are Empyre the only band that want to be booed? That’s what they claim here, anyway.
In all seriousness, though, the Northampton outfit are a tremendous proposition. “Waking Light” is massive, “Relentless” absolutely thunders, and there’s a deep, deliberate weight to the guitars that makes songs like “Homegrown” hit far harder than you’d expect. Frontman Henrik Steenholdt is in fine form, joking that “Hit and Run” is their only upbeat song, while guitarist Did Coles gleefully admits he’s trying to illicit heckles.
It’s all gloriously tongue-in-cheek, of course, but beneath the humour lies real craft. Empyre’s set moves between darkness and light, peaks and troughs, and somehow they make even a David Guetta cover — “Titanium,” no less — sound entirely their own. Truth be told, MV has never actually heard the original, but it still sounds like an Empyre song. And Coles reckons it’ll make you join them.
By the time they close with the soaring “New Republic,” there’s no question: Empyre are a truly special live act. Atmospheric, powerful, and utterly unique — there’s no one quite like them.
Cats In Space, on the other hand, wear their influences proudly.
Kicking off with “Too Many Gods,” they instantly fill the Artrix with that unmistakable twin-guitar shimmer. The interplay between Greg Hart and Dean Howard remains glorious — both masters of melody — and they’re joined on bass by Willie Dowling, who seems to pop up everywhere lately. It must be at least a week since we last saw him.
The harmonies soar as always. “Immortal” and “My Father’s Eyes” are simply majestic, while “Narnia” channels a very British charm, sounding almost like The Kinks jamming in the Milky Way.
The title track from their latest album “Kickstart the Sun” reminds you just how skilled these musicians are. It’s easy to call Cats In Space a throwback, but that does them a disservice. These are songs that belong in arenas, not small theatres on a Wednesday night in Bromsgrove.
“Crashing Down” and “This Velvet Rush” shimmer with end-of-the-night magic, and “Jupiter Calling” reaches out to the cosmos with a prog-tinged heart.
“Bootleg Bandoleros” tells its own cinematic story, “Revolution” bursts with energy, and “Occam’s Razor (Not the End of the World)” boasts one of the finest choruses you’ll hear anywhere. Then comes “Hologram Man,” still one of their crowning glories — all drama, melody and muscle, complete with Steevi Bacon attacking the cowbell like his life depends on it. From there, “The Greatest Story Never Told” closes the main set in spectacular style.
The all-seated nature of the venue made things a little more sedate, perhaps, but Hart soon beckons people to stand as “Thunder in the Night” struts in with disco swagger. “I Fell Out of Love with Rock ’n’ Roll” follows — pure 1970s glory, part glam stomp, part Mott the Hoople singalong.
There’s even a touching moment at the end as the band dedicate the show to “the coolest Cat in Space,” Ace Frehley.
There are certain bands that deserve so much more attention than they get — and tonight, both Empyre and Cats In Space proved they belong in that category. You could spend all day wondering why that is, or you could just be grateful that gigs like this exist at all.
Fall out of love with rock ’n’ roll? No chance.
