The discography of the Australian jazz and funk band the Cat Empire consists of ten studio albums, four live albums, three compilation albums, two video albums, three extended plays, and forty-four singles. The band has scored two number-one albums and six top ten albums on the ARIA Charts. They have been nominated for twelve ARIA Music Awards, of which they have won one. They were formed in 1999 by founding members Felix Riebl, Ollie McGill, and Ryan Monro. Long-term members Harry James Angus, Jamshid Khadiwala and Will Hull-Brown joined the band in 2001.
The group independently released a live extended play, Live @ Adelphia, in December 2001, and their first live album, The Sun, in July 2002. In October 2003, "Hello" was released as the lead single from The Cat Empire. Later that month, the album was released under Virgin Records, peaking at number 15 on the ARIA Charts and giving the group mainstream recognition. It went on to be certified 3× platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 210,000 copies in 2012.
In April 2005, they released their second studio album, Two Shoes, which provided two top-fifty singles and debuted at the top of the Australian charts. It became their first international release when it was reissued in Canada the following year. In March 2006, they performed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony to a crowd of over 75,000. The music recorded for the event was released the following month as Cities. Their fourth album, So Many Nights, was released in September 2007, reaching number two on the ARIA charts. The lead single from that album, "No Longer There", is their highest-charting to date, peaking at number 12. In 2009, they released their second live album, Live on Earth, which collects concert recordings taken from shows between August 2006 and December 2008. They released their fifth album, Cinema, in June 2010. Critics dubbed it a more mature effort than the group's previous albums. It debuted at number three on the album charts.
Their sixth studio album and first via an independent label, Steal the Light, was released in May 2013, peaking at number three. Critics considered the album to be "a return to their original aesthetic". It was the first release in a trilogy of three conceptually similar albums by the group produced by Jan Skubiszewski. The second album in that trilogy, Rising with the Sun, was released in March 2016, debuting at number one. From July 2018 to February 2019, the band released a new single on the first of every month, leading up to the release of their eighth album, Stolen Diamonds. In 2021, the original lineup disbanded after a final show at the 2022 Byron Bay Bluesfest, except for founding members Riebl and McGill. By late 2022, new members Grace Barbé, Daniel Farrugia, Neda Rahmani and Lazaro Numa had joined, and the group released their ninth album, Where the Angels Fall, in August 2023.
Albums Studio albums + List of studio albums, showing title, details, selected chart positions and certifications Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications AUS NLD SWI The Cat EmpireReleased: 24 October 2003 Label: EMI, Virgin Format: CD 15 — — ARIA: 3× Platinum Two ShoesReleased: 19 April 2005 Label: EMI, Virgin Format: CD, digital download 1 — — ARIA: Platinum Cities: The Cat Empire ProjectReleased: 1 April 2006 Label: EMI, Virgin Format: CD, digital download 11 — — So Many NightsReleased: 22 September 2007 Label: EMI, Virgin, Velour Format: CD, digital download 2 — — ARIA: Gold CinemaReleased: 25 June 2010 Label: EMI, Virgin, Velour Format: CD, digital download 3 — — Steal the LightReleased: 17 May 2013 Label: Two Shoes Format: CD, digital download 3 88 — Rising with the SunReleased: 4 March 2016 Label: Two Shoes Format: CD, digital download 1 — 51 Stolen DiamondsReleased: 15 February 2019 Label: Two Shoes Format: CD, digital download 4 — — Where the Angels FallReleased: 25 August 2023 Label: Two Shoes Format: CD, LP, digital download 73 — — Bird in ParadiseReleased: 7 March 2025 Label: BMG Australia 18 — — "—" denotes releases that failed to chart or were not released in that country.
Live albums + List of live albums, showing title, details, chart positions and notes Title Album details Peak chart positions AUS The SunReleased: July 2002 Label: Self-released Format: CD — Live on EarthReleased: 20 February 2009 Label: EMI Format: 2CD 14 The Cat Empire (Live from Melbourne, December 2021) [Original Line-up Final Tour]Released: 15 April 2022 Label: Two Shoes Format: digital — Live at Sydney Opera HouseReleased: 22 May 2026 Label: Cat Empire / BMG Format: digital — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Compilation albums +List of compilation albums, showing title, details and notesTitleDetailsNotesTapes, Breaks and Out-Takes Released: 1 June 2003 Label: Self-released Format: CD A compilation of outtakes from The Cat Empire (2003), and tracks from Live @ Adelphia and The Sun. The interludes were recorded at rehearsals and gigs.Asylum Released: 28 October 2011 Label: Self-released Format: digital Released in association with the organization Tunes for Change as a pay-what-you-want download. A compilation of rare recordings and songs by the members' side projects, the release aimed to raise AU$50,000 for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.The Adelphia Sessions Released: 2 November 2021 Label: Two Shoes Format: digital A selection of tracks from Live @ Adelphia and The Sun.
Video albums +List of video albums, showing title, details and certificationsTitleDetailsCertifications On the Attack Released: 2004 Label: Virgin Format: DVD, CD ARIA: Gold Live at the Bowl Released: 20 February 2009 Label: EMI Format: 2DVD ARIA: Gold
Extended plays +List of extended plays, showing title, details and notesTitleDetailsNotesLive @ Adelphia Released: December 2001 Label: Self-released Format: CD Recorded live at Adelphia Studios in a single day. Features early versions of future tracks.The Cat Empire Released: 2006 Label: Velour Format: CD A selection of tracks from The Cat Empire and Two Shoes, plus three videos. Designed as an introduction to the American market. Live at Martyrs''' | Released: 2007 Label: Velour Format: CD | Recorded live at Martyrs' in 2007 for WXRT's Sunday Night Concert. Features performances of tracks from The Cat Empire and Two Shoes''.
Singles + List of singles, showing year released, chart positions and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album AUS NZ NL "Hello" 2003 12 — The Cat Empire "Days Like These"2004 37 — — "The Chariot" 34 — — "One Four Five" — — —"Sly"2005 23 — — Two Shoes "The Car Song" 46 — — "Two Shoes" 77 — — "Down at the 303" (Live)2007 — — — "No Longer There" 12 — — So Many Nights"So Many Nights" — — —"Fishies" 2008 99 — —"How to Explain?" (Live at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl) 2009 — — — Live on Earth"Feeling's Gone"2010 — — —Cinema"On My Way" — — —"Brighter Than Gold"2013 68 — 33Steal the Light"Steal the Light" — — —"Qué Será Ahora"2015 — — —Rising with the Sun"Wolves" — — —"Bulls" 2016 — — —"Ready Now"2018 — — —Stolen Diamonds"Stolen Diamonds" — — —"La Sirène" — — —"Kila" — — —"Sola" — — —"Barricades" — — —"Oscar Wilde" — — —"Echoes"2019 — — —"Oscar Wilde" — — — rowspan="7" "Going to Live"2021 — — —"Great Beauty" — — —"Coming to Meet You" — — —"The Scream" — — —"Sparrow" — — —"Into the Night" — — —"The Crowd"2022 — — —The Cat Empire (Live from Melbourne, December 2021) [Original Line-up Final Tour]"Still Young" — — —"Thunder Rumbles"2023 — — —Where the Angels Fall"Rock 'n' Roll" — — —"Money Coming My Way" — — —"Owl" — — —"How to Explain" (Anniversary Edition) — — — rowspan="2" "Hello" — — —"La Gracia"2024 — — —Bird in Paradise"Blood on the Stage" — — —"Doing Fine" — — —"Devil" 2025 — — —"Bird in Paradise" — — — "—" denotes items which failed to chart or was not released in that country.
Other appearances +List of other appearances, showing title, year of release and parent albumTitleYearAlbum"Hotel California" 2005 Triple J: Like a Version "Sunny Afternoon" 2009 Triple J: Like a Version, Volume Five "Zero" 2010 The Key of Sea "Get Some" 2016 Triple J: Like a Version, Volume 12 "Som Foc" 2017 El Cor de la Terra
Music videos Title Year Director(s) "Hello"2003 Felix Riebl, Ian McGill, Mike Reed "Days Like These" Mike Metzner "The Chariot" 2004 Felix Riebl, Ian McGill, Mike Reed "One Four Five" "Sly"2005 Susi Stitt "The Car Song" Ben Quinn "Two Shoes" Michael Delaney "No Longer There"2007 "So Many Nights" "Fishies" 2008 Various "Feelings Gone" 2010 "Brighter than Gold"2013 Nicholas Verso "Steal the Light" Ash Koek "Like a Drum"Dominic Allen, Martin Pimentel "Wolves" 2015 Guy Franklin "Bulls" 2016 Darcy Prendergast "Ready Now" 2018 Dominic Allen "Stolen Diamonds" "La Sirène" "Kila" "Sola" "Barricades" "Oscar Wilde" 2019 "Echoes" "Thunder Rumbles" 2023 Nick Campbell "Rock 'n' Roll" Giulia Giannini McGauran "Money Coming My Way" Josh Harris "Boom Boom" Nick Campbell "La Gracia"2024Dara Munnis "Blood on the Stage" "Doing Fine"
See also List of songs recorded by the Cat Empire
Notes
References Where the Angels Fall:
(2005).
(2007).
External links Official website The Cat Empire at AllMusic