Grace Barbé is living the dream

Perth’s own Grace Barbé recently joined Aussie legends The Cat Empire and is currently touring with the band in Europe. Ahead of the new-look Cat Empire’s show at Fremantle Prison on Saturday, April 22, BOB GORDON caught up with Grace Barbé to find out why it’s something of a dream come true for the local powerhouse bass player and vocalist.

You’re currently busy on a European tour with The Cat Empire that enabled you to celebrate your birthday in Paris. How was that?

It was a few days ago. Gosh, I’m kind of missing the days because we just move from one city to the next. We were in Paris so that was quite magical. There was a beautiful, beautiful celebration.

From growing up in the Seychelles do you have an affinity for France?

Yeah, growing up in the Seychelles there’s a cultural connection. It was my first time in Paris. So I had a lot to take in in 24 hours, and it was just joyous to be able to do. We also performed in Paris, so it was really joyous to communicate to the crowd in French as well. It brought me back home too and they loved it. They absolutely loved it.

I’ve seen on social media from your posts and The Cat Empire’s social media channels that basically all the gigs are sold out and you’re filling 4,000 seat capacity venues?

Yes, it’s incredible. Really. I mean, after all these years, The Cat Empire still pull the hardcore fans, and even on this tour, there are fans that are coming to three or four shows at a time… driving, following the band from one city to the next. It’s pretty incredible to watch that. But they are pulling and they’re gaining new fans as well. It is really cool to see that a band of this calibre after 21 years on the road, being together, still manage to pull a crowd and put on a fantastic show.

I don’t know what the band refer to it as, but I guess you could call it the second-generation Cat Empire. It’s great that the fanbase in Europe is clearly following and supporting it…

Yes and the Europeans are dying for live music, you know? Especially with the COVID spell for the last three years. Actually, it was this time three years ago that the band was on a European tour and after only four shows they had to cancel the tour and fly back home because of COVID. So this time, returning to Europe to finish off the tour, it’s quite a special moment. Especially for the original members.

Walk us into how you came to join The Cat Empire?

Well, it was really when we supported them on their Australian tour a few years back that we learned some of the original members were actually moving on. It was thanks to Jamie Searle in my band, who had a conversation with Felix (Riebl) and we realised that the bass player was leaving as well as the drummer and a few original members. And Jamie mentioned to Felix the singer saying, ‘well Grace would be a great candidate as the new bass player.’

It was just through conversation and we left it at that and it was later on that Felix called me and said, ‘Look, we are thinking of putting this new kind of Cat Empire together and adding some new members, would you be interested in playing bass?’ It took just under a year, I would say, we had this conversation back and forth. In the end he called me back and said, ‘Look, this is very serious. We are definitely going to be gigging and doing festivals and touring and we want to know if you want to really get on board and commit?’ And I said yes because why wouldn’t I? (laughs).

It’s interesting, because you have your own career, as Grace Barbé with your band and The Crucial Rockers as well. What was the internal dialogue like for you about putting your own music and brand somewhat aside for this?

Yes, I mean, for myself and with my band and with my crew and also with The Cat Empire it was about how we’re going to make this work. But what I really loved with what Felix was saying is that they respect me as an artist in my own right, and they know I’ve got my own thing going, and they wouldn’t want me to be limited in that way. So it’s really my decision. But the great thing is, I know well ahead, what sort of shows and festivals and tours I’m supposed to commit to with The Cat Empire. So then I can work on my own things in between, and plan my own shows in between, which is a great thing.

So I already know at the end of the year, what would I need to commit to with the band and plan ahead for any shows. We’ve had these conversations. After the European tour we come back to Byron Bay for Bluesfest. Then I come back home and I don’t do it the next time until June with The Cat Empire. And then after that, it’s not until September we do an Australian tour and then we’ve got more tours coming up towards the end of the year. So it’s great for me because I can really plan my calendar, which makes my job much easier and for my band as well.

What sort of prep was involved in terms of learning the back catalogue and finding your feet?

It was a very intensive period. Initially, I was flying back and forth between Perth and Melbourne rehearsing, learning the back catalogue before heading to Melbourne for rehearsals. We really didn’t have that much time to learn the back catalogue. We had our first show in Tasmania and then another show in Victoria the next day in October. I remember this really well because it was such an intense,  nerve-wracking time. All these songs to learn for the first show and we had to make it work and I’m in Perth! They’re based over there, the keys player’s based in Sydney, the trumpet player’s based in Adelaide, so we’re kind of scattered around and everyone just flew to Melbourne and we did intensive two-day rehearsals before each show.

I had to make sure that I was well prepared before flying over there for rehearsal, because we got stuck seriously into rehearsals and there was no time to waste. So I had to do a lot of homework back in Perth. And I was working in Zoom sessions with the band while in Perth and making sure that everyone’s on the same page.

So I flew to Melbourne, did our first rehearsal which was really nerve-wracking, trying to see if I’m really built to do this. Once we got through the rehearsals and we got through our first couple of shows, then I could breathe and, ‘go okay, so this is where things are at, and this is what I need to work on. Do I really want to be doing this?’ And the answer was definitely yes. ‘I want to continue doing this but I’ve got a I’ve got to do a lot of homework.’ And that’s what I did in the last few months really, to get to this stage.

What’s the current setlist like? Is it a cross section of the whole history of the band?

We have about 22 to 24 songs currently that we’re performing, we’re not necessarily performing all the 22 but we are performing up to almost two hour’s worth of set. So it’s the back catalogue, all the favourites and also some new ones because we have a new Cat Empire album coming out towards the end of the year. Late last year I flew to Melbourne to record some of the new tracks on the new album and we are performing some of those new songs because we’re on a European tour and fans want to hear some of the new stuff to hear where The Cat Empire is now, especially with this new collective of musicians on board. They’re very curious and they’re hungry for the new stuff as well, which is great.

Learning the material and playing the songs live is one thing but then entering the recording studio and being involved in the writing of new material is another. What was it like to join the fold as a creative component?

Looking back to late September last year, the last few months of what was involved, I’ve got to pinch myself sometimes and I have to just remind myself of how much was involved. Not just rehearsals for the shows and the tour but also for the recording. I mean, I had to basically just put everything aside, even my teaching – put that aside. My own graded projects – put that aside. Everyone was pretty understanding; my band was very understanding, they realise how much of that prep is really important for me to enter into the into this Cat Empire world.

A lot happened. I wrote with Felix. We recorded new tracks. Jamie actually played a big role in the background. Prior to going into the studio for recording, we arranged some of the vocal parts that I had to record with them. And that was great because that pre-production was really important. I basically flew to Melbourne straight into the studio to lay down all my parts and then flew back to Perth. So there wasn’t a lot of time actually, there was no time to do any pre-production work in the studio in Melbourne. I had to do all that with Jamie, in Perth. So a lot of work, a lot of pre-production work and a lot of stress. It was really intense, but it was pretty cool for me to be going through that experience.

The Cat Empire have not only gained a bass player but also an amazing vocalist. Are you singing much in the band?

Well, it’s sort of like I’m playing two roles. So I’m the bass player and I’m taking a lot of the parts that Harry James Angus used to do in the band. Harry was the trumpet player and one of the original members. So we’re looking at three-part harmonies now with the band, which is great. And it’s great for me because I’ve always loved doing backing… I started off as a backing vocalist. And with my band, I don’t get the chance to do that apart from when I’m recording my own materials. I can lay my own harmonies in the studio but with the current line-up I’m having a lot of fun because I get to explore doing backing vocals but they’re also now pushing me to some lead songs, a couple of Cat Empire songs and also introducing one of my own songs in the band.

I suppose they are embracing me as an artist in my own right in the band. So I’m not just at the back as bass player doing backing vocals they’re really pushing me to come to the front as well with Felix and with finding our groove on the front line of the band, which is pretty fun.

You yourself released two singles last year – Fatige, which was remixed by GUM & Ginoli and Home. What else is up your sleeve?

Well just a few things, a few projects that Jamie and I go back and forth with – do we drop another single or do we focus on a new album? Then with The Cat Empire project that came about we had to pause until the European tour is finished. Then we can come back and revisit what’s next for Grace Barbé.

So our single was Home and we released that late last year. We’re ready to release another single but there’s also another project that is quite possible that we’ll be releasing but I can’t really talk about it yet. It’s a little bit of a surprise. So we’re trying to slot in releases between me being over east with The Cat Empire and then coming back for some planning in Perth and focusing on our releases. We’ve got releases coming up for Crucial Rockers as well.

So it’s really about sitting down and planning the year ahead. There’s definitely things coming up for Grace Barbé this year.

You’re someone who’s always led a musical life, but it is especially a musical life at the moment, isn’t it? It’s all singing, all dancing…

It is, my whole life is this! I don’t really have much time for anything else, but I’m living the dream, I would say. I’m working with some incredible people; a great team and it’s given me an insight into touring on this level which is new for me. And my band are so supportive and saying, ‘Grace you need to be wherever you need to be right now. This opportunity came along and you have to grab it,’ but I’m learning so much so fast on this level of touring and getting an insight into international touring.

With The Cat Empire they’re seasoned travellers, they’re a seasoned band. So for me, it’s not just performing with them, it’s observing life on the road and how they do it.