Cats In Space promised big things with their seventh album. We are taken on a journey accompanied by an emotional force that hits harder than any armour could withstand.
Cats In Space – Suit of Armour
Release Date: 6 November 2026
Words: Liz Medhurst
Cats in Space are now fully established leading lights in the UK rock scene, delivering glamtastic ’70s-influenced rock, equally thrilling live and on record. For their seventh album, chief cat Greg Hart promised us the “finest and most grandiose record yet. Emotionally charged and shaped by the many facets of the human condition, we guarantee this conceptual journey will blow everyone away.”
A bold statement. Could they live up to it? The short answer is yes, but not in the way you expect.
Rest assured, there certainly is all the good stuff that we have come to know and love, like rich layers, orchestration, melody to make you swoon, turbo-charged rhythms and whole universes packed into a song.
We have got two new members as Chris Childs (Thunder, Tyketto) takes over the low end from Jeff Brown while Sam Wood continues his quest to be a member of all the best bands around by taking Dean Howard’s place as guitarist.
The Howard/Hart pairing was magical, but so is the Hart/Wood combination. They trade solos and harmonise together, and it is another match made in rock heaven.
Andy Stewart shines on keyboards, Steevi Bacon’s drums resonate powerfully, and Damien Edwards once more slays with his beautiful vocals. Produced once more by Ian Caple, the album sounds incredible.
You have to wait until the album really gets going for the big moments, but there is plenty to entertain in the meantime.
The opener Miracle is packed with the classic Cats sound, while We Breathe In Stereo is another up-tempo romp. White Knight is a massive power ballad with a memorable guitar solo, and the rock ‘n’ roll boogie of Never Big In Japan is crying out for its own Mud-like dance moves.
The time to hang on to your hat starts with Mr Showbiz. This is the sequel to I Fell Out of Love With Rock ‘n’ Roll, with Greg Hart documenting his life immediately pre–Cats In Space.
While we are not all rock stars, this song is starkly relatable to anyone who has ever found their dream in tatters. It captures that moment of blinking into the light, wondering how the hell life turned out like this and whether this is it, with no chance for change.
The narrator tells the bleak story of life on the cabaret circuit, with cutting lines such as “no one cares, and no one dies, except him.”
So there are chills already, and then Greg Hart takes over the lead vocal for a mid-section that is so raw, so desperate, so chilling. When he screams “now let me out,” it’s all the more powerful for knowing this is autobiographical.
That is the precise moment when the album title hit home. This album is not about donning a suit of armour. It is what happens when the armour comes off.
All these tracks are intensely personal, and going back and listening to the whole album through the lens of letting the guard down takes it to new heights. Metaphors can be brilliant, but sometimes the direct approach hits harder, and there is absolutely no faking sincerity here.
We use words like breathtaking and spine-tingling a lot, so their power can sometimes be diminished. I can honestly tell you, though, that after my first listen to this track I genuinely had to catch my breath and had goosebumps all over.
Suit Of Armour does not let you relax, though, as it’s straight on with the title track, another epic that documents overcoming personal struggles.
Then Analogue Kid hits you right in the feels. It is a charming, nostalgic song that yearns for the warmth the digital age has failed to deliver.
There is another surprise here. We get to hear Steevi Bacon on vocals. He takes the lead for a verse in the second part, and you are left in no doubt as to who the Analogue Kid is.
If you think that was it for the epics, then you do not know Cats in Space.
Enter Bloodsucker’s Waltz, which is a complete rock opera in eight minutes, awarded extra points for a brilliant talk box performance.
Don’t Spare The Horses features another special guest lead vocal appearance. This time Julie Maguire, The Duchess, takes on the role of the mysterious figure. With its funky guitar, this real galloping number conjures up incredible mental visuals.
Twenty-Seven is a poignant ode to the fabled club of those who left the planet at this age and brings the vinyl to a close. The CD offers two extra treats, the ethereal Cathedral and the piano ballad From Time to Time. Together, they provide a gentle landing after all that emotion.
This is an album that is definitely best experienced in physical form rather than solely as a digital release. You do not want to miss out on the artwork, especially the wonderful Hipgnosis-inspired inner sleeve which depicts the album’s theme in a perfect dreamlike way.
Chapeau Cats in Space. You have a knack for hitting the spot with every album, giving us not only what we want, but also what we need.
Cats In Space release Suit of Armour on 6 November via Esoteric Records and is available from here. You can catch the album launch shows at HMV Empire, Coventry, tonight and Queen’s Academy, Newport on 6 November.
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