Harry James Angus (born 11 June 1982) is an Australian singer-songwriter, trumpet player and guitarist. He was one of the lead vocalists in the Melbourne band
The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
along with
Felix Riebl. He joined the group in early 2000 and left when the original line-up disbanded in 2021. He is the nephew of comedian, actress and writer,
Mary-Anne Fahey (who played Kylie Mole on The Comedy Company).
History
Harry James Angus was born on 11 June 1982 in
Melbourne, Victoria
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. He has been playing the trumpet since the age of twelve and learned to
scat from listening to the
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
greats. He went to primary school at Malvern Primary School, where he would often perform as a vocalist at school assemblies. He then went to high school at
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Secondary College is a public secondary school located in the Melbourne suburb of McKinnon. The school was ranked 44th in Victoria in terms of percentage of study scores of 40 or above in 2023, making it the highest-ranked non-selectiv ...
and was taught by Ian Orr in Melbourne before studying at the
Victorian College of the Arts
The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...
. In 2006, he appeared twice as a panelist on the ABC Australian Music Quiz show ''
Spicks and Specks''. Angus is also part of
The Conglomerate, a four-piece Melbourne jazz band. He also played basketball for the Malvern Tigers Basketball Club, and used to wear the club's black and yellow singlet while performing at gigs. He is married to Emily Lubitz, the lead singer of
Tinpan Orange.
Jackson Jackson
His current side project,
Jackson Jackson
Jackson Jackson is a hip hop group from Melbourne, Australia consisting of Harry James Angus (vocals/trumpet; The Cat Empire, The Conglomerate) and Jan Skubiszewski (producer, phrase, and composer; APRA Award winner Two Hands, The Rage in Pla ...
, is a partnership with producer and film composer
Jan Skubiszewski (''
Two Hands'', ''
The Rage in Placid Lake
''The Rage in Placid Lake'' is a 2003 Australian film starring Ben Lee and Rose Byrne. It features Placid Lake (Lee), a seventeen-year-old boy who has led a suburban hippie life with his neurotic, free loving parents. The film documents his jou ...
'', ''Last Man Standing''). "Jackson Jackson and the New Apocalypso Beat" features Melbourne trio "The Genie" (composed of Ollie McGill on keyboards and keytar, Ryan Monro on bass and Will Hull-Brown on drums). His backing singers are known as "The Jackson Jackson 5" (comprising
Elana Stone, Karishma Sadhai, Bec Ari, Chantal Mitvalsky and Rory Osman). Jackson Jackson are signed to
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
and their debut album ''
The Fire Is on the Bird'' was released in March 2007.
Jackson Jackson played shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in mid-March 2007 as part of their "Sneak Preview" tour.
In 2008, they released their second album ''
Tools for Survival''.
Other projects
Angus is a member of
The Conglomerate, and plays trumpet on four tracks of the debut album
Aroona Palace by
Tinpan Orange, which also features
Ollie McGill.
He has also released two folk/acoustic solo albums,
Live at the Famous Spiegeltent in 2008, and
Little Stories in 2011.
In 2012, Angus wrote the Russian Folk Dance-inspired club song for the newest club in the
AFL, the
Greater Western Sydney Giants
The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS or Giants) are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney Olympic Park which repres ...
.
Awards and nominations
National Live Music Awards
The
National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
, -
,
National Live Music Awards of 2018
, Harry James Angus
, Best Live Voice of the Year - People's Choice
,
, -
Discography
Solo albums
* ''
Live at the Famous Spiegeltent'' (2008)
* ''
Little Stories'' (2011)
* ''Struggle With Glory'' (2018)
The Cat Empire
;Studio albums
* ''
The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Two Shoes
''Two Shoes'' is the second studio album by Australian ska-jazz band the Cat Empire, which was issued on 19 April 2005. It is the follow-up to their successful self-titled debut album. It was recorded in November to December 2004 in Havana, ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Cities: The Cat Empire Project'' (2006)
* ''
So Many Nights'' (2007)
* ''
Cinema'' (2010)
* ''
Steal the Light'' (2013)
* ''
Rising with the Sun
''Rising with the Sun'' is the seventh studio album by Melbourne band the Cat Empire. It was produced by Jan Skubiszewski and released on 4 March 2016 through Two Shoes Records. The first single was "Qué Será Ahora", followed by "Wolves" and ...
'' (2016)
* ''
Stolen Diamonds'' (2019)
Jackson Jackson
* ''
The Fire Is on the Bird'' (2007)
* ''
Tools For Survival'' (2008)
The Conglomerate
* ''Go to the Beach'' (2005)
* ''Hold Your Breath'' (2008)
With Tinpan Orange
* ''
Aroona Palace'' (2005)
* ''The Bottom of the Lake'' (2009) (producer, also plays harmonium, piano, whistles, keyboard, percussion, guitar)
See also
*
The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
References
External links
Cat Empire Info
Harry Angus – Unofficial fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angus, Harry James
Living people
1982 births
21st-century Australian trumpeters
21st-century Australian male musicians
21st-century Australian musicians
The Cat Empire members
Australian male singer-songwriters
Australian singer-songwriters
Musicians from Melbourne
Australian male rappers