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When The Cat’s Away – Dianne Swann, Debbie Harwood and Margaret Urlich (delegated ideal standing) – with Kim Willoughby and Annie Crummer arm fumbling in the front.
Iconic New Zealand band When The Cat’s Away will reunite for the very first time in 33 years to farewell their friend and fellow bandmate, Margaret Urlich, who passed away in 2015.
A Tribute to Margaret Urlich is set for Auckland’s Town Hall on Sunday, October 1 including the 4 initial members of the Hall of Fame group Debbie Harwood, Annie Crummer, Dianne Swann and Kim Willoughby.
Harwood said the band wished to do something unique to honour Urlich.
“Sadly we didn’t get to say goodbye,” she said in a declaration revealing the gig on Monday.
“Marg lived in New South Wales, Covid and the closed borders meant we just couldn’t get there. We wanted to celebrate her life in the best possible way singing the songs we loved performing together.”:
They promise to perform the band’s biggest hits including Melting Pot and Asian Paradise but also honour Ulrich’s successful solo career with songs including Escaping, Only My Heart Calling, Room That Echoes, Boy in the Moon.
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The four remaining members of When The Cat’s Away – Debbie Harwood, Dianne Swann, Annie Crummer and Kim Willoughby.
The event will also feature original members of the When the Cat’s Away backing band –Brett Adams and Gary Verberne on guitars and Holidaymakers’ Barbara Griffin on keys.
Ulrich died in August, 2022, after living with cancer for over two years. The 57-year-old was surrounded by family at her home in the Southern Highlands of NSW, where she lived with her husband and manager George Gorga.
“She was the most beautiful woman, on the inside and out,” her cousin Peter Urlich informed Stuff at the time.
“An amazing natural performer, she loved to dance.
“She was blessed with a great voice. She sang so effortlessly and with such soul and sass, she had her own space and sound, instantly recognisable.”
Urlich was among New Zealand’s most effective artists, starting her profession as the frontwoman of Peking Man.
She later on signed up with When the Cat’s Away, whose primary hit Melting Pot made them a household name.
The group was inducted in the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame last December.
Urlich’s poor health suggested she was not able to join her bandmates – Annie Crummer, Debbie Harwood, Dianne Swann, and Kim Willoughby – as they were acknowledged for their specific and cumulative contributions to Aotearoa’s music scene, and their significance in shaping New Zealand’s pop culture.
After crossing the Tasman to attain higher success in 1988, Urlich had a string of solo hits, consisting of Escaping, Number One, and Burnt Sienna.
Her vocals on The Horses with Daryl Braithwaite sent the track to the top of the Australian Top 10 charts for 12 weeks in 1991.
Pre-sale tickets begin Wednesday, all staying tickets are on sale Friday, July 28 from Ticketmaster.
