Paul Dempsey performs at The Corner
Paul Dempsey
The Corner
September 12, 2009
O-Week.
Yep, that first week of Uni designed to introduce people coming from a diversity of social and cultural backgrounds and blending them into one identity: a ‘uni student’. This agent of change requires a few key ingredients. First and foremost it requires booze. Now being uni it will only be beer as that is all the common species of poor uni student can afford on their ‘part-time-job’ income.
To add insult to injury it will normally be the cheapest, nastiest beer available (I kid you not – during one O-Week attended I heard an organizer say to someone on a mobile: ‘who cares what type – get XXXX if they have it!’). So you have the masses inebriated, throw in a cheap BBQ and you will have their stomachs (their hearts and minds will follow). You do however need to keep them entertained – this is where music rears its head.
Pick the right bands, and O-Week will be a success; pick the wrong bands – well, let’s just say your aspiring career path as the next Michael Chugg would appear doubtful.
Many moons ago when this humble writer attended uni as a mock-attempt to determine a career, the would be ‘event managers’ at the university in question put together a lineup that would, in retrospect, be the envy of all promoters today. The benefit of hindsight would suggest that it may have been pure dumb luck but I’m prepared to give somebody the benefit of the doubt.
Front End Loader kicked off the glorious summers’ day with their off-beat ska/rock, followed closely by the very raw Living End in the second support slot. One thing I tend to observe when meeting anyone of note is their height – most people are shorter than you imagine. I had heard Something For Kate’s (S4K) ‘Captain (Million Miles and Hour)’ as it had just started to get airplay on Triple J and had pegged Paul Dempsey as a burley man of short stature – based solely on his voice. So when this giant of a man walked on stage I immediately took an interest as to how “that sound” would come out of “that frame”.
Fast forward umpteen years and Something For Kate’s story of near success is tale told by many. Charting solidly for the best part of a decade but never quite getting the recognition they so deserved, they have served the masses and their adoring fans well. While S4K gigs are few and far between these days, they sellout at a staggering speed and never leave the fans wanting. Recently, Dempsey has has ventured solo and has been touring nationally.
The Corner Hotel crowd erupted as Dempsey walked on stage, his simple demeanor and plain white t-shirt suggest the man enjoys the art of performance as opposed to the limelight that it brings. Relying heavily on his 2009 release, ‘Everything Is True’, Dempsey churned through tracks including ‘Bats’, ‘Out The Airlock’ and ‘The Great Optimist’.
Dempsey’s rendition of his recent single ‘Ramona Was A Waitress’ displayed his ability to improve the songs live and his unquestionable song-writing talent. The set was sprinkled with the odd cover from acclaimed songwriters Bruce Springsteen and Gillian Welch and was punctuated by a mid-show solo acoustic set which included the S4K favorite ‘Stunt Show’.
Supported by the Dallas Crane rhythm section (Shan Vanderwert and Pat Bourke), the songs were delivered with the sense of purpose that no doubt was intended when written.
For those interested, the headlining act of O-Week all those years ago was Magic Dirt. With the recent and tragic passing of Dean Turner I look on that show as a privilege to see one of Australia’s truly great rock’n'roll bands perform with the blistering rawness that made them the iconic band they are today.