Something For Kate
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Something For Kate

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | MAJOR

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | MAJOR
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"Something For Kate @ Oxford Art Factory"

Walking into the Oxford Art Factory is like walking into another world. The mirrored surrounds upon entry give the impression you’re decending into a futuristic universe, but really you’re just decending into a damn fine live music venue. The live art space provides a wonderful concert experience with supurb sound and lighting and most importantly, a generously proportioned yet still intimate setting.

From the very moment they stepped on stage it was evident that Something For Kate were right at home in the warm and inviting surrounds of the Oxford Art Factory. Currently on an extended break due to the writing and recording of Paul Dempsey’s solo album the band “just needed to play” according to the lofty frontman, declaring the gig a fancy rehersal. The assembled horde were certainly glad to be witness to this so called fancy rehersal and they were treated to a stunningly polished set from one of Australia’s finest acts.

Opening in familiar territory with standard show inclusions Deja Vu and Stuntshow, the band then launched into a superb rendition of Big Screen Television from 1999’s Beautiful Sharks album.

A more than competent guitarist at the best of times, Paul Dempsey doesn’t usually feel the need to get ’showy’ to prove his worth as an axeman. Obviously very relaxed and at ease in his surroundings, Mr Dempsey wasn’t backward in coming forward tonight, demonstrating some masterful guitar work seemingly at will.

The latest Something For Kate offering, 2006’s Desert Lights, was given a good showing with Oh Kamikaze, Down The Garden Path and Cigarettes & Suitcases presented early in the piece. The latter, though not generally recognised as one of the band’s strongest works is always given something extra in the live setting and it shone once again here.

Not to be forgotten were some of the essentials from 2001’s Echolalia which made Something For Kate a household name. Old Pictures and singalong favourite Jerry Stand Up were both given a very vocal seal of approval while Monsters was almost unrecognisable during it’s intro after being given a 12 bar blues type treatment.

Next we were treated to Paul Demsey’s solo acoustic section of the show where he unveiled some new material, presumably for inclusion on his forthcoming solo album. Also given the acoustic treatment was Beautiful Sharks, always a crowd favourite and a prime example of the man’s exquisite song writing capabilities.

No Something For Kate show would be complete without the odd rarity or two thrown in. An electrifying Cassandra Walks The Plank, released as a B side to the California single, did a good job of stirring up the crowd, and Chapel St. Etc gave this long time Something For Kate fan one more reason to smile.

With the quintessential Pinstripe blasted out and the simply haunting Seasick to close, Something For Kate once again ensured that no punter would be walking out the door unhappy with their performance. In fact, if anything it simply left everyone present begging for more.

Mitch McMillan
23rd July 2008 - virginmusic.com


"Splendour In The Grass - Sunday Review"

Something For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey must’ve started early on the GW McLennan stage as a result of the cancellation of Albert Hammond JR. There’s only a small crowd for his first couple of songs but it swells to near capacity throughout his intimate set. On the cusp of releasing his first solo record (not counting the Scared of Horses LP way back when) it’s curious to hear the difference between the SFK catalogue and those slated for his new project. And they are different. With over half the set consisting of new “solo” songs, it appears Dempsey is stripping back some of the complexities of SFK to reveal a more organic folk-pop base; not to mention a change in vocals, regularly breaking into a full falsetto. Which serves his sweeter, more direct wordplay well. Set closer ‘Pinstripe’ has the requisite brother's in arms punching each other on the arm, gaily.

Marcus
11th August 2008
- thevine.com.au


"Splendour In The Grass Over For 2008"

Something for Kate front man Paul Dempsey wowed the crowd with just an acoustic guitar and his cover of Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’ was one of the highlights of the whole weekend.

Tim Cashmere
7th August 2008

- undercover.com.au


"Splendour In The Grass (Sunday)"

Paul Dempsey has trouble drawing people away from the Wombats, and begins in front of a small crowd. His set consists of solo versions of Something For Kate songs, as well as some new songs from his upcoming solo album. Impossible, from Desert Lights, is an early highlight, with Dempsey leaning away from the mic and belting out the coda. The crowd, which is beginning to grow steadily, gets to sing along to Deja Vu, and the vitriolic Say Something is just as potent without his band behind him.

Of the new songs, The Fastest Of Friends and Theme From A Nice Guy are excellent, and bode well for the new album. Dempsey banters easily with the crowd, humbly thanking them for their appreciation, and he makes a point of stating how proud he is to play on a stage named after McLennan. He finishes with a cover of the Boss’s Born To Run, with an intensity that the crowd responds to, and then Pinstripe, which rounds out a fantastic set of solo acoustic numbers.

Gumboy
4th August 2008 - fasterlouder.com.au


"Paul Dempsey @ The Troubadour"

Paul Dempsey has a voice that makes you forget where you are and that you’ve got a job to go to tomorrow. Venturing out with an acoustic guitar and pocket full of cheat sheets to help him remember songs still warm from his cerebral oven, Dempsey was honest in his advice that Wednesday night’s sold out gig at the Troubadour was a test bed for his new solo material and demonstrably humbled by the generous response from the crowd.

The Troubadour’s carpet was full. Much like children on school parade, the audience was cross legged, quiet and all facing the front. With almost no room for mid-set arrivals, it was clear all were mesmerised by Brisbane’s talent du year and befitting support, Tom Cooney. Instantly embraced by his exquisite folk guitar, heartfelt lyricism and soft, entrancing voice, it’s easy to see why this young man is heralded as one of those local talents who have success scriptively laid before them by many a music (and otherwise) publication. During the set, one guitar part struck as certainly familiar although obscure, so no points are lost from the sampling (whether intended or no) of The Delgados’ Make Your Move. With parallels to contemporaries such as Fionn Regan and Damien Rice in terms of songwriting and sentimentality, and subtle vocal traits of a subdued David Gray, the thunderous applause that ensued for the local lad will surely not be the last or the loudest he is going to receive.

Self-deprecating, relaxed and immediately engaging with the audience on a personal level, Paul Dempsey took to the stage shortly after, shuffling small papers from his pocket and tuning his guitar. With enough songs now written to put together another solo album, this performance was to see what his fans think, to unleash the “newbies” on some guinea pigs… or piglets, guinea gigpiglets, if you will. “Yeah, I’m packin’ cheat sheets to help me.” he said, smiling at the front rowers. Aware that we’re about to hear some very new, as yet unheard, songs from one of the foremost songwriters in this country, here’s betting that those scraps of spirax are greatly improved in value for having such words and chords scrawled upon them.

A mixture of new songs and Something for Kate favourites, the pared simplicity of one man, his guitar and his outstanding perfectly pitched voice was supremely satisfying. Each of the new tracks melded seemlessly into the set list, where if you weren’t already a SFK fan and didn’t know the songs, you really wouldn’t have known which were which. They were all Paul Dempsey songs, evidenced further by his own slip “ah, here’s something from my, oops, sorry OUR first record.” and all welcomed by the reverent crowd equally.

Post Kaplan/Thornhill and a new offering that resonated with Dempsey’s trademark rasping depth and amazing vocal heights, a naive question to the crowd soon put him to rights, “So, ah no rugby fans then?” referencing the State of Origin #3 match in full swing on many Brisbane televisions, but more closely heard from the pub across the mall. The room gurgled in opposition, “Oh yeah!”, “What’s the score?!” and even a “Queenslander” was heard from amongst the respondents. Settling the crowd again with a rendition of Paintbrushes that showcased the intricacies of detailed songwriting often lost to the noise of the electronic form, Whatever You Want also dripped in melancholy, though skeletal in its delivery, the emotion amplified by the treatment.

While it was great to hear a swathe of SFK tracks, Faster, The Astronaut, California, Say Something, stripped of all bar some reverb on the vocals, it was the new tracks that Dempsey introduced that had this reviewer trasfixed. Not all were introduced separately, but those that were were about irony, arguing with an evangelist about The Rapture, about butterfly wings, chameleons and impossible things. The lyrics hinted at themes of our common loneliness in a very crowded society while the tempos and scales invoked visions of gloomy Melbourne on a rainy day, watching traffic pass by your window as the tv grumbles along in the background. Everyone in the room was welcoming of these new gifts, and the joy in the giving was palpable. If the music was to be compared, some likeness to Angus and Julia Stone was evident on a least one, while another sounded very much like Bruce Springsteen... maybe because it was.

Now, there are people who would tell you that seeing The Boss live was one of their greatest live music moments, and that’s great for them, but I (digress into the first person) really don’t care anymore that I haven’t seen him, because I’ve experienced Paul Dempsey belting out a Springsteen classic, and his chosen theme song, released in the year we were born (1976), Born to Run. It was perfect. Even the whoahs were whoahtastic.

Bringing it back downunder, we were treated to a sing-a-long moment that had Dempsey so utterly rapt with the audience that he clapped towards us all at the end, effusive with pr - fasterlouder.com.au


"Something For Kate second Sydney gig"

Having unsurprisingly sold out their first intimate date at Oxford Art Factory on Friday 18 July, Something For Kate will return the next night for more.

These performances should be a treat for fans: spanning the band’s extensive back catalogue and hopefully introducing songs from Paul Dempsey’s upcoming solo record. Stripped back to the essentials, their live show is at its most assured these days. Expect tickets to move swiftly for the second night too…

Something For Kate’s encore appearance goes on sale Monday 16 June from Moshtix.

Friday 18 July – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (SOLD OUT)

Saturday 19 July – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (new show)

Jack T
17th June 2008 - fasterlouder.com.au


"Paul Dempsey @ The Corner Hotel"


PAUL DEMPSEY
The Corner Hotel

The biggest task when writing about Paul Dempsey is doing justice to his brilliance. Those who’ve listened to his songs, and sensed the honesty and intimacy of his lyrics, will have a fairly good idea of what I mean. And so, in the wake of his solo release, Everything Is True, a full house waited patiently for Paul and company to hit the stage. At 11 o’clock the gig rocked off with an opener from the album followed by a Bruce Springsteen cover. Shannon Vanderwert and Patrick Bourke from Dallas Crane on drums and bass respectively, and John Hedigan playing electric guitar and keys, provided valuable support for the man of the moment.

The new songs translate well in a live setting. Bird In A Basement, Fast Friends, Out The Airlock, Bats, and Ramona Was A Waitress were all very well received, among others from the album. Around mid-set Paul played a couple of tracks sans band with Man Of The Moment a definite gig highlight. “Hand-me-down, hand-me-down oh brother,” he sang while staring blankly into the distance, as if having been transported somewhere else entirely. It was one of those rare goosebump-inducing performances where Paul’s aptitude for the pensive romance of deep contemplation leaves no doubt as to why he is appreciated as an artist and not just as a singer who plays guitar.

Paul removing his jacket early on had attracted an array of wolf whistles, to which he’d responded, “It’s just a white t-shirt, people.” It was a comment among several that demonstrated Paul’s modesty and humour. His question of “Who here supports Collingwood?” and the exclamation “Go Saints!” preceded his cheerful admission at feeling shame for reducing the performance to such a “populist” level. But we were in on the joke; grateful for having been able to enjoy an animated and considerate Paul who, mindful of the day’s sudden warmth, commented several times on our heat affected demeanour - at one point even asking us if we were okay.

After an hour, Paul and his band said goodnight and left the stage. Of course, we wanted more - much more, but who could have guessed the gift we would get when a lone Paul returned to the stage and addressed the crowd. “During the week I realised that tonight was the 15th anniversary of the first Something For Kate gig.” While this was enough to cause the crowd to erupt, Paul’s generosity was set to catapult our gratitude into the stratosphere as, looking rather coyly towards the stage entrance, he said, “So, come on guys.” And then there were three.

Clint Hyndman and Stephanie Ashworth walked on stage, readying their instruments, and leaving many mouths agape as Something For Kate launched into Pinstripe, a favourite from their debut. Paul was right to call this surprising twist an anniversary present for us and for them. The song’s end meant the departure of Clint and a smiling Stephanie and the return of Paul’s solo band. Two songs later and the night was over. Paul Dempsey is known for being a hard worker with high self-expectations. His performance showed him to be a genuine and creative soul with an incredible grasp on music.

DAVID PRESCOTT-STEED

- Beat magazine


"Paul Dempsey @ The Corner Hotel- The Age"

Tribute to Kate
PAUL DEMPSEY
Corner Hotel, Richmond
September 12 and 13
Reviewer Andrew Murfett

DON'T call it a reunion. Paul Dempsey, the stalwart frontman for Something For Kate, was nearing the end of his solo album launch when he mused that it was 15 years to the day that Melbourne's beloved alternative rock trio first played a gig.

As he mused, his band mates, Stephanie Ashworth and Clint Hyndman, bounded on stage, to the roars of the sold-out crowd. They would stay for just one song, yet their appearance displayed Dempsey's comfort switching between his singer-songwriter persona and his long-term band.

He did this frequently on Saturday, flitting between older material and his solo songs, backed by new band - drummer Shannon Vanderwert, bassist Patrick Bourke and guitarist-keyboardist John Hedigan.

Being a Saturday night, and a balmy one at that, the thirsty crowd soon became boisterous, and Dempsey bantered with the crowd about football.

But as the catcalls for older songs grew tiresome he took a stand: "This is not a Something For Kate gig," he said. The crowd roared its approval. - The Age newspaper


Discography

Something For Kate Albums
Leave Your Soul To Science (Sept 2012)
Everything Is True, Paul Dempsey Solo (2009)#5 Australia
Live at the Corner (2008)
The Murmur Years (2007)
iTunes Originals - Something for Kate (2007)
Desert Lights (2006) #1 Australia
Phantom Limbs:Selected B-Sides (2004)
The Official Fiction (2003) #1 Australia
Echolalia (2001) #2 Australia
Q & A with Dean Martin (reissue) (2000)
Beautiful Sharks (1999) # 8 Australia
Elsewhere for 8 Minutes (1997)

Something For Kate EPs

Demo Tape
Answer to Both Your Questions (1996)
Intermission (1997)

Something For Kate Singles

"Dean Martin" (1996)

From Elsewhere for 8 Minutes:

"Captain (Million Miles an Hour)" (1997)
"Captain (Million Miles an Hour) (Ltd Edition)" (1997)
"Prick" (1997)
"Working Against Me" (1998)
"Roll Credit" (1998)
Harpoon/Clint (1998) (Split A-side with Jebediah. Two different versions released, SFK's vinyl, and Jebediah's CD version (Harpoon EP)

From Beautiful Sharks:

"Electricity" (1999)
"Hallways" (1999)
"Whatever You Want" (1999)
"The Astronaut" (2000)

From Echolalia:

"Monsters" (2001)
"Three Dimensions" (2001)
"Twenty Years" (2001)
"Say Something" (2002)

From The Official Fiction:

"Déjà Vu" (2003)
"Song For A Sleepwalker" (2003)
"Best Weapon" (2003) (promo only)
"Moving Right Along" (2004)

From Desert Lights:

"Cigarettes and Suitcases" (2006)
"Oh Kamikaze" (2006)
"California' (2007)

From The Murmur Years:

"The Futurist" (2007)

From Leave Your Soul to Science;
"Survival Expert"

Photos

Bio

Something for Kate are a three piece band from Melbourne, Australia. The band are comprised of singer/songwriter/guitarist, Paul Dempsey, bass player, Stephanie Ashworth & drummer, Clint Hyndman.

The band have to date released six studio albums, a double album of B-sides, a double Best -Of album, a DVD, a live album, a video collection, three e.p’s, and too many singles to mention.

In 1996, Something for Kate signed to Murmur Records, an offshoot of Sony Music which was their home for 10 years. During this time the band toured endlessly throughout Australia as well as the US, Europe & Japan. They have toured with everyone from Death Cab for Cutie to David Bowie playing many major festivals also. They have been nominated for 13 ARIAS (Australian Record Industry Awards), achieved 5 platinum and gold selling albums, 4 Top 10 albums, taken out numerous awards for Best Live Band, Best Male Vocalist, Best Album, Best single from Rolling Stone Magazine, the Australian Music Industry Critics Awards,The Age Newspaper, Triple J to name just a few.Something for Kate have, to date, sold half a million records in Australia alone.

Having completed their contract with Sony Music, in 2008 after touring for their final release for the Sony label,The Murmur Years – The Best of Something for Kate 1996-2007, the band signed to EMI/Capitol Records Australia. And in 2009, singer /guitarist Paul Dempsey commenced a solo career in addition to his work with Something for Kate and subsequently released his first solo album, Everything is True. The album was highly successful in Australia, entering the charts in the top 5 upon it’s release, surpassing gold status and being declared Album of the Year by iTunes amongst many other accolades.

After relocating to New York in 2010, Paul Dempsey toured Everything is True until early 2012 when he returned to Australia & commenced writing for the 6th Something for Kate album with bandmates, Stephanie & Clint.

Something for Kate have just completed recording their 6th album in Dallas, Texas with producer, John Congleton (St Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, Modest Mouse ) The album is titled 'Leave Your Soul to Science' and was released on Friday September 28th. It debuted at No.1 on the Australian ARIA chart and No.5 on the international ARIA chart. The first single from the album is ' Survival Expert', and was premiered on Triple J, Australia's national radio network and given away as a free download by the station. The single is currently on high rotation on the network.
The second single, 'Miracle Cure' has just been announced and is already on high rotation on Triple J and is currently being added to commercial stations across the nation.

The band then announced a handful of album preview shows which sold out in under 5 minutes. The band just completed a sold out national tour.

“Something for Kate’s songs ‘are sophisticated and evocative, disconnected to a degree from the prevailing style of the era, although connected to Australian music in the way that Dempsey,like Midnight Oil’s Jim Mogine, can see how minor details can rear up and become a song’s focus’”

- From The Hundred Best Australian Albums by John O’Donnell,Toby Cresswell & Craig Mathieson

“Something for Kate is sure to go down in history as one of the great Australian rock bands… with a sound so unique and yet also seemingly familiar…[they’ve written] some of the finest examples of music this country has to offer”- Rolling Stone Magazine

“Something for Kate have staked their claim as one of Australia’s best songwriting bands.The bittersweet mixture of melancholy and passion in Paul Dempsey’s vocals are a rare and beautiful thing” –Xpress Magazine

“Something For Kate have delivered the kinds of albums that reach deep within and touch your very soul – and as for their live shows and loyal, fervent fanbase, well they are fast becoming the stuff of legend.” – Buzz Magazine

Something For Kate: "Leave Your Soul To Science" 2012 Album Bio

Cities submerged underwater. Handguns in bathrobe pockets. Boy geniuses gone awry. Love in the face of apocalyptic flames. The existential meeting the day-to-day. Consistently highly original, Paul Dempsey may be our first Science- Fiction- folk- songwriter. This is "Leave Your Soul To Science", the sixth album from Melbourne trio Something For Kate.

From sparse, gentle lullabies to sharp, trancy epics, country-folk meanderings and sprawling, dirty rock drop outs: "Leave Your Soul To Science" is a bold, adventurous, exciting and very beautiful album. It’s Something for Kate at their most accomplished yet and its Dempsey’s most evocative, confident and incisive lyrical work to date. The album sees him exploring a wider vocal range than ever: From the stunning falsetto that begins the hauntingly beautiful “Survival Expert” to the deep croon of the Springteen-esque “Private Rain”, musically too, the band have pushed their boundaries expanding and co