PAUL DEMPSEY - The Corner Hotel, Richmond 8/10/2010

Written by Matthew Hallett
Photos by Timothy Casten
                                                        

After spending some time in the US, writing and gigging, Paul Dempsey was welcomed home to an enthusiastic crowd at the Corner Hotel. The show sold out within weeks of going on sale, with patrons clustered together as far and wide as the walls could withhold. Dempsey was greeted by a warm reception upon taking to the stage, a reception that would only get warmer as the night carried on.

The setting was intimate and raw, with Paul using only an acoustic guitar and his captivating voice to showcase his talent and tell stories through song. The atmosphere was almost that of a friend’s party. There was a sense of familiarity and there were no barriers whatsoever between Dempsey on stage and the punters in the audience, with Dempsey regularly making conversation and banter.


There were quite a few hecklers but their comments were either praise or just silly jokes, again making it feel as if it were a mate’s party or something. Dempsey dealt with the hecklers well, often cracking jokes, but then his ability to go from joking and having everybody laughing, to a serious, pensive song within seconds and have the whole crowd captivated so that you could hear a pin drop was sheer brilliance.

Dempsey played all but one song from his solo album ‘Everything is True’, with highlights including Bird in a Basement, Perfectly Numb, Bats and Ramona was a Waitress. It was great to hear these songs in their rawest forms, no doubt bringing the songs back to how they were first conceived – just a guitar and voice. Other highlights included seeing support act Mike Noga (the Drones) play harmonica and sing with Dempsey on Man of the Moment as well as Dempsey doing a cover of MGMT’s Time to Pretend which was well-received by the crowd.

The cheers after each song seemed to become progressively louder as the night went on. Paul played a couple of new songs including We’ll Never Work In This Town Again as well as a brand new track written in the US (could possibly end up on the next SFK album which is a work in progress). Of course there were some Something for Kate songs in the mix such as Kaplan/Thornhill, Asleep at the Wheel, and The Last Minute, and with no setlist Dempsey just played whatever he chose in whatever order.

After one encore Dempsey came back for a second, urging that he is not the ‘former’ Something for Kate frontman and the band is very much still alive and kicking. With this he closed with a stirring rendition of Beautiful Sharks, much to the delight of the crowd who showed Dempsey warmth, love and support throughout the whole night, which Dempsey seemed truly grateful for, and truly grateful to be home.    

  

Saskia Sansom

Mike Noga