Something For Kate @ The Forum, Melbourne (20/07/2014)
While the streets of Melbourne are near-frosty cold, all kinds of people gather within the warmth of The Forum and wait to commemorate 20 years of one of Australia’s best live bands. The heritage-listed venue, with its intricate architecture and glowing, sky-like blue ceiling, is perhaps the most appropriate place for today’s more-settled Something for Kate to play.
The band’s anniversary show starts with a short film recapping Something for Kate’s life so far. The trio discuss how the band has never really fit anywhere, riding the line between commercial and obscure — as Stephanie Ashworth says, the band isn't about “cars, girls, and rock ‘n’ roll”. The inability to place Something for Kate amongst other musicians, especially during their earlier days, is why people became, and remain, interested. It is also why such a vast crowd are present at The Forum tonight. As soon as Something for Kate start playing, a surprising number of fans, young and not-so-young, begin mouthing along with every word, despite songs being picked from all over the band’s extensive back catalogue. They are completely captivated by what is happening, as if they themselves are centre stage, standing and jolting around in Paul Dempsey’s bronze boots—as if they had been waiting years for this moment. Dempsey, who is usually full of witticisms, makes few jokes. Tonight is no regular show—it is all about the music. Something for Kate play with flawless synergy, and sound like a band that has been playing together for 20 years, if not even longer. They are known for the slight to extreme variations in their songs during live performances, and, as always, Dempsey plays around with his vocals and guitar work as if he couldn't bear to play a song the same way twice. This is something that makes their shows so |
interesting, because you never only hear what's on record. Dempsey is comfortably awkward as he jerks around with his guitar between vocal parts. Behind him, Clint Hyndman looks as if he is tackling some ferocious beast, swinging his arms around the kit while he twists his facial expressions and drips with sweat. Meanwhile, on Dempsey’s left, Ashworth stands calmly, delivering powerful and precise bass lines that defy her small stature and really drive the band.
Following on from the film, the night maintains the visual experience aspect through interesting, song-specific graphics and videos displayed behind the band. I don’t know if it is because it’s the last Melbourne show or not, but Something for Kate are in their element, playing through many of the tracks they don’t often get to play. The band’s dedicated fans respond well to this. You can tell they don’t at all expect to hear all of the singles, as might be expected of other bands during an anniversary show like this.
The second set from Something for Kate commences with Dempsey pressing keys and strumming an acoustic guitar on his own for a few songs. One of the these songs is a rare track called ‘Chapel St. etc.’ Dempsey dedicates it to a European man called David, who requested the song after travelling to Melbourne for the string of shows with some friends from France and Germany. Today is his birthday. The band then returns to the stage to deliver more of their expansive live performance—from the waves of delicate folk and heavier rock in ‘Down the Garden Path’, to the somehow laid-back fuzz pop in ‘Sooner or Later You're Gonna Have to Do Something About Me’.
There are no questions when contemplating Something for Kate’s strong and steady following over the years. It is a combination of the band’s sincerity and dedication to their craft, their vast exploration of sound, and Dempsey’s clever yet straightforward and relatable lyrics that keeps fans coming back for more. Something for Kate never seem to want more than what they have, and it is clear that, for however long they remain, they will always stay true to themselves.
As Dempsey professes later in the night, here’s to 20 years more.
Nathan Fioritti
Following on from the film, the night maintains the visual experience aspect through interesting, song-specific graphics and videos displayed behind the band. I don’t know if it is because it’s the last Melbourne show or not, but Something for Kate are in their element, playing through many of the tracks they don’t often get to play. The band’s dedicated fans respond well to this. You can tell they don’t at all expect to hear all of the singles, as might be expected of other bands during an anniversary show like this.
The second set from Something for Kate commences with Dempsey pressing keys and strumming an acoustic guitar on his own for a few songs. One of the these songs is a rare track called ‘Chapel St. etc.’ Dempsey dedicates it to a European man called David, who requested the song after travelling to Melbourne for the string of shows with some friends from France and Germany. Today is his birthday. The band then returns to the stage to deliver more of their expansive live performance—from the waves of delicate folk and heavier rock in ‘Down the Garden Path’, to the somehow laid-back fuzz pop in ‘Sooner or Later You're Gonna Have to Do Something About Me’.
There are no questions when contemplating Something for Kate’s strong and steady following over the years. It is a combination of the band’s sincerity and dedication to their craft, their vast exploration of sound, and Dempsey’s clever yet straightforward and relatable lyrics that keeps fans coming back for more. Something for Kate never seem to want more than what they have, and it is clear that, for however long they remain, they will always stay true to themselves.
As Dempsey professes later in the night, here’s to 20 years more.
Nathan Fioritti