Paul Dempsey, Dan Kelly & HisDream Band, Papa Vs. Pretty @The Forum, Melbourne(24/04/2010)

Wed 28th Apr, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Check out photos from the Forum here

A Forum finale for Paul Dempsey’s Burning Leaves tour saw the send off of one of Melbourne’s strongest (and tallest) singer-songwriters, before he relocates to New York to continue his solo work and a new Something For Kate album. For diehard fans of Dempsey, it was a somewhat bittersweet show, but it could also be considered one of his best.

Sydney band Papa Vs. Pretty’s rock’ n rolling opening to the night was comprised of blistering guitar solos and plenty of energy. It is obvious that the Sydney trio practice constantly and strive to reach the top with their music. The only problem is that there is something slightly generic about their music, although this does not affect the enthusiasm, attitude or dedication that they bring to their live performance. With enough time, continuous effort and practice, it’s likely that we’ll be hearing more from Papa Vs. Pretty in the near future.

Taking main support for the night, Dan Kelly & his Dream Band (comprised of members from Augie March and Ground Components ) were something of a surprise for me. Rather than just power through his setlist, Kelly (donning vintage pilot goggles and hat) told us the stories behind each song he performed, such as doing the wrong things in a catholic school, Read All About it in the Catholic Leader , and keeping meth addicts calm with classical music at the station with a song called I was a classical DJ at Dandenong Station.

Kelly’s set was unique, quirky and above all, enjoyable; filled out with other songs such as Fire and Theft (which he opened the set with), I Will Release Myself Unto You , The Decommissioner and even a song poking fun at Bindi Irwin. I haven’t heard too much of Kelly’s work, but in the short amount of time he performed, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with his nuance of clever and engaging songs.

When Paul Dempsey finally took to the stage, he ventured forth alone with his guitar, before opening his final Australian performance with the dark, yet hauntingly beautiful Out The Airlock. Welcoming the audience, he encouraged them to get involved, as the night’s performance was being filmed and recorded.

Bats , a song about Dempsey’s interpretation of Melbourne is one of the most outstanding tracks on his solo album, Everything Is True . Dempsey’s live performance of Bats raises the bar early in the night for what’s to come, such as performances of The Great Optimist and Have You Fallen Out of Love?

Previous shows have seen Dempsey cover the works of artists such as Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and even MGMT, but tonight was The Rolling Stones turn, with an absolutely stunning cover of Miss You. Dempsey followed this showstopper up with Take Us To Your Leader and Fast Friends, where at the conclusion, he pointed out that he had just broke his first guitar string in over five years.

Theme from Nice Guy and a performance of Something For Kate’s Whatever You Want were nice touches to a very well thought out and polished set. The deeply sombre Man of the Moment however, highlights just how brooding Dempsey’s songs can be, with the lyrics “It went something like – garden, tree, Adam and Eve, and Father, pray, forgive. But if I never hear that shit again I’ll live and live and live”_ being some of the most powerful stuff Dempsey has ever written.

Slowing things down, and introducing his band, Dempsey announced that he has a new song to perform, one that he wrote with the band whilst on the road, called We’ll Never Work In This Town Again. If this is an example of what we can expect in future releases from Dempsey, I say bring it on. Closing his set, the inevitable performance of the brilliant Ramona Was A Waitress brings the applause to its pinnacle, with Dempsey so rightly deserving of it. However, with a final trick up his sleeve, we are once again treated to a cover, this time of none other than the The Boss’s Born To Run, a song previously covered by Something for Kate.

A somewhat bittersweet encore saw the performances of Bird In A Basement and Safety In Numbness. With one final song for the night, Paul Dempsey fittingly closes his run of shows in Australia with the wonderful Beautiful Sharks, before departing the stage for the last time in a long time. When we see him return to the stage in Australia is unknown at this point, but I think everybody who has seen Paul Dempsey perform throughout the Burning Leaves tour can agree that he is without a doubt, one of the finest, humble and genuine performers Melbourne has ever seen.