Something for Kate -- The Corner Hotel
Something for Kate
The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
December 2, 2005
Melbourne quartet Ground Components put on a brash opening set for the punters who show up early at the Corner. Mixing aggressive guitars with raspy vocals and hard-hitting drums, you'd think they're just another punk knockoff, but then they throw in a reggae-tinged number and some irish pub-folk influences and the Clash t-shirt that frontman Joe McGuigan is wearing suddenly looks a tiny bit out of place. With the energy, enthusiasm and confidence these guys exuded, I wasn't the only one slightly disappointed when they had to wind up.
Still, it's Something for Kate that everyone is here to see tonight. They lead in with a powerful rendition of Anarchitect -- Paul Dempsey sings "Get in the car; Get to the point; Get to the finish line" with real venom. At the end, there's barely enough time for the crowd to draw breath and scream its appreciation as the band almost immediately launches into Three Dimensions followed by Monsters.
As Paul tells us, Something for Kate been locked in a closet writing and recording, but we're graced with only a few samples of their new material this evening. Stately and waltz-like, Down the Garden Path is the first of them. Cigarettes and Suitcases is faintly mournful and Transparanoia shows all the promise of a new single. They reveal the undimmed songwriting power of the band -- boding well for their new album.
One fellow who's particularly impressed screams out: "Dempsey that was fucking brilliant, mate!" Paul looks slightly startled, searches for something to say, fails completely and smiles a goofy, embarassed grin. The crowd laughs. Even your heroes are allowed to be human.
By and large, Paul seems content showcase the strength of their back-catalogue -- to the evident joy of the punters who sing along for much of the set. It's a noticeable trait of Something for Kate fans -- they're lyrically driven rather than being the types to bounce up and down to the beat. In fact, it's hard to tell whether Paul lets them take the lead on Pinstripe or if they simply take over. Stephanie and Pip grin across at each other behind Paul's back.
Predictably, Deja vu and Captain send everyone into a swaying, nodding rapture and draw some of the loudest cheers of the night. A cover of Rock the Casbah full of echo and reverb is an unexpected treat. The hike in volume makes it seem as though there's three Pauls on stage. Beautiful Sharks gets the solo acoustic treatment. The crowd's hushed "Ooh, oooh, oohs" make it a highlight -- a moment of shared intimacy and vulnerability. Then, prompted by his fellow band members to do another, we get The Astronaut.
Set closer Dean Martin is intense and Pip, Paul and Stephanie loosen up a bit and thrash around on stage for perhaps the first time tonight. Nobody moves during the brief pause before they return. Twenty Years and Jerry Stand Up provide our musical dessert and round out a fitting tribute to the Corner's 10th birthday. As we all reluctantly wander out into the cold and rainy Melbourne night, our only hope is that Something for Kate are still kicking around 10 years down the track to do a repeat for the Corner's 20th.
The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
December 2, 2005
Melbourne quartet Ground Components put on a brash opening set for the punters who show up early at the Corner. Mixing aggressive guitars with raspy vocals and hard-hitting drums, you'd think they're just another punk knockoff, but then they throw in a reggae-tinged number and some irish pub-folk influences and the Clash t-shirt that frontman Joe McGuigan is wearing suddenly looks a tiny bit out of place. With the energy, enthusiasm and confidence these guys exuded, I wasn't the only one slightly disappointed when they had to wind up.
Still, it's Something for Kate that everyone is here to see tonight. They lead in with a powerful rendition of Anarchitect -- Paul Dempsey sings "Get in the car; Get to the point; Get to the finish line" with real venom. At the end, there's barely enough time for the crowd to draw breath and scream its appreciation as the band almost immediately launches into Three Dimensions followed by Monsters.
As Paul tells us, Something for Kate been locked in a closet writing and recording, but we're graced with only a few samples of their new material this evening. Stately and waltz-like, Down the Garden Path is the first of them. Cigarettes and Suitcases is faintly mournful and Transparanoia shows all the promise of a new single. They reveal the undimmed songwriting power of the band -- boding well for their new album.
One fellow who's particularly impressed screams out: "Dempsey that was fucking brilliant, mate!" Paul looks slightly startled, searches for something to say, fails completely and smiles a goofy, embarassed grin. The crowd laughs. Even your heroes are allowed to be human.
By and large, Paul seems content showcase the strength of their back-catalogue -- to the evident joy of the punters who sing along for much of the set. It's a noticeable trait of Something for Kate fans -- they're lyrically driven rather than being the types to bounce up and down to the beat. In fact, it's hard to tell whether Paul lets them take the lead on Pinstripe or if they simply take over. Stephanie and Pip grin across at each other behind Paul's back.
Predictably, Deja vu and Captain send everyone into a swaying, nodding rapture and draw some of the loudest cheers of the night. A cover of Rock the Casbah full of echo and reverb is an unexpected treat. The hike in volume makes it seem as though there's three Pauls on stage. Beautiful Sharks gets the solo acoustic treatment. The crowd's hushed "Ooh, oooh, oohs" make it a highlight -- a moment of shared intimacy and vulnerability. Then, prompted by his fellow band members to do another, we get The Astronaut.
Set closer Dean Martin is intense and Pip, Paul and Stephanie loosen up a bit and thrash around on stage for perhaps the first time tonight. Nobody moves during the brief pause before they return. Twenty Years and Jerry Stand Up provide our musical dessert and round out a fitting tribute to the Corner's 10th birthday. As we all reluctantly wander out into the cold and rainy Melbourne night, our only hope is that Something for Kate are still kicking around 10 years down the track to do a repeat for the Corner's 20th.