Live Review: Something For Kate Annandale Hotel

ANNANDALE HOTEL: 20/08/12

Georgi Kay kicks off proceedings with a short set utilising only of an acoustic guitar and her fragile yet sweet voice. Her song Lionheart is a definite standout.

Something For Kate grace the stage to the welcoming roars of the sold-out crowd and launch straight into a rockin' version of Three Dimensions. New songs from the band's upcoming sixth album Leave Your Soul To Science are thrown into the set, with songs such as Eureka, The Kids Will Get The Money and The Fireball At The End Of Everything, which Paul Dempsey calls a fairly cheery song. The new songs are well-received by the crowd and see the band take new directions and expand on their sound. Clint Hyndman's drumming takes on a more spacious approach and he even uses an electric drum in the aforementioned The Fireball… Latest single Survival Expert is dedicated to The Annandale, where the band played their first Sydney show, with Dempsey remarking he's glad the venue persevered to still be standing today.   

Classic songs Jerry Stand Up, Down The Garden Path, Anchorman, Monsters and Whatever You Want are greeted with much enthusiasm from the audience, who provide echoing backing vocals. Shenanigans are closed out with the legendary fan favourite Pinstripe. A big highlight is when touring member Pip Branson joins the band onstage for an amazing version of Déjà Vu, playing guitar and switching to violin as the song reaches its crescendo. Dempsey provides another standout moment when he takes up his acoustic guitar and covers Sam Brown's Stop!, becoming hauntingly beautiful as he flexes his vocal prowess.

It wouldn't be a Something For Kate show without Dempsey's trademark banter. “You wouldn't really think it was a Monday,” he says in between songs. “Thank you all for coming out to see us, I'm sure you're missing out on something. What's on now, The Voice?” When an audience member calls out to let Dempsey know Big Brother is on, he replies “Really? How did that come back? Actually, how did we come back?” He turns to his bandmates, who chuckle by way of reply.

The band quickly return to the stage for a blistering version of Electricity for their encore, with Dempsey remarking, “You guys are awesome. We should hang out every Monday.” Something For Kate's long-awaited return to Sydney yields an incredibly memorable show full of classic songs, new favourites and plenty of laughs.