I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Paul Dempsey play at the Zoo last night. After missing his shows by either a) getting lost at a showground or b) being crazy poor over the last couple of years, it was great to finally see the man in action.
Starting the evening with one of my favourites, Fast Friends, the whole 2 hour set was fantastic. While in reality it was just him, his guitar and some blue lights on stage, he had the presence and sound of a full band. I think it takes an immense amount of skill to create a presence like that, and he did it with absolute ease.
The one thing I love about Paul Dempsey is his distinctive lyrics. They are so dense and eloquent that they stick with you long after a song has finished. He has a ridiculous vocal range, and when he hits those high notes you can hear the whole crowd sigh simultaneously. He did a Leonard Cohen cover and a haunting rendition of Let’s Dance by David Bowie, finishing it off with “thanks for David Bowie for that song, and sorry for ruining it for all the David Bowie fans out there”. (He lied. He nailed it).
It was interesting to see that while his lyrics are full of sharp wit and honesty, his stage banter was just really fucking awkward.
Nevertheless, it gets an 11 out of 10.
Everyone go buy/download his 2009 debut solo album “Everything is True” right now if you haven’t already done so.
Good review, I disagree with the comments about the stage banter though. The awkwardness is part of the show’s charm. The reason it’s so awkward is because Paul Dempsey is a very unassuming, quiet and fairly shy person. He’s an enormously talented man and enjoys performing, but in between songs when he’s stopped strumming and the lyrics ended, the praise and adulation he receives make him happy but uncomfortable, flattered but embarrassed. And it makes everyone love him all the more.
