Entertainment
4 July, 2026
Singer: ‘You call the shots’
SOMETHING For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey will bring his stripped-back ‘Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II’ regional tour to Tanks Art Centre on 23 July, promising an intimate show where audiences help shape the setlist.
The tour follows the release of Mr Dempsey’s Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II album, which features a collection of songs that have influenced him throughout his career.
Rather than following a fixed running order, he said each performance evolved according to the audience.
“I’ve got a list of over 60 (songs) that I could kind of do at the drop of a hat, so I’ve been now just kind of going on stage with that massive list and just sort of letting it go wherever it might,” Mr Dempsey said.
“I kind of say to the audience, ‘All right, we’re at the Bowie portion of the set, you know, what do you want to hear?’, so that’s just really fun.”
The acoustic performances often feature Don Henley’s ‘Boys Of Summer’, Tanita Tikaram’s ‘Twist In My Sobriety’, Grant Lee Buffalo’s ‘Mockingbirds’, Jeff Buckley’s ‘The Last Goodbye’, David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars?’ and Max Q’s ‘Way of the World’.
Mr Dempsey said Way of the World had become one of the standout moments of the tour.
“When I have played it, it’s been a real, you know, one of those songs that really kind of silences the whole room, because it’s pretty intense.”
He said revisiting the 1989 Max Q track also gave audiences the chance to rediscover a song that deserved renewed attention.
“I just absolutely loved it at the time and I think there’s probably a lot of my audience that just might not have been aware of it, so it’s... an opportunity there to kind of introduce people to something and then hopefully they go back and listen to the original as well.”
Having performed in Far North Queensland more than 20 times, Mr Dempsey said he always enjoyed returning to the region.
“When you get off the plane up there, you really just feel like you’re in a different country. It’s so lush and tropical and just stunning,” he said.
Mr Dempsey said the intimacy of the current tour made every show unique.
“It’s just me with an acoustic guitar. It’s so intimate, everyone in the room can hear everyone ... it’s about as intimate as a live performance can be,” he said.
Paul Dempsey performs at Tanks Art Centre on Thursday, 23 July. Supporting act Kaitlin Keegan opens the show, with doors opening at 6.30pm and the performance beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale now via: www.cnslocal.s.gy/kY8vr5
