Something For Kate recently released a best-of from their first five albums. Entitled The Murmur Years (named after their record company), the album saw the band compile all of their singles, and some special covers, into a massive double disc set. But Something For Kate have always been proud of their back catalogue, using their live shows to play older tracks as well as new ones, so what would they do to make a Best-of show special?
The night was opened by local act The Butcher Birds. This Brisbane-based four piece won the Brisbane leg of the Garage 2 V competition last year, and tonight they produce the same brand of dark chick-rock which served them so well. They play tracks from their debut EP Eat Their Young, including Great Escape and the excellent Tiger Paw, along with some new songs. The double guitar work of Jacinta and Stacey works well, and bass player Joanna doesn’t let her influenza get her down. Unfortunately, there’s not much energy on stage – the band spend most of the time standing dead still behind the microphones – and with the Zoo crowd only just beginning to flow in, the set lacks punch.
Melbourne band Deloris have joined Something For Kate for the entirety of this tour, after Paul Dempsey was involved with the recording of their album Ten Lives last year. The band is the brainchild of Marcus Teague, who did almost everything on the album, but as a live band, the five band members work well together. The acoustic guitar is almost inaudible, but excellent guitar work from Teague and Anthony Petrucci, as well as some good double vocal work, carries these pop songs from good to great. The only downside is the constant retuning between songs – it happens so often that it negatively affects the pacing of the set. After playing radio single The Unbroke Part Of It, the band ramp up the energy for the last two songs, both from the new album, and leave the now growing crowd with something to cheer about.
Tonight’s show at the Zoo is sold out, and every single audience member cheers wildly when Paul Dempsey takes the stage solo, for an excellent accoustic version of Impossible. After that, the rest of the band join him on stage for Beautiful Sharks, before the energy lefts for Pinstripe and Hallways. Drummer Clint Hyndman has a strobe underneath and behind him, taking his always manic energy to another level. After the b-side Faster, Pip Branson plays glockenspiel on Down The Garden Path, the climax of which could quite possibly be the most intense 100 seconds of rock written in a long time. Branson shines again, playing violin on Deja Vu, before providing the high pitched riff for Say Something (although he is having problems with his pedals, at one stage ripping one pedal off completely and handing it to the bemused sound tech). Dempsey is in usual fine form, gratefully acknowledging every cheer thrown his way, and Stephanie Ashworth is her usual stoic self on bass, pulling off moves up and down the neck with ease. After The Futurist, Paul once again plays solo, with a beautiful rendition of The Astronaut, before Branson brings himself and his violin back on stage, and the two knock the socks off every single person present with a tear-jerking version of Elliot Smith ’s Waltz #2. Something For Kate have always had excellent taste in covers, but tonight they have outdone themselves.
The rest of the band returns for Happy Endings (one of the tracks tonight which they haven’t played in the past), before Higher Than You Think (from their debut EP The Answer To Both Your Questions), which is followed by Cold Chisel cover When The War Is Over, which starts out slowly, and ends ferociously They finish their main set with California, before returning to play out the night with Monsters, Back To You, and, of course, breakthrough hit Captain (Million Miles An Hour). Something For Kate’s return to the live stage last year saw them return with an intensity and passion that had sometimes been missing. They carried that intensity to tonight’s performance, but also provided some classic moments for long time fans, and showed why they managed to sell out the Zoo two nights in a row. How do you make a Best-of show special? By delivering a stunning performance for both new and old fans, one which will never be forgotten.
