Something for everyone
IT’S A BRAVE NEW WORLD FOR LIVE MUSIC IN PANDEMIC TIMES BUT THIS TRIO IS ROCKING ON
Melbourne band Something For Kate released their seventh album in November. At the time, the pandemic meant touring couldn’t happen. However, the start of 2021 looked like they might be able to get some outdoor shows away and at least get to play the new songs from The Modern Medieval, which entered the ARIA chart at No.4.
Fast forward to July, and continuing lockdowns have set the live music scene back even further.
“We got to play three gigs for this album,” frontman Paul Dempsey tells SMARTdaily. “That’s it.”
They’ve taken a leap of faith by locking in national dates – seated, to be as Covid-safe as possible – across September and October.
“It is rolling the dice,” Dempsey says. “You worry about announcing a tour with the way things are right now, but if you don’t announce it, you’re not really giving yourself or anyone else anything to look forward to. We live in hope.”
Dempsey says the arts continue to suffer, with the industry in Australia now in limbo while live concerts are up and running in the US and UK. “It’s frustrating to be
behind when we were ahead; we were all looking forward to this year being better. We have fallen right behind,” he says.
“There’s tours being announced left right and centre in the States, full capacity, normal tours. There’s rising case numbers as well, but at least they have a fighting chance because the uptake on vaccination and the availability has been good.
“The more recent lockdowns feel like the result of incompetence at the federal level, it didn’t have to be this way. I’m a man of science, I will do what the best health advice is. I just wish the leadership had been a little better.”
THREE DIMENSIONS
For the 2021 tour, Something For Kate will play their 2001 album Echolalia in full for its 20th anniversary, then return for a set of songs from The Modern Medieval, plus other selections from their 27 year career.
“It’s been a long time since we have toured. We want to give people the most exciting reason possible to come out and see a show again. We’re also busting to play.
We’ve given ourselves an excuse to do two sets and be our opening act.” Echolalia, their third album, was a pivotal record for the trio. Lead single Monsters became their highest-charting release, reaching No.15, while the album reached No.2 and went platinum. All four singles from the record made the Top 50. B-sides from the era will be aired at the upcoming show and lesser-played album tracks will be back in circulation.
“Old Pictures is requested all the time,” Dempsey says. “Over a 20year span, some of the stranger songs on the record end up being the favourites. The last track, White, is this very atmospheric, moody thing and people call out for it all the time.
“But there’s something about these two records, Echolalia and The Modern Medieval, 20 years apart – they seem to reflect off each other in a way that feels good to me. There’s some sort of thread that works.”
Dempsey hasn’t ruled out playing other albums in the full in the future, but notes: “You don’t want to pay too much attention to the past when you’re trying to keep
pushing forward and doing new things and staying vital.”
With touring on hold, he’s continued writing new material.
“I just keep writing no matter what,” he says. “Although at the moment, you think you’re writing songs all week and instead you’re home schooling.”
TWENTY YEARS
The band has been digging through the Echolalia archives for potential merchandise, while the album will be reissued on clear vinyl on September 10 with new artwork and Dempsey’s handwritten lyrics.
“I feel like we’ve been good custodians of our band and what our band is about,” Dempsey says. “We’ve always stepped away from it before it could get annoying or frustrating or tiresome. We’ve given it space when it needs space, we’ve trusted when it felt like the right time to be active.
“We’re all lucky enough to have other things going on in our lives that sustain us and keep things interesting. We never let the band become a chore. That’s why sometimes it’s seven years between records, but we didn’t ruin it. Hopefully we didn’t ruin it for our audience either.”
Something For Kate, Astor Theatre Perth September 17, Thebarton Theatre Adelaide September 18, Forum Melbourne September 23, Fortitude Music Hall Brisbane October 8, Enmore Theatre Sydney October 9. On sale Monday, frontiertouring.com