Paul Dempsey returns with his long-awaited sequel to the beloved karaoke covers project.
After more than a decade of fan requests, Paul Dempsey is finally delivering the sequel that listeners have been waiting for. Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II sees the Something For Kate frontman return to the stripped-back, spontaneous approach that made the original 2013 LP such a compelling listen.
The Paul Dempsey tour promises to be equally unpretentious, with the artist describing the experience as just a party, just like karaoke should be. The concept remains beautifully simple: beloved songs reduced to their essential elements, performed live with nothing but Dempsey’s voice and acoustic guitar. No overdubs, no fixes, no polish – just honest, in-the-moment performance that captures the spirit of actual karaoke.
Paul Dempsey
- Friday 31 October – His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
- Friday 7 November – Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Sydney
- Friday 14 November – Concert Hall, QPAC, Brisbane
- Saturday 15 November – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
- Saturday 22 November – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
Check out our gig guide here.
The challenge Dempsey sets himself is considerable: perform every song in its original key, forcing his voice into territories well outside his comfort zone. It’s an approach that strips away the safety net of familiarity, creating moments of genuine vulnerability that conventional cover albums rarely achieve.
The track selection spans decades and genres, from Cher’s bombastic If I Could Turn Back Time to Tanita Tikaram’s contemplative Twist In My Sobriety, Don Henley’s nostalgic Boys Of Summer, and R.E.M.’s anthemic Losing My Religion. It’s the kind of playlist that would make your Spotify algorithm have an existential crisis.
Recorded at home in spare moments rather than in a traditional studio setting, the album maintains the intimate, almost accidental quality that made the first volume so endearing. The imperfections aren’t bugs – they’re features, essential to the project’s DNA.
On tour, Dempsey will take things even further than he has with Volumes I and II, playing a broad selection of covers beyond what’s included on either album. He’ll draw on scores of covers done over the decades, diving deep into the rabbit hole a YouTube search for Paul Dempsey covers takes you to.
For an artist who has spent decades crafting sophisticated songwriting with Something For Kate and his solo work, Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II represents something refreshingly different – a chance to inhabit other people’s songs and simply have fun without worrying about artistic legacy or critical analysis.
Tickets are on sale Friday 8 August at 12pm local time. All shows are all ages.
For more information, head here.
