Paul Dempsey

Prepare for the best karaoke night you’ve ever been to with Paul Dempsey and his Shotgun Karaoke Show.

The 2025 release of Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II (EMI) album saw the legendary Something For Kate frontman revel in the stripped-back and spontaneous approach that brought the party vibes to the subsequent capital city tour. So much so that he's bringing it to Darwin Festival.

Paul Dempsey has built a career on making his emotionally driven alternative rock feel stadium-sized, and at this show he will do exactly that. With a broad selection of covers that span decades and genres, the setlist evolves as the night rolls on – with live favourites often including Don Henley's nostalgic ‘Boys Of Summer’ alongside 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 Aussie band Max Q’s 1989 hit ‘Way of the World’. As Paul himself puts it:” It’s just a party, just like karaoke should be. Except I'm the boss and I'm singing all of it and no one else gets the mic".