Paul Dempsey Revives 'Shotgun Karaoke' Show For 'One Night Only'

Paul Dempsey is hitting the road with his ever-popular Shotgun Karaoke show, but there’s a catch: it’s for just one night only.

The Something For Kate singer will headline Melbourne’s Northcote Theatre on Wednesday, 24 April (ANZAC Day Eve) for a night of covers and fun that fans won’t want to miss.

Shotgun Karaoke began as a little backstage ritual, with Dempsey performing tracks by artists he admires in venue stairwells and tiny rooms after Something For Kate soundchecks during a 2013 tour. Videos of Dempsey’s little karaoke sessions were then posted to YouTube.

The notorious series has seen Dempsey put his rich tone to classics by Bad Religion (Faith Alone), INXS (Never Tear Us Apart), Courtney Barnett (History Eraser), Queen (I Want To Break Free), Wilco (Jesus Etc.), R.E.M. (Losing My Religion), Talking Heads (This Must Be The Place), Sheryl Crow (If It Makes You Happy) and many more.

In the last ten years, Dempsey has covered Miley Cyrus, Middle Kids, Amy Shark, David Bowie, Sinéad O'Connor, and many others at his shows, on the radio, and on triple j’s Like A Version. What will his next Shotgun Karaoke setlist look like? Fans will just have to wait and see.

Tickets to Dempsey’s upcoming Shotgun Karaoke one-night-only show go on sale tomorrow at midday (AEDT) via the singer’s website.

As Australians were dealing with Covid-19 lockdown conditions in 2020, Dempsey brought his cover song skills out of retirement to make fans’ days, performing tracks like Elton John’s I’m Still Standing with The Living End’s Chris Cheney, Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure with Bernard Fanning, and Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson’s Candy with The Jezabels’ Hayley Mary.

Next month, Dempsey will join fellow Aussie artists Troy Cassar-Daley, Ball Park Music and Tori Forsyth for the 2024 Outback Trail program.

The Outback Trail will also host country stars Travis Collins, Loren Ryan and Taylor Moss, renowned artist Lloyd Saunders, the energetic Smashing Bumpkins, Pierce Brothers, Mitch King, Maddy Thomas, storyteller Robyn Russel, and celebrity chef Mark Olive.

You can find more information about the event here.