What was the last thing you did for play or fun?
We went to the Sydney Opera House a few weeks ago to see Paul Dempsey, frontman of Something for Kate, on his Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II national tour. An acoustic concert. Just him and a guitar. At one point he was joined on stage by Sarah Blasko for a single song, but otherwise the evening was deliberately stripped back.
The Shotgun Karaoke project began years ago, almost accidentally. While touring, Dempsey recorded covers in backstage rooms — songs he loved, sung simply, with no attempt to make them his own. They were uploaded to YouTube and eventually became an album that resonated far more widely than anyone expected.
The concept is beautifully straightforward: take well-loved songs and reduce them to their essentials. Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time. Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye. R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion. Don Henley’s The Boys of Summer. No production tricks. No reinvention. Just affection and attention.
That same night, Oasis was playing in Sydney.
The contrast was almost comical. While large crowds gathered in a stadium for noise, nostalgia, and spectacle, the Opera House was full too — attentive, warm, held by one voice and one guitar.
Dempsey mentioned, almost in passing, that as soon as the concert ended he’d be heading straight back to Melbourne. Metallica was playing the next night, and he didn’t want to miss it.
There was something joyful about sitting in the Opera House — a place built for grandeur — and watching simplicity hold the room. The audience was warm and receptive. The music worked because it didn’t try too hard.
I never imagined I’d be at a packed concert in that space, listening to acoustic covers, and enjoying it as much as I did. But by the end of the night, the crowd rose to its feet. A standing ovation for restraint, sincerity, and songs allowed to breathe.
It reminded me that fun can be simple. Sometimes it comes when things are pared back, when you stop trying to impress, and simply share what you love.
The Afterword 
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