Unfortunately I missed Leena due to EMI’s published stage times being completely wrong. She did make a guest appearance during Paul Dempsey’s set and provided some gorgeous backing vocals that blended effortlessly with Dempsey’s huskier tones.

Parallel Lions is the new band for Ollie Browne from Art Of Fighting alongside a couple of friends in drummer Sam Bates and guitar/keyboards/backing vocalist Hamish Michael.

Art Of Fighting is still in existence and generally speaking Parallel Lines doesn’t seeing Browne straying too far from that band’s gentle indie folk. His voice is still the undeniable focus of the songs, he never hits a bum note and never seems uncomfortable in his phrasing. In fact it is all a little too safe and easy going and runs the risk of becoming boring. That risk was avoided by some delightful sampled sounds and some expressive drumming and the friendly banter of the musicians that showed they are having a blast making music together.

Paul Dempsey also struggles with the safe card at times. His voice is the saviour, imbued as it is with that ache and gravel strain that lends itself perfectly to the emotional content he soaks his songs in.

Dempsey sits alongside fellow indie musicians like Jamie Hutchings and Glenn Richards who all anchor their music with poetic musings about people and places and generally the darker side of the human heart. The irony is that for the most part the crowd Dempsey attracts is a middle of the road one. The types who like what they hear on Triple J and listen to the same music as their friends, go to a show occasionally and don’t delve into ‘music’ any deeper than that.

Playing his solo album plus a few covers to stretch out the set, Dempsey had the crowd on his side from the start. Featuring an exceptional backing band with the rhythm section of Dallas Crane, they added a solid backbone to his mostly acoustic renditions. It showed how integral they were when they left the stage and Dempsey played alone in the spotlight. He still delivered strong performances but the dynamics of the band were missing.

The covers that Dempsey played were a prime example of an audience not understanding or being aware of where a songwriters influence comes from – not that that prevents them from enjoying his music of course. Television’s See No Evil, Gillian Welch’s Wrecking Ball and Springsteen’s Atlantic City were met with a muted response of non-recognition which was a shame because they were fantastic versions.

The biggest cheer for the night came for the single Ramona was a Waitress which is one of the closer tracks to his day job with Something For Kate. Other highlights were Bats and a sweet and soothing take on Out The Airlock which was apparently inspired by old movies and ultra violence.

Paul Dempsey showed he has a devoted following that will probably back anything he puts his  hand to. By the same measure he delivered the goods with a strong, confident and melodically rich performance that showed why he is so consistently popular.