Photo: Matt Palmer

It’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop – or in this case, a soda gun discharge – as Tom Cooney takes our collective hand and leads us through a contemplative set of acoustic numbers. His minimalistic approach to songwriting relies heavily on the moody spaces between notes, which draws attention to his lazily delivered lyrics. The seated crowd is submissive and appreciative of the subdued sounds produced by his female singer and xylophonist accomplices. Cooney’s output is a tasty entrée before the anticipated main course.

Paul Dempsey arrives. “Just talk amongst yourselves for a moment.” He tunes his guitar. “Okay, now shut up.” An adoring capacity crowd laughs, and spends the next 80 minutes immersed in some of the strongest songs cultivated within the Australian rock landscape’s fertile soil. Dempsey’s well-known creations lose none of their impact in acoustic mode: rather, we’re able to better focus on the vivid pictures painted by his lyrics. The State Of Origin match concludes a few songs into his set, and he humours the jubilant crowd’s Queensland fanaticism by announcing that he’s avoiding NSW on this tour. He revisits many tunes – Whatever You Want, Say Something, Beautiful Sharks, The Astronaut, Stunt Show, Hallways – amid new creations, and a Springsteen cover. Guitars in hand, we’re bode farewell; clearly, he was Born To Run.

ANDREW MCMILLEN

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