With this band, that's actually a very good thing, as they're not the type to write something dishonestly unlike themselves just to get airplay and make sales. Which, ironically, is why so many people love them.

I had complications on the night, so I only caught the last song of the support band, Doloris. In fact, there may or may not have been two support bands. I don't know. They sounded alright. There's really not a lot I can say on the matter.

I discovered that my companions for the night were in the front row, so off I went. They managed to find an extra spot for me, right in front of a very short person. Whoever you are, please forgive me and I hope you had a great night anyway.

Soon enough, the sound of fond cheering filled the beautiful purple-roofed room as Paul Dempsey walked onto the stage to glide his way through "Impossible" alone before being joined by the rest of the lineup, including their long-time live second guitarist/violinist/backing vocalist/snare drummer/xylophonist/percussionist/soul brother/frequent flyer/chef/corporate sponsor/wildlife consultant Pip Branson. The setlist was indeed a well-balanced anthology from the band's entire catalogue. Pearlers like "Pinstripe", "Hallways" and "Happy Endings", to name a few, all went down an absolute treat. Branson pulled out the violin for an explosive "Deja Vu" which would have left us all on the floor if there had been enough space.

The crowd was right into it, but I could only tell from what I could hear, not what I could see. We weren't the most animated audience ever. At one point, Dempsey said "it's cool, we know you're all standing there absorbing, as Something For Kate fans tend to do. As long as you're all doing okay".

Right at the end of the bridge in "Jerry, Stand Up", drummer Clint Hyndman hit the snare and sent one of his sticks flying to the front of the stage, and the woman next to me came so close to catching it, only to be denied by the security guy. People may laugh at his so-called "lack of technical prowess", but I can assure you he rocks hard (Hyndman, not the security guy, although I'm sure it applies to him as well). His passion and enthusiasm are engaging and a joy to watch, and at times he gives the band an almost "heavy" sound.

Dempsey's banter between songs was fairly frequent and very enjoyable, including (among many other things) political commentary, high school reminiscing, and a classy rebuttal to a certain unoriginal and insulting request directed at bass player Steph Ashworth. He also thanked the audience after virtually every song, and his announcement that "we're recording this tonight so we can all re-live it" received one of the biggest cheers of the night. Keep an ear out for that!

When the band left Dempsey alone, I thought the show was coming to a close. I had some crazy idea that they were ending it the way they'd started it, with the towering but disarming frontman performing alone. But then, after a spellbinding accoustic singalong of "The Astronaut", Branson rejoined him, followed by Ashworth and Hyndman one song later, and things were in full swing once again.

Eventually, Something For Kate did leave the stage, resulting in an unshakeable collective will that they would return, outwardly expressed in the form of stamping feet and thumping of the front barrier. And of course, they returned.

The highlight of the night for me was the song that closed the two-hour set. All night I'd had an inexplicable and constantly growing desire for them to play "Captain (Million Miles an Hour)", and the sound from behind me when they began this classic, which was much louder than the sound in front of me, confirmed that I had not been the only one feeling that way. Throughout this song, I could see this guy probably in his 40s, going completely nuts to it a few rows back. I have to say that during that song, it was more of an experience watching him than watching the stage. He told me afterwards that he'd been to their last 37 consecutive shows or something, so I can only assume he was part of their travelling cohort. He was without a doubt the most animated fan in the house, on the strength of his performance in that song alone.

This gig was surely a world away from that time in Cleveland where apparently the band played for a crowd of one person (their "audient", as Ashworth joked). Having said that, this gig was probably just as special for a lot of people as the Cleveland show was for that one fan.

I left the venue utterly satisfied. Sure, there were a few personal favourites I was disappointed not to hear, like "Before Butterfly's Wings" and "Twenty Years". But that's because Something For Kate have way too much gold in their catalogue to possibly fit into a night.