Over the course of this year, as a reviewer and as a punter, I have seen over 100 bands play at concerts and festivals across the country. I’ve seen everyone from small up-and-comers to major internationals, everywhere from divey clubs to stadiums. I’m not telling you this to brag, but simply to put my next statement into context... This was the best gig of 2011.

Mike Noga and Paul Dempsey on stage together at a nostalgic venue like The Zoo was bound to produce a pretty memorable evening, but this was even better than my high expectations.

Noga might not be a household name just yet, but he won the crowd over with his grating ballads. He could be Ned and Paul Kelly’s love child... this guy and the sell out crowd were well rewarded for turning out early. Playing tracks off his latest release, The Balladeer Hunter, the Drones drummer won the crowd over with ‘Piss on a Butterfly’ and ‘Ma Belle’, before introducing the man of the moment, Paul Dempsey.

There is so much love for Paul Dempsey that he could have told the crowd he rapes kittens and the ladies would still be swooning! He has so much charm and charisma, coupled by an astounding voice... not to mention his poetic turn of phrase. Playing mostly tracks from his solo release Everything is True, Dempsey interspersed these with a few Something for Kate numbers and some covers. Leonard Cohen’s "The Future" was given the Dempsey treatment as well as Bowies "Let’s Dance".

He’s so goddamn charming that even when he says one of the most offensive words in the English language (starts with a ‘c’ and rhymes with ‘hunt’) more than a dozen times, the crowd just laughed it off and joined in the chorus. What a phenomenal night of music this was...