The Paper Kites put a sweet twist on Halloween
New York City, October 31st 2023
“All we want is a little truth,” The Paper Kites declared during their opening song on their At The Roadhouse tour, at the sold-out Racket NYC on Halloween night. Although the Australian band chose not to dress in costume, a number of fans in the audience donned their best looks, from Spider-man to a pirate to a couple of cacti. Whether dressed in costume or not, the entire room emulated a warm and welcoming energy only encouraged by the dynamic harmonica sound bellowing through the crowd.
A total of seven musicians filed onstage, ready to share the band’s latest album with a whole new audience. In July 2022, The Paper Kites and some friends performed a set of songs at a roadhouse in suburban Australia every Friday and Saturday night for a month. The band never advertised it, they just let the music live in that space. As people started to hear about it, the crowds grew and grew until they had to turn people away. “It was really the most amazing month of music,” the lead singer, Sam Bentley, admitted to the crowd. Here, their newest release, At The Roadhouse, was born alongside the Roadhouse Band.
The opening song, “Between the Houses,” melted seamlessly into “Till the Flame Turns Blue.” Immediately, the layered sound echoed and resounded through the room. From that first note on, the whole band and crowd began moving with the sound, uncontrollably, like something took over every single person’s body. The myriad of guitar sounds paired with the twangy pedal steel guitar, steady drum beat, and occasional cowbell, made the instrumentation undeniably infectious. It quickly became obvious that this album was meant to be heard live rather than as a studio version.
Bentley’s soft and supple vocals complemented the smooth instrumentation. His subtle harmonies with keyboardist and vocalist Christina Lacy flowed effortlessly and created an atmosphere centering on connection, love, and home.
The Paper Kites continued to build on this theme with the same level of skillfully controlled sound. “I can get lost in a place that I call home,” Bentley sang.
At many points during the show, the audience swayed together, eyes closed, taking in the precious moment, not even feeling the need to sing along. During “Nothing More Than That,” anyone could have heard a pin drop – the crowd silent, Bentley and Lacy harmonized, passion beaming from their eyes. The rest of the band sat back in admiration, smiles escaping their mouths every few seconds.
Each member came together, crowded around one old-fashioned-looking microphone to sing their top hit, “Bloom,” from their 2011 EP. The tender track has grasped the hearts of listeners for a decade now, but the live version felt healing. The entire audience sang along for the first time all night. Not because they finally knew the words, but because this song created an unbreakable bond between everyone in the room. “Can I be close to you?” The band asked as the whole room moved together.
The very soulful folk sounds carried through the show, but what makes this band so special is their ability to mesh folk and rock with ease. Electric guitars and heavy drum beats persist through their entire discography but come to a pinnacle during their more rock-infused tracks like “June’s Stolen Car” and “Black and Thunder.”
Dave Powys and Chris Panousakis, shined brightly in these performances. Bentley encouraged the audience to cheer the guitar players on during their respective wicked solos, and fans obliged, adding to the resounding noise in the space. These songs proved the band’s skillful control over silence; they understood when to place focus on one instrument and when to experiment with the layering of sound, creating a heavenly dreamscape. Lights glittered through the crowd and faded in tune with the music, making the experience an all-encompassing one, one that shifted energy from time to time, but always reinforced the theme of connection.
After the rock-heavy section, the band performed a cover of Adrianne Lenker’s “anything,” a bittersweet love song with indie and folk inspirations. Bentley matched Lenker’s longing voice as the band played the simple melody.
There was a level of trust between the audience and the band. In the beginning, Bentley prepared the audience for “emotionally triggering music,” encouraging vulnerability. And he kept encouraging it with every poignant song the band played, from originals to their cover song. Fans made jokes, the band responded, joked back, and the cycle repeated.
Bentley constantly checked in with the audience to make sure everyone was doing well, making the space comfortable and safe. So much so that when the band left the stage, the crowd predictably begged for an encore, but truly meant it. The band came back for two songs, the first of which only featured Bentley and Lacy in a moving rendition of “For All You Give.” “I wanna take you everywhere I go, have you by my side,” they sang. “For all you give, I’ll give it back to you,” with a palpable sense of longing. But they brought the mood back up for one more high before exiting for the night and sang “Electric Indigo.” They left the audience with the lyric “What’s it gonna take?” ringing and repeating in their heads.
You can catch The Paper Kites on tour at any of their remaining dates.