When The Middle East famously went AWOL following their 2011 Splendour In The Grass appearance, critics searched far and wide for a suitable replacement. After scouring countless Sunday afternoon cafés and sizing up every busker along Brunswick Street, many declared the search futile.
Others, however, kept the faith and unearthed what they heralded as the second coming; Melbourne quintet The Paper Kites.
To be fair – and as their performance tonight at the Northcote Social Club demonstrated – such comparisons are slightly skewiff. The Paper Kites lack the chronic moodiness and somberness that was soaked into nearly every Middle East track. As a result, their EPs – and live shows – bop along to a much happier beat.
Prior to the their appearance, Patrick James lay down a warm blanket of Damien Rice-inspired folk. Clearly word of his talent had passed around as a hearty contingent of scarf-loving pacifists already began filling the bowels of the NSC during his performance. Although still raw, he delivered a set that showed he can be just as polished as his top-billing counterparts in a few moons time.
Somewhat surprisingly, The Paper Kites begin their set nervously. Following a couple of false starts with their opening track, they eventually settle into a groove and move into the glistening ‘Featherstone’. They quickly apologise to the crowd on two fronts; a) for their self-declared “worst intro ever”, and; b) that they’ll be playing a spread of new tracks from their upcoming EP.
Thankfully, the new songs deliver on par with anything from their highly fancied EP Woodland. Others impress even more so, in particular ‘Leopold Street’, a lovely ode dedicated to the grandparents of lead singer Sam Bentley. Another newbie, ‘When Our Legs Grew Tall’, also garners a terrific reception.
The band shows their gratefulness to followers by playing a duo of better known tracks, including ‘Sink In’ and ‘Bloom’, a crowd favourite that Bentley says he performed for the first time at the same venue a few years back. They also sneak in ‘The Mortal Boy King’, the sole lead vocal for sweetly spoken guitarist Christina Lacy. Fittingly, the band ends with another new track titled ‘Kiss The Grass. A little surprising, however, is their decision to forgo the usually predictable encore.
The Middle East they are not. Instead, The Paper Kites are a band who has carved their niche delivering folk that is breezy, intelligent and as tasteful as any of their contemporaries. Tonight’s performance proved no exception.
– Paul Bonadio
