There’s something really special about live music, particularly when the sheer experience can bring you to shed a tear or two. Supported by Robbie Miller and Georgia Fair, The Paper Kites brought an incredibly special atmosphere to The Forum, one that left the audience surrounded by a feeling of utter contentment.
Walking into the Forum about ten minutes after the doors opened, the venue was already at least about half filled with people sitting, waiting for some action on the stage. Queenslander and Triple J’s Unearthed Indigenous Music winner Robbie Miller opened the show with his fingerpicked guitar and glorious vibrato. A cross between a young Archie Roach and City And Colour, Miller charmed the audience into near silence.
Perhaps it was just being situated at the front of the crowd, but the sound for both support acts seemed a little distorted; the speakers crackly and abrasive at times, which was a shame as some clarity in Miller’s beautiful voice was lost. Nonetheless his songwriting was emotive and his guitar style almost reminiscent of the Paper Kites’ fingerpicking – Miller is definitely one to watch.
Just weeks before releasing their second record Trapped Flame, Sydney duo Georgia Fair were the second support act for the night. Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley have a beautiful chemistry onstage, despite some obvious nerves that led to some awkward onstage chat. They played a mixture of new material and old songs which the crowd seemed familiar with and enjoyed.
Wilson’s voice is the perfect mix of powerful and sweet, and Riley’s guitar skills, complementary harmonies and the unlikely addition of a clarinet make Georgia Fair pleasant and almost soothing to listen to – despite, of course, the overzealous speakers at the front!
Finally the house lights went down once more to reveal the members of the Paper Kites meandering on stage to a full crowd. The simple setting of a bunch of huge weather balloons projected with various images throughout the show – thunderstorms, water ripples and lens-flared lights akin to the band’s album cover – was simple but so incredibly effective, setting a completely serene atmosphere.
The band opened the set with the opening track from debut album States, “Malleable Beings” – with not a single audio or speaker problem, luckily. Frontman Sam Bentley’s dreamy voice and beautiful guitar picking coupled with Christina Lacy’s harmonies was enough to send the audience into an awed silence. Never has a room quietened so fast!
If you think The Paper Kites sound gorgeous recorded, it’s got nothing on their live show. The album pales in comparison to a live setting. The textures and layers of voices and instruments are distinctive and pure, and seeing the array of instruments – banjos, lap slides and even brass and strings ensembles made their way onto the stage throughout the show.
Apart from über-dreamy tunes, one thing The Paper Kites are excellent at is stage banter. From telling lies about their guitarist Dave Powyss – “He’s just come out of jail and he owns a hot air balloon business”, to Bentley trying to pronounce the band’s name the way he will on their upcoming trip to French-speaking Montréal (the sound that left his mouth cannot be spelt with letter), the band are experts at appearing humble, genuine and making the audience feel included in the show. After proceedings stopped for a minute so the band could get a photo with the entire crowd, the band left the stage – albeit Bentley, who stayed to perform a song solo.
“This is the part of the show where everyone leaves me, and I wonder if maybe I should just skip this part,” he joked, before performing absolutely flawlessly.
After running through a mixture of old songs that had the crowd singing along and new songs that left more than one person in tears, the band left the stage, only to come back on for one last song, “only if that’s okay with you guys!”
They scouted out the Georgia Fair boys in the crowd and invited them onstage, giving guitarist Ben about twenty seconds to learn the song – a cover of Feist’s “Comfort Me”, sung beautifully by Lacy, whose voice has come leaps and bounds through the band’s career.
After the cover, the crowd stood for a moment before starting to file out, comprehending the sheer loveliness of the past hour and a quarter. If you want a gig to make you feel like everything is okay in the world, The Paper Kites is the one to see.
The Paper Kites Setlist
Malleable Beings
A Maker Of My Time
Young
Living Colour
Arms
Cold Kind Hand
Bloom
Tennenbaum
Never Heard A Sound
In Reverie
Featherstone
Gates
A Lesson From Mr Gray
St Clarity
Encore:
(with Georgia Fair)
Comfort Me (Feist cover)
