Australia's The Paper Kites grew from late-night folk picking into a hushed, widescreen sound that now leans into dusty country tones from their Roadhouse era.

Quiet origins, wider horizons

Since the At The Roadhouse project, they have toured with an expanded lineup that colors the edges with pedal steel and organ. Expect Bloom, Featherstone, Electric Indigo, and Don't Keep Driving to anchor the night, with newer slow-burners easing between them. Crowds skew mixed-age, from first-album followers to newer listeners drawn by the barroom glow, and people tend to listen closely rather than chatter. A neat footnote: parts of the On the Train Ride Home era were tracked during late-night sessions to keep the room silent. Another small detail is David Powys shifting to pedal steel live, which subtly changed their palette after 2023. Fair warning: song picks and production flourishes here are inferred from recent runs and may change on a dime.

Songs that anchor the room

Scenes and Keepsakes with The Paper Kites

The room often lands somewhere between a listening party and a date night, with quiet chatter before the band starts and long silences during verses.

Quiet rituals, warm manners

You will see denim and earth-tone knits, a few vintage dresses, and people carrying film cameras or small notebooks for set notes. Singalongs are gentle, often a soft hum on the wordless lines in Featherstone and a low chorus on Bloom. Fans tend to trade favorite deep cuts at the merch wall, comparing pressings and pointing out small arrangement changes they caught. Merch skews tactile: lyric notebooks, screen-printed posters, and vinyl editions tied to the Roadhouse sessions.

Things people wear and carry

Between songs, the crowd gives patient applause and waits for the next cue rather than shouting requests. It feels like a community built on careful listening, where the reward is catching the tiny details that make the songs feel lived-in.

How The Paper Kites Build the Quiet

Sam Bentley sings in a close-mic hush, with Christina Lacy stacking harmonies that feel like a second melody rather than a mirror.

Small moves, big space

Guitars favor fingerpicked patterns, and David Powys slides between electric and pedal steel, adding a soft glow instead of bite. Tempos sit mid to slow, but the band keeps songs moving by shifting drum texture, from brushes to rim clicks to a dry backbeat. Live, they often drop choruses to near silence before bringing in organ or floor toms, which makes small rises feel big. A neat detail: several tunes use high capos with lowered tuning so the chords ring bright while the voice stays in a warm range. Keys and bass fill the low end lightly, leaving room for vocal breath and guitar tails to hang.

Arrangements that breathe

Lighting tends to amber and midnight blue, supporting the music-first focus without crowding the ears.

Kindred Ears for The Paper Kites

Fans of Angus & Julia Stone will click with the mellow harmonies and coastal sway, though The Paper Kites play it even softer.

If this, then that

Daughter shares the late-night hush and slow crescendos, trading in mood and careful phrasing. If you like the earthy storytelling and reverb-lit guitars of Ben Howard, this show lands in that same reflective lane. The cinematic folk-west textures of Lord Huron overlap with the band's Roadhouse glow, especially when pedal steel drifts in. Across all four, the common threads are patience, space, and melodies that let small details do the heavy lifting.

Neighboring sounds

Where others swell loudly, this group keeps tension low and steady, which pulls quiet listeners closer.