The Paper Kites came up in Melbourne with a gentle indie folk sound built on close harmonies and fingerpicked guitars.

From porch songs to roadhouse hush

Their recent At the Roadhouse project shifted them toward dusky, late-night grooves and longer instrumentals, and that mood still colors their shows.

Songs likely to surface

You can expect staples like Bloom, Featherstone, Electric Indigo, and On the Train Ride Home folded into a patient arc. The crowd tends to be mixed in age, with couples, small friend groups, and a fair number of solo listeners leaning in for the quiet parts. A neat detail: their multi-instrumentalist often brings lap steel lines that glide above the acoustic bed, and the band sometimes swaps instruments mid-set. Another tidbit from their early days: parts of Woodland were tracked in a friend’s living room, which set the tone for their intimate recordings. Note that any talk of songs or staging here is an informed guess, not a confirmed plan.

The Paper Kites Crowd, Up Close

This is a listening crowd that still sings when invited, especially on the closing lines of Bloom.

Warm colors, softer voices

You will spot earth-tone jackets, knit caps, and worn boots, plus a few film cameras tucked away until the lights rise. Couples sway in the aisles, but there is also a pocket of gear-curious fans watching the pedals and guitars change hands. Between songs, the room tends to go quiet in a respectful way, then loosens when a backbeat kicks in.

Quiet rituals, small joys

Merch leans toward simple line art and At the Roadhouse motifs, with neutral colors that match the music’s palette. A low hum sometimes starts before an encore, more of a murmur than a chant, fitting the band’s tone. Post-show chatter is usually about harmony choices and that one lap steel line, not volume or flash.

How The Paper Kites Build A Whisper That Carries

The lead vocal sits warm and centered, with a second line that locks like a shadow instead of a spotlight.

Quiet parts first

Guitars favor clean tones and fingerpicking, with a player sliding to lap steel or banjo when the songs ask for a different color. Drums stay patient, often using brushes and toms to keep a slow heartbeat that lets small details speak. Live, they like to stretch intros or codas, letting a simple riff repeat until the room settles.

Small shifts, big space

You might catch a Nashville-tuned electric or a capo move that brightens the top end without crowding the vocal. Keys and bass fill the low-mid gently, so the harmonies can rise without strain. Lighting usually tracks the tempo and shade of each tune, staying warm for folk pieces and turning cool-blue for the roadhouse material.

If You Like The Paper Kites, You Might Drift Toward These

Fans of Angus & Julia Stone often find the same soft-and-glow dynamic here, with breathy duets and coastal melancholy.

Nearby sounds, shared rooms

If you like the campfire pulse and group vocals of The Lumineers, these songs land with a quieter but similar sway. The layered hush and falsetto-friendly textures should appeal to Bon Iver listeners, especially those who prefer the folkier corners. Story-forward, widescreen folk fans who chase reverb-washed guitars often cross over with Lord Huron crowds.

If this resonates, try these live

All four acts favor melody over spectacle, and each builds choruses that work at low volume. So if your playlists move from porch-lit ballads to nocturnal twang, The Paper Kites sit neatly in the middle.