The Paper Kites at the Somerville Theatre, 9/17/22

Typically a place to watch niche movies and films in 35mm, the Somerville Theatre hosts several musical artists throughout the year. On September 19th, I was fortunate to see The Paper Kites, a down-to-earth indie band from Melbourne, Australia. 

The band played from all parts of their discography, beginning with “St. Clarity,” a soft banjo-accompanied tune from their 2013 album States. Their set was a calming mix of therapeutic, acoustic-guitar-strumming indie music and angstier, driving tunes, such as  “Revelator Eyes” and “Renegade” from twelvefour (2015). From their newest album, Roses (2021), the band played “Climb on Your Tears”  with opener Bre Kennedy. 

At the heart of the show, with the lights dimmed, the band members formed a circle around the microphone for a set of acoustic songs. The highlight was “Bloom” – a bonus track from an old EP, Woodlands (2013), that has over 300 million streams on Spotify.

The band was clearly very comfortable in the cozy venue; they last performed at the Somerville Theatre in October 2019. The crowd was pleasant and content, laughing at frontman Sam Bentley’s jokes and applauding warmly. 

Just as the thrumming drums and guitars kicked in on their closing song, Electric Indigo, the vocals cut out. Unfazed, the band played on, and Bentley continued to sing, unamplified. When the band returned for an encore, they explained that there were technical difficulties and the mics were no longer working, but they pushed on gracefully, providing the grateful crowd with a fully acoustic rendition of “Featherstone.” Despite the unexpected ending, The Paper Kites’ set filled me with warmth. I was more than happy to sit in my fraying movie-theater chair, close my eyes, and take in the calming atmosphere.