The Paper Kites Grounded Soulfulness Light Up The Roundhouse
- Dave Broome
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
The Roundhouse, Camden, London Date: 24 February 2026
IMAGES DAVE BROOME / WORDS STEFANI NTOURMENOPOULOS
Australian band, The Paper Kites, have spent over a decade building a steady loyal following while sharpening their folk sound to move beyond the middle. Last night they played iconic London venue, The Roundhouse, which seemed to enchant them as much as the spell they cast over the sold out crowd.
Support act, Bess Atwell, was a suitably gentle, and at some turns sultry opener. Her sad girl schtick is very much the updated iteration of The Paper Kite’s 2010s indie folk, steeped in a Phoebe Bridgers-esque musical aesthetic. Her voice resonated well throughout the space creating a tender atmosphere. Although at times the songs themselves seemed to stay at one-note, and so her performance never fully captured the audience, but rather painted a lovely backdrop in anticipation for what was to come.
The Paper Kites began gathered centre stage, the entire band crowding round lead singer, Sam Bentley, while bathed in spotlight to open with relatively new track, “Morning Gum”. It was an arresting visual opener, especially for the intimacy of a venue like The Roundhouse which strides that beautiful balance between feeling small and large at once. The sound felt close-knit and stripped back allowing the harmonies to shine. After the opening track finished the lights split to a deep red which silhouetted the band spreading across the stage. These evocative lightscapes continued throughout the performance, complementing the soulful indie-folk well.
Bentley spoke to the crowd throughout the set, lightly bantering about their very first billboard in Camden that he’d seen that day. As a fellow Aussie, I understand the pull London holds over the creative imagination of those who have grown up faraway, and so his genuine rapture at witnessing his billboard (albeit graffitied with the word ‘bleak’) and even playing The Roundhouse rung very true. Bentley’s humility in the face of Paper Kites’ ascent was endearing and spoke to the deeper vein of sweetness which runs through the band at large.
Indeed, their entire set was wholesome and heartfelt. It was a shame that some of the more intimate moments were slightly sullied by the chatters at the back of the venue. Bentley was right to call them out, especially because it noticeably occurred during his duet with support act, Atwell. Again, he gently (but firmly) put the ‘chatters’ in their place, which resulted in resounding applause and cheers from the wider audience. It was a terrific moment of solidarity, showcasing Bentley’s command of the stage, even amongst his soft folksy persona.
There were many musical highlights from the night, with the two standouts being the bluesier, “Black and Thunder”, followed by “Without Your Love”. Each of these songs crescendoed in different ways encouraging genuine fever in the crowd. The former featured a terrific guitar solo, and the latter built towards a rousing outro which interpolated Bowie’s, “Heroes” in the dying 30 seconds. Absolute magic.
With that said, the second half did feel slow at times with the audience appearing somewhat restless at new songs. The encore saw the band return to centre stage in spotlight. A full circle moment, which tied together an ultimately wholesome and sweet evening in the truest sense of the words.
SET LIST
1. Morning Gum
2. Change of the Wind
3. Till the Flame Turns Blue
4. Every Town
5. Black & Thunder
6. Dearest (with Bess Atwell)
7. Paint (Dedicated to “people at the back having a chat”)
8. Bleed Confusion
9. Without Your Love
10. Electric Indigo
11. Walk Above the City
12. Shake Off the Rain
13. Deep (In the Plans We Made) (Performed in the crowd)
14. A Gathering on 57th
15. Give Me Your Fire, Give Me Your Rain
16. On the Train Ride Home
17. Bloom
18. When the Lavender Blooms
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