From the moment they stepped on stage, The Paper Kites made us feel like one big family. Frontman of the Indie-Folk group Sam Bentley greeted the audience with “C’est un privilège d’être de retour à Montréal”, which led to a giant applause and cheering.
First song on the menu for tonight was ‘Revelator Eyes’, which got people swaying and comfortable amongst each other, followed by ‘Renegade’ ‘I’m Lying To You Cause I’m Lost’ and ‘Holes’ which had never made it to any of their albums because it was out voted, but in my opinion it should have definitely made it to The Paper Kites’ new album ‘Twelvefour’.
‘Too Late’ is next and brings us all into another state of mind and being, with a blend of complex emotions from happy to sad. This song touches the depths of our very souls and almost brings tears to our eyes with every verse as we contemplate what the lyrics mean to us personally. If I had walked away from that night only hearing that one song, I would have been more than happy.
To our surprise, the next 3 songs are played completely in the dark. Sam Bentley tells the audience that he wants us to be completely absorbed into the sound and surroundings that hearing music alone can bring, without all of the distractions we usually encounter at a show. They play ‘Tenenbaum’, ‘Bloom’ and ‘Woke Up From A Dream’.
Christina Lacey (who would generally play piano and guitar throughout the show) steps up and wows us all with her own rendition of ‘I’m On Fire’ from Bruce Springsteen. All members of The Paper Kites have amazing vocals, which is somewhat rare to see in bands these days, mostly leaving all the spotlight for the lead man/woman. We all truly got to witness this by their encore. The 5 members stood around one mic, using only a guitar and all five of their magnificent voices, snapping their fingers and stomping their feet to make beats for the two last songs of the night; ‘St Clarity’ & ‘Halcyon’.
It’s always a pleasure leaving shows such as these, uplifted and reassured that music with TRULY talented people still exist in these days of lip syncing and autotune.
Review & photos – Brittany Salmaso
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