Australian indie-folk band The Paper Kites performed a lowkey, soulful show on Thursday night in the intimate setting of The Sound House.

Anna Mieke opened the show with a set of songs that showcased her unique and often haunting vocal stylings. Following Mieke’s performance, The Paper Kites, comprised of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, Dave Powys, Josh Bentley and Sam Rasmussen, were greeted with applause as they took the stage for their first ever concert in Ireland, nearly a decade after they formed in 2010.

The band kicked off their set with 'Red Light', a guitar driven track off their latest LP, 2018's On The Corner Where You Live. A hush fell over the audience as Bentley's and Lacy's voices beautifully blended together, setting the scene for a performance which featured songs spanning the bands various EPs and LPs.

After a rousing rendition of ‘Revelatory Eyes’, frontman Sam Bentley spoke to audience. “Thank you very much! Ah man, it’s been nine years in the making but we finally made it to Ireland,” said Bentley, noting that his mother was born here. “A son has returned!”

Following ‘Too Late’, Bentley picked up an acoustic guitar and performed ‘Nothing More Than That’ and ‘Paint’. A certain reverence could be felt in the audience during the soft, emotional songs, as audience members shushed each other and the room became very quiet.

“We generally have two types of people who come to our shows,” said Bentley at one point. Type one being couples in love, while type two “you can generally see just shedding a single tear… the sad singles.” A quick glance across the audience confirms this to be true.

The band picked up the pace again with ‘When It Hurts You’, singing lyrics like “There’s a fire / Blazing in the shadows / And I don’t know a thing about the way it moves / But it burns me up when I let you down.” This was followed by one of the highlights of the night, a performance of fan-favorite tune ‘Bloom’, which helped the band gain prominence in their early days.

For the finale The Paper Kites played ‘Don’t Keep Driving’, but before this Bentley spoke to the audience one last time. “It’s the first time we’ve been here, but not the last,” he said, announcing that they will be back in December.