Live Review: Bombay Bicycle Club & The Paper Kites

Melbourne indie band The Paper Kites quickly proved that they were indeed the perfect opening act for Bombay Bicycle. The space was filled with the strong, dominant vocals of Sam Bentley, which were elegantly matched by a consistently balanced, steady sound from the band's instrumental performances. They impressed a quiet, captivated audience with songs such as When Our Legs Grew Tall early in the piece and went on to close the set with confident renditions of Featherstone and Paint.

The crowd's excitement was still more apparent, however, as Bombay Bicycle Club graced the stage. The group combined an incredibly impressive and remarkably consistent level of energy with steady, confident musical cohesion and extraordinary technical ability throughout their hour-long set. The band opened with Beg, which showcased their various instrumental talents, then went on to engage the audience even more thoroughly with the depth and clarity of their performance of Dust On The Ground. The crowd particularly enjoyed How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, during which frontman Jack Steadman used his charisma and dominant stage presence to persuade almost everyone in the room to sing along. It's Alright Now, a track from their forthcoming record, had a more electronic, upbeat feel and provided a well-placed change of pace in the set. One of the standout moments of the performance, however, was Lights Out, Words Gone, whose vocal harmonies were nothing short of enthralling. Another of the crowd's favourites was Always Like This, after which the band left the stage before returning for a fiercely anticipated encore, which consisted of three songs, including another new track and finishing with an incredibly energetic, incredibly accomplished performance of What If. With this, the group left behind a contented crowd filled with enthusiasm.