Episode 10: Dave Powys – The Paper Kites

The Paper Kites. Image: Nick McKinlay

Listen to the Trusty Chords podcast via your preferred platform of choice here.

The Australian music industry has long had a habit of churning out some great artists who manage to curate an intense and fanatical fanbase around the world thanks to the wonderful music that they create. 

If anyone understands what it’s like to have a massive fanbase, it’s likely Dave Powys, who has been the guitarist and a multi-instrumentalist with Melbourne indie-folk group The Paper Kites since 2010.

If you know The Paper Kites for any reason, it’s possibly due to their 2010 single ‘Bloom’, which managed to do what Aussie bands only dream of, and went Platinum in the US and Canada. For a bit of a reference, at the time of writing, it has more than 584 million plays on Spotify, and 35 million views on YouTube alone. 

No matter how you slice it, that’s pretty impressive.

But they didn’t stop there. Since then, they’ve released six full-length albums, the most recent of which was 2023’s At The Roadhouse, which once again captures the singular sound of the group, and proves their worth as a celebrated group of Aussie exports.

Ahead of a tour of the UK & Europe, where they’ve got a pretty voracious fanbase, Dave Powys was kind enough to join me for a chat. Now that this podcast is out, they’re just about to head out on an Australian tour, so don’t miss out on that one.

Check out The Paper Kites’ latest album, At The Roadhouse, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

Dave Powys’ Trusty Chords

Dave’s One Influential Artist

1. M.C. Taylor

Dave’s Three Impactful Albums

1. The Corrs – Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1995)

2. Death Cab For Cutie – Plans (2005)

3. Hiss Golden Messenger – Heart Like A Levee (2016)

Dave’s Five Trusty Songs

1. Hiss Golden Messenger – 'Down At The Uptown' (2019)

2. Led Zeppelin – 'When The Levee Breaks' (1971)

3. Waxahatchee – 'Tiger's Blood' (2024)

4. Little Dragon – 'High' (2017)

5. Skinshape – 'High Tide, Storm Rising' (2022)