Australian band The Paper Kites is soon to launch their sixth studio album, At The Roadhouse, which has a Campbells Creek connection.
Last winter, The Paper Kites arrived in Campbells Creek to enquire about the old Digger’s Store.
“It used to be a gold mining supply store back in the days of the Victorian gold rush, then I believe it was a hotel – I was told there was a large fire there in 1876 that almost destroyed the whole building, but it survived and is still standing today. It’s this beautiful dramatic old structure by the side of the road,” singer Sam Bentley explained.
“I think we all felt there was something about it and what it could be.”
United in their vision, the band decided this would be the place to make their next record and began working on what would become ‘The Roadhouse’.
“We wanted it to be a combination of all the greatest dive bars you’d ever been to, late-night watering holes, smokey taverns, biker bars – but it didn’t exist, so we had to build it, and then we had to try and fill it,” Sam said.
The band committed to a month-long stay in Campbells Creek, and the days that followed, the old Diggers Store was bustling with friends and fellow artists working to transform the space into a living, breathing venue.
On the same property, owner Alex Bennett had a vintage all-analogue studio set up in a barn behind the venue. It was here they would work on their next album during the weeks – and every Friday and Saturday night, they opened the doors of ‘The Roadhouse’ and perform.
The shows were free and unannounced, relying solely on local word of mouth.
“There was every chance we could have been playing to five people – and we didn’t care. By the end of the month, it was so full we had to keep turning people away,” Sam said.
Soon enough, a powerful sense of community and connection emerged around the shows and the venue itself.
Guitarist Dave Powys reflected it was “a kind of magic born from people connecting with music and friends”.
Paying homage to the band’s home state of Victoria, the group revealed their time in Campbells Creek was one of the most fulfilling months of their career.
The Paper Kites will launch At The Roadhouse on September 1. The third single from the project, Hurts So Good, and its accompanying video are out now.
