Naomi Keyte + Night Kite

Enjoy the music of Adelaide's Naomi Keyte under the trees and the setting sun in the Seymour Centre's courtyard, as they close the 2018 Courtyard Sessions season. Naomi will be supported by a special guest from the Australian Institute of Music (AIM), Night Kite. Entry is free with drinks and food available on site.

Naomi Keyte gives a voice to voiceless things: trees, colours, water, the very air we breathe. Musically there is a delicate meeting of electronic pulses and rhythms, and physical vibration: nylon guitars, violins and pianos. Keyte and her band write and perform minimalist alt-folk pop music that sings to the heart and human experience.

Their music resounds with the restraint and warmth of artists like Joni Mitchell, Julia Holter, Sharon Van Etten and Sufjan Stevens. Keyte’s words are ‘beautifully simplistic and are drawn together to tell fascinating stories which she accompanies with vividly painted images’ (June Murtagh, The AU Review). Thoughtfully produced, the group’s music has a narrative in every string plucked and bowed, and a message conveyed in every beat struck and muted.

Now, out of the studio of the acclaimed Nick Huggins, Keyte and band are focused on sharing their album with audiences all around Australia, teaming up with Parlour to do a feature tour of house concerts around Australia and New Zealand. These invite-only events tend to be small and intimate: a perfect backdrop for Melaleuca’s hearthfire narratives. Melaleuca stands out as a milestone in sophistication for the group, having been developed by many people of one mind and not the mind of one person. Keyte’s vision progressed to a group act when she began writing Melaleuca in 2014.

She joined together with members of Sparkspitter and Swimming, who share her passion for musical narration. With the support of their synergetic style and arrangements, Keyte was able to dedicate herself to her role as lyricist and singer, and came to win the 2016 National Live Music Award for Best Live Voice in SA. This year she was nominated for three South Australian Music awards, including ‘best release’ and ‘best female’.

The collaborative production of Melaleuca is the result of a genuine connection, which brings together the expressions of soloist and group. The album honours and respects Keyte’s provocative vocals, and showcases the group’s ability to talk to it’s audience with a definitive fluency.

Keyte has supported some incredible artists such as Olympia, Ainslie Wills, Laura Jean, Aldous Harding, Paul Kelly, Darren Hanlon, and Luluc. She has also made appearances at a handful of festivals including Here’s to Now, Bus to the Big Trees, Moving Music and Latitude (UK.). Keyte has also been played extensively on Double J, Triple J Unearthed and Radio Adelaide. Most recently Naomi has been programmed to play at WOMADelaide 2018.

Forming in mid 2016, the girls from Night Kite came together from four different walks of musical life to create a unique and exciting sound.

Harnessing the power of four incredible vocalists: Susie Hurley, Amy Price, Vanessa Moussa and Sarasi Liyanage they weave intricate harmonies over rhythmic percussion, creating seductive and dynamic arrangements.

Their vast experience covers folk, gospel, country, opera, pop and soul, with each vocalist throwing their own distinct style into the songwriting melting pot.

Night Kite’s upwards trajectory has been swift, with the girls already collecting an impressive array of achievements. Quick to become regulars on the Sydney scene, they have held residencies at the Robin Hood Hotel, become favourites at The Rhythm Hut in Gosford, and support original live music by playing at local and underground events.

The girls wowed audiences in a coveted spot at the 2017 Tamworth Country Music Festival, playing multiple shows in the bustling hub of The Tamworth Hotel. They were also recently selected to play in the Bluesfest Busking Competition at the iconic Beach Hotel in Byron, where they earned a slot playing on the Busking Stage at Bluesfest. Other festivals include the sold out Wollombi Music Festival and Hervey Bay Seafood Festival.

In January 2017 Night Kite released their first single, “Already Come Into My Heart”, kicking off a busy year that will see the girls headline The Rhythm Hut, continue on the festival circuit and work on recording their first album.

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