Courtney Barnett @ Rockefeller

The contrast between poppy rhythms and powerful rock riffs is the signature sound of Courtney Barnett.

Photo: Johannes Andersen

Quickly grabbing her guitar, Courtney Barnett started smashing the speakers with Hopefulessness, the opening track of her new album “Tell Me How You Really Feel”. This was the perfect introduction to her concert and in a way it is also a perfect introduction to her album and to most of her musical pieces. In this song she also offers great advice: “Take your broken heart, turn it into art”.

Evolving

The contrast between music and voice is satisfying and mighty.

Most of her songs follow a pattern which begins with a fun, pop-like cadence and build up towards the end almost transforming every melody. «Evolving» might be a better word; the soungs morph into a powerful stream of what sometimes feels like grunge, sometimes psychedelic rock. The contrast with the initial poppy rhythm and the powerful rock behind it is, in my opinion, the signature sound of Courtney Barnett. A sound that has been consolidated in only a few years and makes her live act exciting and powerful.

City Looks Pretty, one of her latest singles, is next on the list and Courtney appears before her audience with her quirky seventies look that reminds me of the Ramones. It may also be that her songs are short and simple in their construction. In any case, the music goes beyond a hodgepodge of pop, punk and grunge styles. Complemented with a voice that at times even reminds me of Bryan Ferry and at times reminds me of Kurt Cobain. The contrast between music and voice is satisfying and mighty.

**Supporting act Laura Jean, also an Australian singer, user her electric piano, samples and sax to give a short introduction of her talent and friendly character. Photo: Johannes Andersen**

Keep it exciting

Courtney and her band manage to entertain by changing rhythms, sequences or giving a powerful scream that refreshes the mood and reconnects the audience.

Courtney continues relentlessly, song after song, with almost no break singing and playing on a stage framed with fairly lights. Filling the walls of the nearly packed Rockefeller with her powerful, but almost sweet energy. The band behind her is the cherry on top of the cake. When it gets loud, drums and bass carry everything their shoulders, in a very pleasant way, the roughness of Courtney’s voice.

The whole formula seems to become a little monotonous after a while. However, Courtney and her band manage to entertain by changing rhythms, sequences or giving a powerful scream that refreshes the mood and reconnects the audience. At the moment Courtney has two studio albums (and one more in collaboration with Kurt Vile) but it seems that she has already left a legacy of many incredible songs that bring excitement to the audience: Avant Gardener, Nameless, Faceless, I’m not your mother…, Lance Jr., and a long etc. For only two albums, that’s impressive.

After more than an hour of amazing and powerful rock, Courtney briefly introduces her band and leads to the last songs before the encore. After coming back from the backstage, she performed only accompanied with her guitar a beautiful cover of Everything Is Free by Gillian Welch.

Courtney Barnett @ Rockefeller 5.11.2018: 9/10

Set list

Hopefulessness
City Looks Pretty
Avant Gardener
Need a Little Time
Nameless, Faceless
I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch
Crippling Self Doubt and a General Lack of Self Confidence
Small Poppies
Small Talk
Debbie Downer
Walkin’ on Eggshells
Depreston
Are You Looking After Yourself?
Elevator Operator
Lance Jr
Charity
Nobody really cares

Encore
Everything Is Free (Gillian Welch cover)
Anonymous Club
Pedestrian at Best (This was written in the plan but it was not played).