Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett returns to Manchester after headlining BBC6 Music Festival earlier this year and embarking on a small venues tour around the UK.
The last time I saw Courtney Barnett live was in 2015 at the Leadmill in Sheffield after she had just released her debut full-length ‘Sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit’. I remember the show feeling like a complete breath of fresh air. Times were becoming slightly saturated with twinkle-indie, football indie and newly introduced shoegaze revivalists, but Courtney Barnett’s sound arrived as an honest, truthful, and frankly ‘no bullshit’ expression – she didn’t fall into any of the genre categories at the time. Their deadpan singing style and witty lyrics, reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Alex Turner, cut through the stale nostalgic driven times, removing all ego from music, while beautifully crafting a visceral response with golden-hour slacker style songs that wouldn’t sound out of place in Pavement’s or Built to Spill’s discography.
After the widespread acclaim of their debut album, Barnett’s signature approach to song-writing and mainstream success dawned a new era of musicians and artists who refused connections with previous subcultures and genres, and focused more on embracing their individuality and making truthful expressions. All seriousness was removed, and the formula to become a highly-marketable musician appealed less and less to younger upcoming musicians.
Now eleven years on, Courtney Barnett has four studio albums, a collaborative record with American singer songwriter Kurt Vile, three EP’s and an original soundtrack End of the Day (Music from the film Anonymous Club) under belt, and shows no signs of stopping, and her latest record, Creature of Habit exemplifies Barnett’s effortlessly unique and catchy song-writing abilities have only got stronger.
Photo: Robyn Dewhurst (@thehappysnappy), courtesy of musicandgigs.com
I arrived at Aviva Studios on a cold wet Saturday night to realise yet again why I think Aviva might be my favourite venue in Manchester. There’s no two-times you can attend a show here and for it to be the same setup. Structurally, it has all the powers of a Tardis – the versatility of the venue is groundbreaking – how all the spaces in the venue can be re-purposed and tailored specifically to work with different artists deserves all the credit it can get. It makes it impossible to feel like you’ve been here before, as each show is as unique to the experience. This time we arrive, we are guided upstairs into the upper-venue which is formally seated, but now is standing and has extended capacity into the main hall, in anticipation for Courtney Barnett.
The support this evening is the Australian four-piece Body Type who demonstrate their collective, playful sound of angular, grunge-inspired licks that marry Bikini Kill, Sleater Kinney and touches of Madrid’s Hinds collective vocal melodies together. On stage, the band stand in a line next to one another, like an all female Kraftwerk, lacing into sometimes garage-rock and sometimes more fuellded pub-rock style punk, but Body Type are much cooler, and don’t stink of stale ale. Body Type were mesmerising from start to finish, their unique approach to song-structures and topical issues with chant-like choruses made it irresistible not to like.
After a short break, the lights in the venue dimmed and Courtney Barnett, bassist Bones Sloane, and drummer Dave Mudie walk out onto the stage towards a packed Aviva Studio’s applause and waste no time with introductions before diving straight into the first track from Creature of Habit ‘Stay In Your Lane’. The charged bass-and-percussion rumbling stabs welcome Barnett’s voice to slice through with lyrics, ‘Rip this thing out of my head, clip my wings, I do my best, gotta get the off my chest’ as the fragmentary collaged track collects the detritus before breaking through the clouds and shining the brightest rays upon the day with ‘City Looks Pretty’ from their second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel. As subtle sways fill the room, and partners dance with one another, Courtney Barnett appears to have fully captured the audience, allowing them to enjoy the warm Australian sun and laid back demeanour for at least an hour and half.
Photo: Robyn Dewhurst (@thehappysnappy), courtesy of musicandgigs.com
As the set continues, tracks from throughout their discography, including ‘Avant Gardener’, ‘Mantis’, ‘Another Beautiful Day’, ‘Depreston’ and ‘Elevator Operator’ all chime their euphoric goodness into each and everyone soul present in the room, as an overall calmer and mellow aura possesses each individual. I think to myself how we could all learn a lesson from Courtney Barnett, we should all take a step-back and realise that life’s too short, and what we have around us won’t be here forever, so we must enjoy each moment before it eventually passes. In the current climate, it is easy to use technology to ignore and miss the solitary offerings of bliss, but Barnett’s music, and the stream of consciousness lyrics, aid the diary-ramblings of beatnik personas to devise a chilled, easy-going and unpressured sounds, grounding our feet firmly on earth as a reminder of what actually matters, is right before us.
As the set comes to a close, and the audience awake from the glaze of rays, Courtney Barnett returns the mind from its meanders, as ‘Mostly Patient, ‘Canned Tomatoes (Whole), Pedestrian At Best’ and ‘Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party’ soundtrack the encore. Watching Courtney Barnett live feels like those moments in your life where utmost bliss is found in the everyday, but those feelings have been captured into jars and are released as each song unravels. There’s a deep sense of nostalgia, and deja vu that appears, as memories, previously buried deep in the subconscious find feet and appear at the forefront of your mind, as specific rays of sun collide with memories to provide a warm sense of belonging. You look out the window of your car and as the sun peaks over the horizon, it casts the most beautiful golden glare across the land that leaks into your day, as Courtney Barnett plays on the radio, and suddenly, out of nowhere, everything seems like its going to be ok.
All photos by Robyn Dewhurst (@thehappysnappy), courtesy of musicandgigs.com
