Line-up

Headliner
Courtney Barnett Last time in Sydney: 2 years ago

Venue

Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House

Bennelong Point (near Circular Quay), 2000, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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Courtney Barnett biography

Australian singer-songwriter, Courtney Barnett has built up her reputation as a witty Indie Rock sensation since she burst on to the scene with her debut EP “I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris”

With a CV of playing guitar in a band called Rapid Transit, in Melbourne around 2010, and then being a guitarist and part time singer in the psych/country band Immigrant Union, in 2011, it was in fact in 2012 that Barnett decided to start her own label called ‘Milk!’ Records. She released her own EP “I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris” that same year, which gained plenty of critical acclaim around her home country. The following year, she played guitar on Jen Cloher’s third full-length album, “In Blood Memory”, which was also released on her label.

In 2013, she released her second EP entitled “How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose”, which was led by the single “Avant Gardener” with much promotion. The story behind the song discusses how she had an anaphylactic asthma attack amidst a heat wave in Australia. The song went on to win the title “Best New Track” through Pitchfork Media, the year of release. Barnett was originally going to release two EPs, but combined the two and named it “The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas” and released it to be available internationally on May 20th 2013, through House Anxiety/Marathon Artists. She earned the title of album of the week by Stereogum and the track “History Eraser” was nominated recently for the APRA Song of the Year.

Barnett announced in April 2014 that she recorded a full-length studio album with Burk Reid.

Live reviews

Having post Valentines day blues, I chose instead to express my love by gathering all my friends that would follow me on a trip to my mecca, Rough Trade, to see Courtney Barnett and the Courtney Barnetts. Despite claims from some that "lunchtime gigs are weird," I think if you love music you love it any time of the day, and clearly I'm in good company as the place is packed! So much so they had to lock the doors!
Not really sure what to expect from Courtney live, I was happily surprised to find she rocks. And despite 2.5 years in London, transforming me from my pastels of the first visit, to Londonite greys and blacks, I still like to express myself with more than the hipster head nod, and its hard not to, getting caught up in their shared smiles which each other, as they are clearly enjoying the gig and the turn out. With beautifully crafted stories of mundanely simple everyday life, it's difficult not to smile as well. "Are you eating? You sound so thin" and "I got drunk and fell asleep atop the sheets but luckily i left the heater on." The highlight for me was her new song, "Depreston". Inspired by a town in Melbourne called Preston, which she says "really isn't that bad... it has a dumping ground... and a post office." The lyrics are even better and despite the sweet melody most of the crowd is cracking a smile.
I love her lyrics so much, I'm inspired to buy my first record in years. I stay around to get her to sign it, on the inside where there is a picture of a washing line and its says, "Nobody knew whose socks they were, but they had been hanging there for weeks." Watching everyone get cheesy photos with her, I suggest instead we should get them to join us in the Rough Trade photo booth. And my friend is brave enough to ask. Score!

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