Courtney Barnett’s creatures of habit bring Bristol to life
Words & Photos: Images by Ellis
★★★★★
Help to keep FOMO alive; letting creators create: Buy Me A Coffee
There was a distinctly Sydney-flavour to this evening at a packed Bristol Beacon. It's where support act Body Type formed, while Courtney Barnett and drummer Stella Mozgawa also hail from the city. Even bassist Bones Sloane hails from near there, Barnett told us. Whatever’s in the water, it clearly does something for guitar music.
Photo: Images by Ellis
Body Type’s half-hour set provided an engaging warm-up. The all-female four-piece shared vocals between their two guitarists and bassist, bringing different personalities to a sound that suggested The Bangles crossed with The Strokes. Bright melodies met wiry guitars and garage-rock energy: an appealing combination that made them a natural fit for the evening.
Barnett was accompanied by longstanding collaborators Sloane on bass and Warpaint’s Mozgawa on drums, forming a formidable power trio. Polished and tight, their playing had the assurance of musicians thoroughly comfortable with one another, giving Barnett room to demonstrate just how expressive a guitarist she is.
Touring in support of ‘Creature of Habit’, released in March, she gave the new material a commanding presence. The album’s mantis artwork loomed over proceedings, periodically illuminated on the backdrop, while its mark was rather more permanent on one fan. Spotting their mantis tattoo, Barnett dedicated the song of the same name to them.
Fortunately, the album is packed with tunes that justified their prominence. ‘Mantis’, ‘Stay in Your Lane’, ‘Sugar Plum’ and ‘Wonder’ all gained another dimension live, the trio giving the songs weight and definition while amplifying their melodies.
There was plenty of room for the back catalogue, too. More than once, I found myself thinking, “I’d forgotten she did this one.” ‘History Eraser’ and ‘Nameless, Faceless’ were reminders of the depth of a songbook that has steadily accumulated over more than a decade.
‘Another Beautiful Day’ was a particular highlight, its reverb-laden guitar recalling a young Billy Bragg. It segued beautifully into Depreston, with a guitar passage that brought to mind Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs. Barnett’s conversational vocals and observational writing rightly attract attention, but moments like this made her guitar playing equally compelling.
‘One Thing at a Time’ closed the main set, dedicated to anyone who, like Barnett herself, gets easily overwhelmed. She returned alone for a pensive ‘Mostly Patient’, allowing a moment of reflection before Sloane and Mozgawa rejoined her for ‘Pedestrian at Best’. They were anything but.
Somehow, this was my first time seeing Barnett live. Across 100 minutes, she gave me ample reason to regret that, and every incentive to catch her next UK visit.
The rousing finale, ‘Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party’, provided the last word. Judging by the reception, everyone in the room was very pleased they’d come.