Courtney Barnett came to Brooklyn's Kings Theatre in support of her new album Creature of Habit.
On her first studio album of full new material in five years, Courtney Barnett returned to her stellar sound of breezy rockers that know just when to turn up the distortion for some wicked soloing and also when to slow things down to let her words really speak for themselves. Seeing her bring the songs to life with just a drummer and a bassist at the lovely Kings Theatre made for a splendid Saturday evening. Sticking to a large amount of material from her new record and a decent amount from her excellent debut, she blazed through the set in rapid fashion, barely stopping between each song as she let her guitar roar, unleashing some ragged and shaggy solos that left the crowd raving. The began with the opening number from the new album before diving into "City Looks Pretty," a jaunty joint that was the only selection from her still quite good sophomore record Tell Me How You Really Feel before hitting us with the crunching stomp of "Avant Gardener." Her band was tight, the bass loud and muddy, while the drums were dry and together the rhythm section really held things locked down and let Courtney do her thing, flipping her hair and making her way to the edge of the stage on several occasions to greet the crowd with more solos. "Site Unseen," the lead single from the new LP, channels some of Barnett's best work and hearing it live affirms its place as one of her top tracks, even if Waxahatchee wasn't around to provide the backing vocals (her drummer actually did a great job filling this role throughout the night). Every time she busts out "Depreston," a silence falls over the crowd as the soft and sweet tune wraps the room in a blanket, the vivid storytelling distills feelings of nostalgia, honesty, and just a simple time. It's a pure, sensational example of Barnett at her sharpest and more delicate, a rare pairing which she pulls off with absolute poise and grandiosity. Just for a moment it seemed as if something caught her attention in the crowd and she nearly paused in the beginning, but fell back into the rhythm swiftly, almost like a skip on a record, and the only time she broke form in the night. It gave us a glimpse into her, however, that there's humanity on stage and art isn't always going to go off without a hitch, but even when it seems like something might go on unplanned, Bartnett asserted herself as firmly in control and carried on the night with cruising passion. "The night went too quickly" she said just before the final song of the main set, but in the blink of an eye after a quick break, she was back on stage, solo, to deliver "Mostly Patient." In a glowing white pant suit, Barnett stood in the spotlight, just her and a matching white electric Fender and commanded the attention of the room with triumphant force. As she held everyone's attention, her band snuck back on just in time to meet her for a thundering "Pedestrian at Best" that gave the crowd one more chance to rock out and indulge in her killer craftsmanship one last time.
Set list:
02 "City Looks Pretty"
03 "Avant Gardener"
04 "Small Poppies"
05 "Mantis"
06 "Site Unseen"
07 "Great Advice"
08 "Depreston"
09 "Elevator Operator"
10 "Sugar Plum"
11 "Wonder"
12 "Before You Gotta Go"
13 "One Thing at a Time"
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14 "Mostly Patient"
15 "Pedestrian at Best"
16 "Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go to the Party"
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