Courtney Barnett

The setting at the O2 Brixton surrounded the stage with a dramatic balcony fit for Romeo and Juliette that added an ethereal dimension to the performance. In stark contrast to the romantic and timeless venue, Barnett explored a complex range of human emotions through the nihilistic, witty style that is characteristic of her music. From longing to anger to apathy to despair, the audience swayed along with each shift in the dissonant wailing of her guitar.

The ethereal venue transported the audience to a shared moment of communal emotional depth rooted in the present. Through a performance simultaneously timid and powerful, Barnett invited fans to feel an apathetic, wistful sadness during Avant Gardener and a dispassionate anger during I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch. Barnett’s stage presence was both relaxed and shy in a way that further explores the nuances and contradictions of the human experience captured by her music. With a simple, yet powerful chorus, the song Nameless, Faceless (from the album Tell Me How You Really Feel) highlighted the disparity in experiences between men and women. Revealing absurdity and anger of an all too real experience for women, the room collectively chanted along to the lyrics:

I wanna walk through the park in the dark
Men are scared that women will laugh at them
I wanna walk through the park in the dark
Women are scared that men will kill them

Tapping into the truths and difficulties of everyday life, Barnett provides a voice through which women can channel frustration and feel seen by bringing to light a societal issue that anonymizes women in the violence committed against them. Despite the dark undertones, the song remains witty and allows the audience to laugh through the pain with verses like:

I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup
And spit out better words than you

Halfway through the performance, Barnett invited Laura Jean from The Go-Betweens to the stage for a collaboration. With Jean on the saxophone and Barnett on vocals and guitar, the two created a lively version of Streets of Your Town. Barnett ended the set with Pedestrian at Best accompanied by a sea of fans belting the lyrics:

I think you’re a joke but I don’t find you very funny

In the encore, Barnett stripped down to acoustics in a vulnerable, honest, and exposed rendition of Gillian Welch’s Everything Is Free. During her most vulnerable moment on stage, no one was on their phones, which is a rare and beautiful experience in the 21st century. Everyone in the crowd was deeply and collectively feeling what Barnett was sharing. This speaks to the connection that she makes with her audience when performing.

Through witty lyrics combined with the paradoxical coexistence of apathy and deep longing transmuted by dissonant sounds, Barnett speaks to something raw in the human condition. She acknowledges how dark the world is and she laughs at it but not without pain. Through her music, Barnett allows her audience to feel that pain and to let it go chanting to the songs with rage, apathy, and joy side by side. Her music allows us all to connect emotionally in this way and her lyrics remind you that, at the end of the day, no one really cares if you go to the party or not.