Concert Review/Photos: Courtney Barnett @ Union Transfer
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
With lyrics of a stark directness akin to a young Bob Dylan and guitar flourishes where she enters another galaxy of rock, Courtney Barnett is a bona fide star.
[ 10/20 ] Oftentimes the live experience can solidify my opinion of a performer. With lyrics of a stark directness akin to a young Bob Dylan and guitar flourishes where she enters another galaxy of rock, Courtney Barnett is a bona fide star. Her 60-minute set drew heavily from her two EPs (jointly been released as A Sea of Split Peas) and some compositions from her forthcoming LP. New work like the encore solo piece “Depreston” showed that she has only just begun to scratch at the surface of her songwriting brilliance.
Co-headliners San Fermin played a full set before Barnett, offering up a preemptive counterpoint of rock, classical and dance. With bare light bulbs and mostly backlighting revealing the figures of composer and band leader Ellis Ludwig-Leone and his group of singers, strings, winds and percussion, they were toe-tappingly mysterious. An audio and visual treat.
Opener Mikhael Paskalev readied the crowd more for Barnett than San Fermin with his folky rock. With 2013’s What’s Life Without Losers as the main fuel for his setlist, he showed promise, especially with the rocking “Jive Babe,” which he said was inspired by Twin Peaks’ Audrey Horne.
See Also: More photos by Chris Sikich @ countfeed.
