Live Review: Courtney Barnett, Sures

The sport of Courtney Barnett-spotting began a couple of weeks back; she clambered through a broken chain-link fence to have a sing with You Am I in a pub carpark. This night she seemed everywhere, likely the last time she plays a venue this size as her trajectory keeps heading upward. Here's Barnett at the door desk. By the bar. Smiling at the merch table signing copies of her EP – on vinyl, of course. Then down among the crowd. There was little surprise a couple of hours after, when waiting for the obligatory Newtown late-night kebab, that her familiar rolled-up sleeves and lived-in Blundstones appeared a couple of places back in the queue. One of us. Kinda.
For their part, Sures go about their work in a happily scruffy style. There's the frayed edges of a pop band that doesn't take themselves too seriously, but do love what they're doing. Guitarist Matt Hogan stomped and flailed about the small stage, as things wound up to the joyous and buzzily raucous Stars before they wandered off grinning.
Joined by her compact band, The Courtney Barnetts (yes, really…), the Courtney Barnett also seemed to be having just such a good time. Live, there's more bounce and noise to the songs that are so laconic on record. Although the parental badgering and self-questioning of Are You Looking After Yourself? still itched. There's a couple of new songs, the pun of Depreston slightly undermined when she admits it was written about a place a couple of blocks over in Coburg. But it's all part of the same Melbourne inner suburban mundanity she can make you feel.
Naturally, it comes down to splendid Avant Gardener, the first sing-along tune to include the words “emphyseming” and/or “pseudoephedrine”.  She thanked us warmly, before wandering off to natter and sign some more records. And then go for that kebab.