Live Review: Courtney Barnett, D.D Dumbo, Caitlin Park

Caitlin Park’s combination of acoustic guitars, synth and sampling was fascinating; but really it was the fierce attitude of the singer-songwriter that caught and held the steadily increasing crowd’s attention.

The expressive DD Dumbo couldn’t quite hold onto the crowd’s interest; his one-man loop pedal show was interesting, but it was only really Tropical Oceans that struck a chord.

Courtney Barnett is an Australian treasure. There. We said it. While in Melbourne she was winning Best Independent Artist the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards Best Independent Artist, in Sydney she took to the stage with her band the Courtney Barnetts to regale her hometown (Barnett grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches) with tales of sunny suburbia, love lost, and nights at the casino. It was the first of three sold out Oxford Art Factory shows: a testament to the way Barnett (or ‘Babenet’ in the words of Park) captures 21st century malaise; her songs reflect the zeitgeist of 20-something urban living.

We can’t state enough just how important it is to have an Australian woman in her 20s proudly declaring that her lived experiences are valid as a kind of ‘art’; they’re worth writing about, they’re legitimate, not ‘domestic’. It helps that Barnett has a way with words; she is overly articulate, singing songs from her EPs I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris and How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose, as well as two new, more upbeat tracks, in her laconic drawl.

When Barnett plays live her songs take on an almost garage aesthetic, rather than the folk twang of the records; she thrashes at her guitar with her fingers (no guitar pick for Barnett), the songs spiraling out into extended guitar solos coupled with suitably controlled noise-rock rhythm guitar. Of course the encore was Barnett solo for Depreston, new single Pickles From The Jar, and her early hit History Eraser.

For the last two the stage became crowded with revelers, including one who insisted on taking a selfie with the songwriter, and another who was hurled into Barnett as she was still playing and then off stage by security. Barnett recovered her composure and eventually remembered the fourth verse , capping off an impressive show with another extended jam-out.