Live Review: Courtney Barnett, East Brunswick All Girls Choir

As paradoxical as it may seem, one of the best rock shows of the year was on a Wednesday night. That's when Courtney Barnett hits the Tivoli to support her latest release, Tell Me How You Really Feel. While Barnett has drawn many parallels to some of the greatest artists of all time, her stage show is finally catching up to this status.

Opening are East Brunswick All Girls Choir, a band made for venues like The Tivoli with the natural reverb of the space bringing their songs to another level. The wall of fuzzed-out guitars and the huge voice of singer Marcus Hobbs belting out heartfelt lyrics bounce between punters, hitting you hard in the gut. The Melbourne four-piece's sound reminds us of Sonic Youth, at other times sleepmakeswaves, and the band are one of the best in the industry right now when it comes to using dynamics. They play plenty of cuts from latest album Teddywaddy, but it's the tracks from their previous self-titled release that get the crowd moving. They end their set with the raucous, driving thump of Essendon 1986, and while for some the debacle of the singer's untied shoe may have been the most memorable part of the night, there is no doubt many punters are now converted fans.

As the covers come off and the stage starts to take shape, Courtney Barnett's star power begins to radiate. Opening with the tender build of Hopefulessness, we get our first taste of the new album live, before following up with the tongue-in-cheek flirt with the concrete jungle that is City Looks Pretty. Immediately striking from the first two tracks is how confident Barnett is, everything from her vocals to her lead guitar is miles ahead of previous tours. Her entire aura screams, "I've played some of the biggest stages in the world and lived."

As the slow drawl of Avant Gardener starts the crowd erupts for the first of Barnett's huge anthemic tracks. It does a great job of showing how Barnett has evolved vocally; relaxed faux-sung accounts of smoking bongs and gardening are a long shot from the range she shows on tracks from her latest album. Barnett's evolution is a theme that continues throughout the set as we hear plenty of tracks from the new album. The guitar solos are more melodic, the lyrics are more heartfelt, and Barnett's range is constantly growing. These are juxtaposed by the bedroom jam appeal of earlier career tracks such as Don't Apply Compression Gently and Depreston. The latter sees a full crowd singalong like Pub Choir, overwhelming Barnett; "I had to be careful there, I almost cried."

The show's midpoint comes in the form of I'm Not Your Mother, I'm Not Your Bitch, a standout punk highlight from her latest release. Stark red lighting emanates from below as she wails "put up or shut up" before a river of fuzzed guitars erupt. It's like nothing we've seen from Barnett. Striking the line between Nirvana and Venom, Barnett is a woman possessed and her words could melt steel.

While Barnett has notoriously suffered from stage nerves, after years of touring, multiple records, and a collaboration with folk champion Kurt Vile, it's obvious that she has comfortably made the transition from indie star to rock royalty. With a stage production akin to one of the mega rock bands touring currently, Barnett takes the sheer scale of a high-quality rock show and still makes you feel as though you are just in a room alone with Courtney. The lights are spectacular, the set design is beautiful and with the addition of keys and rhythm guitar, Barnett's tracks have a new layer of sheen to them. Still, through all this, and over 90 minutes of anthemic Australian tracks, Barnett never makes you feel like you are watching a 'rock star'. With the set coming to an end with the bop of History Eraser, it's obvious that 90 minutes from a modern icon isn't enough as screams for more fill the room.

Through the darkness stumbles Barnett alone, crooning a solo cover of Gillian Welch classic Everything Is Free. With just one song, all the cheers and "I love you" comments stop - it's just silence, a guitar and Courtney Barnett. As the band flood back on stage, the familiar fuzz of Pedestrian At Best rings out and the crowd erupts one last time. We can only hope Barnett tours her home shores more often.