It was a wet and crappy night in Melbourne. A few glorious days of sunshine had given way for grey skies, rain and wind. Down at the Abbotsford Convent, the combination of meteorological conditions and 19th century architecture suggested the scene from a gothic novel, a world away from the colourful decadence and financial irresponsibility of the Spring Racing Carnival.
The Abbotsford Convent once provided a refuge for fallen women, wayward girls and other pejorative gender constructs of yore. Courtney Barnett is anything but wayward – with a catalogue of pop songs that’d bring a tear to Roger McGuinn’s eye and a grumpy nod of acknowledgement from Bob Dylan, and a professional nous decades beyond her years – Barnett’ musical career is following a steep upward trajectory.
Fresh from a trip to the United States, Barnett was at the Shadow Electric complex at the Abbotsford Convent to launch her new EP. The room was narrow, and difficult to navigate – once ensconced in the crowd there was little room to move – but the acoustics are sympathetic. Barnett plunges straight into her bag of classic riffs. Everything sounds familiar, but different; at one point, there’s a cheeky segue into David Bowie’s Jean Jeanie, and for a moment we wonder if Barnett’s going to trace the riff back through The Yardbirds, and its Bo Diddley origins. There’s an even distant hint of The Sweet – glam rock, folk, garage psych: it’s all there, like you’re being taken for a journey through the highlights of rock’n’roll evolution over the ages.
The ubiquitous Dan Luscombe is on guitar, dropping seamlessly into place. On bass, Bones is a picture of youthful excitement, his bass lines providing the melodic foundation to Barnett’s classic-before-their-time tunes. Barnett breaks free from the narrow construct of the female singer-songwriter, writhing and contorting with the rock’n’roll spirit of the evening.
After Avante Gardner, there’s a short break and the house music suggests an end to the evening’s proceedings. Barnett re-appears on her lonesome, and re-ignites the set with an acoustic track; the rest of the band returns to the stage for the final song, and the crowd bids her a fond farewell.
BY PATRICK EMERY
Loved: History Eraser, and the never-ending selection of classic riffs.
Hated: Battling the climatic elements on my bike.
Drank: Brunswick Bitter.
