For an artist whose lyrics tell such vivid, memorable stories, Melbourne-based Courtney Barnett was a woman of few words when it came to stage banter during her show at Metro on Monday. Instead, she let her smart material speak for her, in the autobiographical, conversational and wry way that has brought her worldwide accolades over the last year.
Barnett released her 2012 debut EP, “I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris,” on her own label, Milk! Records. A year later she released a second EP, “How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose,” which housed “Avant Gardener,” a personal, witty offering about a panic attack brought on by her attempts at gardening, a song that propelled her into the spotlight. The two EPs were packaged together as “A Sea of Split Peas” and was released in North America earlier this year. Since then, she’s continued to make waves on the road, including her summer stop at Lollapalooza.
During her fourth show in Chicago, she turned “Avant Gardener”‘s deceptively simple observations on the doldrums of everyday life and its unexpected turns into a clever anxiety-driven, rocking anthem. And live, the 26-year-old’s material was more raw and frenetic than her double EP sounds. Her pop sensibilities wove through her garage, folk and country-tinged material, but with an added wallop, such as during “Lance Jr.,” which built to a squalling outro that blended straight into the driving beginning of “Canned Tomatoes (Whole).”
Similar to her economical lyric approach, where she communicates big ideas in simple phrases, the 70-minute set packed a heady punch. The concert showcased the efficiency of her bandmates, adorably named The Courtney Barnetts, and their aptitude for kicking it up several notches.
Coupled with Barnett’s guitar chops and her wordplay, she displayed a gutsy charm and attitude. She wasn’t afraid to get a little silly, such as during her encore, “Pickles From the Jar.” Backed by drummer Dave Mudie, her rhymes were playful. “History Eraser” turned a dream-state, drunken, random night on the town with one’s crush into a relatable poetic meditation. Another standout was “Are You Looking After Yourself,” which played like a humorous back-and-forth conversation between concerned parents and their wayward artist child.
Her full-length album is due next year. For this former bartender, who took a chance on her artistry and turned her notebook observations into insightful, indelible songs, the lyrics culled from those experiences should prove worthwhile fodder.